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I Was a Teenage Slasher
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Horror (2024)Lamesa, Texas, July 1989
It’s the summer before senior year for best friends Tolly Driver and Amber Dennison. They’re not in the marching band, they’re not in the FFA – they don’t really count. Amber’s the only Native student in town, and Tolly’s only on the radar due to his father’s recent death.
This is all about to change.
Bodies are going to be dropping fast in this small West Texas town. For a few unbearably hot days that will resonate through the decades and even get made into a TV movie, Tolly and Amber will be famous. Notorious even. Finally, everyone will know their names.
This is Stephen Graham Jones x-raying the slasher genre, interrogating its motivations over the shoulder and in the voice of the killer itself – from a town he did some growing up in, in a year he was also seventeen.
The kills will be poignant, the jokes will hurt, and the violence will be endearing. Everything’s turned around for Tolly, for Amber – for all of Lamesa, Texas.
Be happy you weren’t there.
Be happy you’re only reading about it.
It’s the summer before senior year for best friends Tolly Driver and Amber Dennison. They’re not in the marching band, they’re not in the FFA – they don’t really count. Amber’s the only Native student in town, and Tolly’s only on the radar due to his father’s recent death.
This is all about to change.
Bodies are going to be dropping fast in this small West Texas town. For a few unbearably hot days that will resonate through the decades and even get made into a TV movie, Tolly and Amber will be famous. Notorious even. Finally, everyone will know their names.
This is Stephen Graham Jones x-raying the slasher genre, interrogating its motivations over the shoulder and in the voice of the killer itself – from a town he did some growing up in, in a year he was also seventeen.
The kills will be poignant, the jokes will hurt, and the violence will be endearing. Everything’s turned around for Tolly, for Amber – for all of Lamesa, Texas.
Be happy you weren’t there.
Be happy you’re only reading about it.
373 pages, Hardcover
First published July 16, 2024
2144 people are currently reading
86384 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Graham Jones
245 books15.8k followersStephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author thirty-five or so books. He really likes werewolves and slashers. Favorite novels change daily, but Valis and Love Medicine and Lonesome Dove and It and The Things They Carried are all usually up there somewhere. Stephen lives in Boulder, Colorado. It's a big change from the West Texas he grew up in.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,399 reviews
October 2, 2024
Norman Bates. Michael Myers. Ghostface. Hannibal. Jigsaw Killer. Freddy Krueger. Jason. Leatherface. Aren’t slasher movies and villains such a scream? If you’ve revelled in the antics of these icons over the decades, you’ll recognise all the tropes: from the Final Girl (shoutout to my girls Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Biel, Courteney Cox etc.) to oblivious parents and cars in perfectly great condition which don't start at the most needed moment.
While I enjoy horror and gravitate towards the psychological variety, I hadn’t immersed myself in a slasher-horror book before, even though I love the movies. So I thought I’d see if my enjoyment of the films would translate into books, and it does! This was my first attempt at Stephen Graham Jones and I loved it.
“I was a teenage slasher, yeah, okay. I said it.”
The premise of this book is a coming-of-age teenage slasher memoir, told in stream-of-consciousness style from Tolly Driver on how he became a slasher and the recap of events in which he went on a reluctant murderous rampage. Look, I’m no slasher sympathiser, but I always think it’s clever when an author can make you feel empathy towards the villain, and not only did SGJ achieve that for me, but I even got a little teary at the end for our main man, Tolly.
Furthermore, I holidayed in Texas earlier this year—and this book is set in Lamesa, Texas, which really enriched the location and setting of this story for me, from the flat landscape to the small-town atmosphere itself.
Approaching the book with little prior knowledge was the way to go. It’s packed with slasher Easter eggs and nostalgia, while also being surprisingly heartfelt with themes of friendship, love, and family. Moreover, it is extremely meta and isn’t afraid to poke fun at standard classic slasher logic and tropes.
Trigger warnings abound—Extreme gore, blood, murder, bullying, suicide contemplation, animal deaths and more—so be aware and mind your triggers.
Ultimately, this book is a humorous, heartfelt, and surprisingly poignant love letter to the slasher genre. I really think it deserves 5 stars for how creative, original and brilliant it is and I’m looking forward to getting way more familiar with more of SGJ’s stories.
If you’ve enjoyed slasher films and books in the past, there is a decent chance you’d enjoy this too. Highly recommend. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. It was a bloody good ride. (Sccchhhhting!)
More on I Was a Teenage Slasher, here.
___
On a horror roll. A coming-of-age teenage slasher autobiography. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
While I enjoy horror and gravitate towards the psychological variety, I hadn’t immersed myself in a slasher-horror book before, even though I love the movies. So I thought I’d see if my enjoyment of the films would translate into books, and it does! This was my first attempt at Stephen Graham Jones and I loved it.
“I was a teenage slasher, yeah, okay. I said it.”
The premise of this book is a coming-of-age teenage slasher memoir, told in stream-of-consciousness style from Tolly Driver on how he became a slasher and the recap of events in which he went on a reluctant murderous rampage. Look, I’m no slasher sympathiser, but I always think it’s clever when an author can make you feel empathy towards the villain, and not only did SGJ achieve that for me, but I even got a little teary at the end for our main man, Tolly.
Furthermore, I holidayed in Texas earlier this year—and this book is set in Lamesa, Texas, which really enriched the location and setting of this story for me, from the flat landscape to the small-town atmosphere itself.
Approaching the book with little prior knowledge was the way to go. It’s packed with slasher Easter eggs and nostalgia, while also being surprisingly heartfelt with themes of friendship, love, and family. Moreover, it is extremely meta and isn’t afraid to poke fun at standard classic slasher logic and tropes.
Trigger warnings abound—Extreme gore, blood, murder, bullying, suicide contemplation, animal deaths and more—so be aware and mind your triggers.
Ultimately, this book is a humorous, heartfelt, and surprisingly poignant love letter to the slasher genre. I really think it deserves 5 stars for how creative, original and brilliant it is and I’m looking forward to getting way more familiar with more of SGJ’s stories.
If you’ve enjoyed slasher films and books in the past, there is a decent chance you’d enjoy this too. Highly recommend. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. It was a bloody good ride. (Sccchhhhting!)
More on I Was a Teenage Slasher, here.
___
March 21, 2026
In 1989, Tolly Driver was your average 17-year old boy, just living his life in his small West Texas hometown of Lamesa.
He's a good kid, who mostly keeps his nose clean, helping his Mom at her hardware store, and spending time with his best friend ((crush)), Amber. All it took was one crazy Summer night to change everything...
This book is presented in a sort of confessional style. It's Tolly writing about that summer, about the events that occurred, relaying them and also reflecting upon them. He's addressing Amber, so it feels genuine and personal.
I connected with this one from the very first pages. I love how SGJ chose to present Tolly's story. It's much more than a Slasher. It's a Coming of Age tale from the perspective of a killer. A Slasher with a twist.
Reading this, it feels like a personal story for SGJ. Not the murdery-bits of course, but the sense of place, the experience of being a teenager in West Texas in the 1980s and everything that went along with that.
Honestly, it felt so rich with heart, emotion and nostalgia. I'm not sure what it is, whether it's because SGJ and I came up around the same time, both in small towns and probably with a lot of similar interests, or if it's just the humanity channeled into his stories, but they hit me differently.
Maybe it's as simple as our mutual love of this nuanced genre of Horror; Slashers in particular, I don't know, but there's something special in his delivery that takes me right back to my youth. I feel it.
I've never read anything like this. It's special. I absolutely loved it. There's only so much you can say about a book you loved without diving off the deep end into fangirl territory.
Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite authors. Out of the 8-books of his that I have read so far, the lowest rating I have ever given is a 4-star, and it was just the one.
I've been thinking about this a lot since I finished it, and I actually think this is my favorite SGJ work EVER!
For those of you crying yourself to sleep every night ((like I was)) because you just finished the last book in The Angel of Indian Lake trilogy, have NO FEAR, this one will fulfill your darkest Slasher desires and then some.
I'm so excited for this to release this Summer so that I can add a hard copy to my shelves. I can't wait to read it again. Tolly is a character I will never forget.
I would recommend this to any Horror Reader. It's a perfect Summer Scream story. My heart slowly shattered over the course of this novel, but it simultaneously made me ridiculously happy. I want everyone to feel that.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Saga Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it far exceeded even my lofty expectations.
Stephen Graham Jones is such a gifted storyteller, who truly breaths life into his characters with the power of his words. His stories are edgy, raw, emotional, powerful and nostalgic. I'll never stop coming back for more.
10-out-of-10 recommend!!
He's a good kid, who mostly keeps his nose clean, helping his Mom at her hardware store, and spending time with his best friend ((crush)), Amber. All it took was one crazy Summer night to change everything...
This book is presented in a sort of confessional style. It's Tolly writing about that summer, about the events that occurred, relaying them and also reflecting upon them. He's addressing Amber, so it feels genuine and personal.
I connected with this one from the very first pages. I love how SGJ chose to present Tolly's story. It's much more than a Slasher. It's a Coming of Age tale from the perspective of a killer. A Slasher with a twist.
Reading this, it feels like a personal story for SGJ. Not the murdery-bits of course, but the sense of place, the experience of being a teenager in West Texas in the 1980s and everything that went along with that.
Honestly, it felt so rich with heart, emotion and nostalgia. I'm not sure what it is, whether it's because SGJ and I came up around the same time, both in small towns and probably with a lot of similar interests, or if it's just the humanity channeled into his stories, but they hit me differently.
Maybe it's as simple as our mutual love of this nuanced genre of Horror; Slashers in particular, I don't know, but there's something special in his delivery that takes me right back to my youth. I feel it.
I've never read anything like this. It's special. I absolutely loved it. There's only so much you can say about a book you loved without diving off the deep end into fangirl territory.
Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite authors. Out of the 8-books of his that I have read so far, the lowest rating I have ever given is a 4-star, and it was just the one.
I've been thinking about this a lot since I finished it, and I actually think this is my favorite SGJ work EVER!
For those of you crying yourself to sleep every night ((like I was)) because you just finished the last book in The Angel of Indian Lake trilogy, have NO FEAR, this one will fulfill your darkest Slasher desires and then some.
I'm so excited for this to release this Summer so that I can add a hard copy to my shelves. I can't wait to read it again. Tolly is a character I will never forget.
I would recommend this to any Horror Reader. It's a perfect Summer Scream story. My heart slowly shattered over the course of this novel, but it simultaneously made me ridiculously happy. I want everyone to feel that.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Saga Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it far exceeded even my lofty expectations.
Stephen Graham Jones is such a gifted storyteller, who truly breaths life into his characters with the power of his words. His stories are edgy, raw, emotional, powerful and nostalgic. I'll never stop coming back for more.
10-out-of-10 recommend!!
April 28, 2026
Huge thank you to Tucker for recommending this one!
At first everything is normal - drinking, maybe a bit of dancing, and definitely a lot of stumbling down - but then the marching band folks decide that Tolly is getting a little too tipsy and tie him to a chair beside the pool.
And then someone else slips him a peanut. And amongst the thrashing and the dying, Tolly and Amber witness something beyond comprehension.
Amber Dennison has always been a fan of slasher movies, and when she sees one of their former classmates rise up from the dead and start killing - she knows exactly what is happening and why.
Tolly and Amber are helpless against the onslaught...only to be later caught up in the slasher cycle themselves.
Whew.
WHEW.
This was a wild one that I both loved and struggled with.
What I loved:
The way the author portrayed the slasher lore - the micro-reveals that had me wondering throughout the book were really well done.
I had a lot of fun trying to figure out exactly how a 'slasher' worked in this universe and I felt like that concept worked so freaking well.
ALSO that ending. If you know, you know. I remember putting the book down, just absolutely stunned. It was good.
What I struggled with:
I wouldn't go so far as to say I hated these aspects of the book, but it did lower my enjoyment of it a bit.
The biggest thing was that this book is so very stream-of-consciousness. Tolly has a thought, Tolly writes it down. Sometimes I can really get into a book told that way, but more often it's a deterrent for me.
I'm glad I stuck with the story cause goshdang that ending...but at the same time...ugh. Stream-of-consciousness.
The pacing also felt a bit off. A lot of starts and stops. It kind of worked to build the tension for me but also I felt annoyed at times by how the book was floating along.
Overall Thoughts
Honestly, it was good. A bit gory but fascinating nonetheless.
Still reeling from the death of his father, Tolly Driver and his best friend, Amber, head to a party at one of their schoolmate's homes.
"The world’s so much simpler when you’ve got a chainsaw in your hand, isn’t it? A chainsaw or a machete or an axe, that’s the elegant solution to every problem."
At first everything is normal - drinking, maybe a bit of dancing, and definitely a lot of stumbling down - but then the marching band folks decide that Tolly is getting a little too tipsy and tie him to a chair beside the pool.
And then someone else slips him a peanut. And amongst the thrashing and the dying, Tolly and Amber witness something beyond comprehension.
Amber Dennison has always been a fan of slasher movies, and when she sees one of their former classmates rise up from the dead and start killing - she knows exactly what is happening and why.
Tolly and Amber are helpless against the onslaught...only to be later caught up in the slasher cycle themselves.
Whew.
WHEW.
This was a wild one that I both loved and struggled with.
What I loved:
The way the author portrayed the slasher lore - the micro-reveals that had me wondering throughout the book were really well done.
I had a lot of fun trying to figure out exactly how a 'slasher' worked in this universe and I felt like that concept worked so freaking well.
ALSO that ending. If you know, you know. I remember putting the book down, just absolutely stunned. It was good.
What I struggled with:
I wouldn't go so far as to say I hated these aspects of the book, but it did lower my enjoyment of it a bit.
The biggest thing was that this book is so very stream-of-consciousness. Tolly has a thought, Tolly writes it down. Sometimes I can really get into a book told that way, but more often it's a deterrent for me.
I'm glad I stuck with the story cause goshdang that ending...but at the same time...ugh. Stream-of-consciousness.
The pacing also felt a bit off. A lot of starts and stops. It kind of worked to build the tension for me but also I felt annoyed at times by how the book was floating along.
Overall Thoughts
Honestly, it was good. A bit gory but fascinating nonetheless.
June 15, 2024
Wow, I’m still in shock! This book is absolutely wild! It grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go. Sure, some parts might seem a bit far-fetched, but that didn’t stop it from being an amazing read.
Set in 1989 in Lamesa, Texas, a small town where everyone knows everyone’s secrets, the story follows Tolly Driver. Tolly’s a seventeen-year-old with lots of potential but not much drive. That is, until he’s cursed to kill for revenge. Stephen Graham Jones dives into the Texas he knows, showcasing the harshness of being an outsider, all through a chilling slasher horror lens.
What makes this book unique is that it's told from the killer’s perspective. Tolly writes his own autobiography, making you, surprisingly, root for him as the story unfolds. It’s like watching a summer teen movie that takes a dark and bloody turn.
After a cruel prank at a party involving his peanut allergy, Tolly snaps and starts his journey as a serial killer. It's intense and incredibly gripping.
Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for letting me read and review this thrilling novel.
Set in 1989 in Lamesa, Texas, a small town where everyone knows everyone’s secrets, the story follows Tolly Driver. Tolly’s a seventeen-year-old with lots of potential but not much drive. That is, until he’s cursed to kill for revenge. Stephen Graham Jones dives into the Texas he knows, showcasing the harshness of being an outsider, all through a chilling slasher horror lens.
What makes this book unique is that it's told from the killer’s perspective. Tolly writes his own autobiography, making you, surprisingly, root for him as the story unfolds. It’s like watching a summer teen movie that takes a dark and bloody turn.
After a cruel prank at a party involving his peanut allergy, Tolly snaps and starts his journey as a serial killer. It's intense and incredibly gripping.
Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for letting me read and review this thrilling novel.
July 29, 2024
DNF at 15%. horrible. the never fucking ending sentences really pissed me off. really interesting premise but really poor plot. took me like 5 days to get through the first 20 pages.
July 10, 2024
This just jumped to the top of my favorite books by Stephen Graham Jones. I feel strongly about several of his books but you add the power of love (Huey Lewis) with a young male protagonist for a coming-of-age, reluctant serial slasher + best friend story and I'm all the way in.
-Tolly Driver and his damn nut allergy, right?
-And small towns (Lemesa, TX)
-Big hair glam rock music
-1989 (I was in 8th grade)
-Best friends (there is nothing like your childhood friends-I wish someone could tell you that those don't last forever, we'd probably cherish them more)
-high school parties
-the horror of pumpjacks (I hate those things!)
-grain silos
-slasher rules
-Do you know how Spiderman is like a reluctant hero? THAT but opposite, a reluctant antihero
-Duck Hunt
-Belts
-Moms & their sons
-VW Rabbits (why did every girl I know want one of those cars?)
-the descriptions of violence and gore--nobody does it quite like SGJ. One scene, one description of something made me actually gag
-Solve for X (it was mentioned several times-not a coincidence)
I just loved being in Tolly's head the whole time and I'm sad it's over. This is a home run, blockbuster summer horror book. Quintessential. Can't miss it. Better than an 8th-grade sleepover trying to be the last one to fall asleep so you don't get pranked so you have to stay up and watch Saturday Night Live and MTVs Headbanger's Ball
Do not fall asleep on this one!
-Tolly Driver and his damn nut allergy, right?
-And small towns (Lemesa, TX)
-Big hair glam rock music
-1989 (I was in 8th grade)
-Best friends (there is nothing like your childhood friends-I wish someone could tell you that those don't last forever, we'd probably cherish them more)
-high school parties
-the horror of pumpjacks (I hate those things!)
-grain silos
-slasher rules
-Do you know how Spiderman is like a reluctant hero? THAT but opposite, a reluctant antihero
-Duck Hunt
-Belts
-Moms & their sons
-VW Rabbits (why did every girl I know want one of those cars?)
-the descriptions of violence and gore--nobody does it quite like SGJ. One scene, one description of something made me actually gag
-Solve for X (it was mentioned several times-not a coincidence)
I just loved being in Tolly's head the whole time and I'm sad it's over. This is a home run, blockbuster summer horror book. Quintessential. Can't miss it. Better than an 8th-grade sleepover trying to be the last one to fall asleep so you don't get pranked so you have to stay up and watch Saturday Night Live and MTVs Headbanger's Ball
Do not fall asleep on this one!
July 3, 2024
This takes place in 1989 in case you missed that.
August 7, 2024
y'all lied to me with your reviews
April 13, 2024
I Was a Teenage Slasher is probably one of the most unique horror novels I've ever read. I went into it expecting a pretty straightforward “memoir” of a teenage serial killer, but instead I somehow ended up with a supernaturally-fueled bildungsroman that got me kind of teary-eyed at the end? It was so very not what I was expecting, but it in the best possible way.
Don't get me wrong, though. This book is gory in places and it's not for the faint of heart. Things are definitely not all sunshine and rainbows in Lamesa, Texas. I mean, people get their heads split in half, okay? If you've read previous Stephen Graham Jones novels, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect. But, at the same time, it's also a tale of friendship and love and family and sacrifice, and it's certainly not just your run of the mill slasher story.
The plot does lean heavily on slasher film tropes, however. The baddie in this novel has all of the usual slasher traits (including near-invincibility and an all-consuming need for revenge), and he also does a whole lot of, well … slashing. The Final Girl is perhaps the most important piece to this story, however, and the bits at the end involving her are just simply fantastic. Seriously. I should have seen it coming but was completely blindsided, but – once again – in the best possible way.
This book isn't just all slashing and killing and people running for their lives, though. There's lots of talking and thinking and meandering around town in between the action-y bits. And it admittedly took me a bit to fully get into it. When things first went off the rails (you'll know the scene when you get to it), I was completely lost and kept thinking that someone was obviously hallucinating. And then it kept getting weirder and weirder and wasn't entirely enjoyable, but then everything just kind of clicked for me and I couldn't put it down.
So, yeah.
If you've enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones's previous novels and/or appreciate a good slasher film, I definitely recommend giving this one a read.
My overall rating: 4.25 stars for enjoyability and another 0.5 stars for originality, for a grand total of 4.75 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is July 16, 2024.
Don't get me wrong, though. This book is gory in places and it's not for the faint of heart. Things are definitely not all sunshine and rainbows in Lamesa, Texas. I mean, people get their heads split in half, okay? If you've read previous Stephen Graham Jones novels, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect. But, at the same time, it's also a tale of friendship and love and family and sacrifice, and it's certainly not just your run of the mill slasher story.
The plot does lean heavily on slasher film tropes, however. The baddie in this novel has all of the usual slasher traits (including near-invincibility and an all-consuming need for revenge), and he also does a whole lot of, well … slashing. The Final Girl is perhaps the most important piece to this story, however, and the bits at the end involving her are just simply fantastic. Seriously. I should have seen it coming but was completely blindsided, but – once again – in the best possible way.
This book isn't just all slashing and killing and people running for their lives, though. There's lots of talking and thinking and meandering around town in between the action-y bits. And it admittedly took me a bit to fully get into it. When things first went off the rails (you'll know the scene when you get to it), I was completely lost and kept thinking that someone was obviously hallucinating. And then it kept getting weirder and weirder and wasn't entirely enjoyable, but then everything just kind of clicked for me and I couldn't put it down.
So, yeah.
If you've enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones's previous novels and/or appreciate a good slasher film, I definitely recommend giving this one a read.
My overall rating: 4.25 stars for enjoyability and another 0.5 stars for originality, for a grand total of 4.75 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is July 16, 2024.
July 29, 2024
With a title such as this, I was expecting a fast paced, fun, gory, horror romp. Instead, it was a slow paced, nothing happening, peanut allergy of a story.
November 22, 2024
“Thank you Stephen Graham Jones”, we all say in unison. 🧎
I Was A Teenage Slasher is about how a teenaged boy suddenly became a slasher, and how he learns to come to terms with that fact and eventually embrace it. We read a sort of memoir as the MC recounts his past and explains how he became the killer he currently is.
This was weird, darkly funny, bloody, and just overall entertaining as we learn the lore (mythology?) of how a slasher comes to be. It kinda follows the same rules as the Indian Lake Trilogy, but with some slight differences/explanations.
If you’ve loved any of SGJ’s stuff in the past you’ll love this, and if you haven’t read anything I think this is a great start. It’s really easy to digest and although it’s gory + violent, it still manages to be really fun because it’s all kinda ridiculous in a way 😂 but good!! Just like, don’t go in expecting something super grounded in reality, Jones kinda makes his own rules here.
Highly recommend!!!
I Was A Teenage Slasher is about how a teenaged boy suddenly became a slasher, and how he learns to come to terms with that fact and eventually embrace it. We read a sort of memoir as the MC recounts his past and explains how he became the killer he currently is.
This was weird, darkly funny, bloody, and just overall entertaining as we learn the lore (mythology?) of how a slasher comes to be. It kinda follows the same rules as the Indian Lake Trilogy, but with some slight differences/explanations.
If you’ve loved any of SGJ’s stuff in the past you’ll love this, and if you haven’t read anything I think this is a great start. It’s really easy to digest and although it’s gory + violent, it still manages to be really fun because it’s all kinda ridiculous in a way 😂 but good!! Just like, don’t go in expecting something super grounded in reality, Jones kinda makes his own rules here.
Highly recommend!!!
September 11, 2024
“I Was a Teenage Slasher” by Stephen Graham Jones was one of the most anticipated novels of 2024 for me. In case you didn’t know, I am a huge fan of SGJ because everything he writes is gold. The way he writes his slasher scenes has truly made him the “king of slashers” in novels, and I was ecstatic to read a book like this about a teenage slasher.
Before I begin my review, here are all the trigger warnings I found while reading…
- Violence against animals
- Bullying
- Suicide
If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, I loved how the intro hooked me because of how creepy it was. It felt so real. I’m talking about true crime levels real. I got major memoir and autobiography vibes from it, which was mind-blowing since it was so freaky being told this story through the eyes and mind of a teenage slasher. The way SGJ wrote the start of this novel was surreal, featuring a high school setting and beginning around a house party our teenage slasher wanted to attend to see a girl he liked.
This was so relatable to me since I remember those epic parties and moments during my high school days many moons ago. Once that event happened, this novel opened up like you wouldn’t believe. Don’t worry; I would never spoil anything for you, but wow, this was such a great horror reading experience.
The story is incredible and, well, horrific. It was terrifying to read Tolly’s story, witness his murder spree, and the reasoning behind why he’s a slasher. I also loved his friendship with Amber and how, with all the female characters, you have this deep curiosity trying to figure out who will end up being the famous “final girl” of this story, as seen countless times in slasher movies. Once that was revealed towards the end, I couldn’t believe it, especially with how it ended, which was brilliant. Bloody brilliant.
Reading this felt like one of those confessions serial killers write before their time comes, and it just added another layer of horror to everything. It felt real, raw, and authentic, and you truly connected with all the characters you encountered. This is a jam-packed slasher novel and would make for a great movie adaptation because it’s so crazy good you’ll still feel the scars when finished.
Besides the story, the horror is on a whole other level here. Everything you’ve come to expect from SGJ is here, but it's of the extreme slasher variety. I loved it, and yes, I started to make funny faces while reading around the 5% mark, so I knew it would only get crazier over time.
Now, I know this is a popular topic for his readers, so I want to explain it. Here’s the thing with SGJ: Many horror readers either love or hate him, mainly because he is very wordy with his writing. He has always been a slow-burn kind of author in all the novels I have read by him so far, and sometimes, it takes away from the book. It is worth it, though. Stick with it. Be patient. Take your time and immerse yourself in his writing because it’s magnificent. Some parts of “I Was a Teenage Slasher” dragged on due to the excessive descriptions, conversations, and events that weren’t all needed, but I wanted to let everyone know his writing style because it's still worth reading. This novel would have been perfect for me if that had been tightened up in that regard, but I still loved reading it.
You will enjoy this novel tremendously if you grew up as I did in the amazing 80s era of slasher horror flicks. It embodies everything you love about serial killers, knives, blood, and final girls while taking you deep into what makes it all so sacred for us horror brats. I loved reading about the intricacies of a slasher/final girl relationship, and wow, what an ending! It was one of the best and bloodiest showdowns I’ve read in a horror novel, and the climax leading up to it was wild. Besides the bloodshed and body counts, it was also a heartfelt read and one of the best horror novels I’ve read in 2024.
I give “I Was a Teenage Slasher” by Stephen Graham Jones a 4/5 for being one hell of a bloody ride. It had great characters, epic slasher moments, crazy hallucinations, emotional moments, and hilarious dark humor. It honestly reads like a love letter to the slasher genre. As a huge horror fan, especially slashers, I will remember this novel for many years. It wasn’t perfect, but it still delivered when it mattered most. Some parts dragged on, especially around some of the dialogue parts, but this is still worth reading if you love horror of the slasher variety. You will not be disappointed.
Schting.
Before I begin my review, here are all the trigger warnings I found while reading…
- Violence against animals
- Bullying
- Suicide
If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, I loved how the intro hooked me because of how creepy it was. It felt so real. I’m talking about true crime levels real. I got major memoir and autobiography vibes from it, which was mind-blowing since it was so freaky being told this story through the eyes and mind of a teenage slasher. The way SGJ wrote the start of this novel was surreal, featuring a high school setting and beginning around a house party our teenage slasher wanted to attend to see a girl he liked.
This was so relatable to me since I remember those epic parties and moments during my high school days many moons ago. Once that event happened, this novel opened up like you wouldn’t believe. Don’t worry; I would never spoil anything for you, but wow, this was such a great horror reading experience.
The story is incredible and, well, horrific. It was terrifying to read Tolly’s story, witness his murder spree, and the reasoning behind why he’s a slasher. I also loved his friendship with Amber and how, with all the female characters, you have this deep curiosity trying to figure out who will end up being the famous “final girl” of this story, as seen countless times in slasher movies. Once that was revealed towards the end, I couldn’t believe it, especially with how it ended, which was brilliant. Bloody brilliant.
Reading this felt like one of those confessions serial killers write before their time comes, and it just added another layer of horror to everything. It felt real, raw, and authentic, and you truly connected with all the characters you encountered. This is a jam-packed slasher novel and would make for a great movie adaptation because it’s so crazy good you’ll still feel the scars when finished.
Besides the story, the horror is on a whole other level here. Everything you’ve come to expect from SGJ is here, but it's of the extreme slasher variety. I loved it, and yes, I started to make funny faces while reading around the 5% mark, so I knew it would only get crazier over time.
Now, I know this is a popular topic for his readers, so I want to explain it. Here’s the thing with SGJ: Many horror readers either love or hate him, mainly because he is very wordy with his writing. He has always been a slow-burn kind of author in all the novels I have read by him so far, and sometimes, it takes away from the book. It is worth it, though. Stick with it. Be patient. Take your time and immerse yourself in his writing because it’s magnificent. Some parts of “I Was a Teenage Slasher” dragged on due to the excessive descriptions, conversations, and events that weren’t all needed, but I wanted to let everyone know his writing style because it's still worth reading. This novel would have been perfect for me if that had been tightened up in that regard, but I still loved reading it.
You will enjoy this novel tremendously if you grew up as I did in the amazing 80s era of slasher horror flicks. It embodies everything you love about serial killers, knives, blood, and final girls while taking you deep into what makes it all so sacred for us horror brats. I loved reading about the intricacies of a slasher/final girl relationship, and wow, what an ending! It was one of the best and bloodiest showdowns I’ve read in a horror novel, and the climax leading up to it was wild. Besides the bloodshed and body counts, it was also a heartfelt read and one of the best horror novels I’ve read in 2024.
I give “I Was a Teenage Slasher” by Stephen Graham Jones a 4/5 for being one hell of a bloody ride. It had great characters, epic slasher moments, crazy hallucinations, emotional moments, and hilarious dark humor. It honestly reads like a love letter to the slasher genre. As a huge horror fan, especially slashers, I will remember this novel for many years. It wasn’t perfect, but it still delivered when it mattered most. Some parts dragged on, especially around some of the dialogue parts, but this is still worth reading if you love horror of the slasher variety. You will not be disappointed.
Schting.
July 13, 2024
I had previously read My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. It was entertaining and a fun read due to its unique references to the ridiculous slasher movies of the 1980s and the naming the serial killers from those old but memorable films. Narrated in the rambling style of a teenager who was obsessed with these old films I didn’t care much for its format or style but found it a fun read.
This book was told as a memoir by a teenage boy in a stream of consciousness and his past experiences on becoming a killer. Tolly Driver felt like as outsider among his classmates while growing up in a small Texas town and his autobiography references his memories of becoming a revenge killer. There was a lot of chaos and tangential scattered thoughts expressed and I felt the resulting story was slow paced. There was also a love story with his best friend Amber. This book was also a tribute to the old popular slasher movies.
I am aware that we were supposed to sympathize with Tolly but I was not engaged with any of the characters nor immersed in the location. The references to heavy duty mechanical equipment was hard to visualize and I had to look up the pumpjack. Too many excessive details. I regret the writing style is not for me, but readers who enjoyed the previous books or the old slasher movies should be entertained.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. The publication date is set for July 16.
This book was told as a memoir by a teenage boy in a stream of consciousness and his past experiences on becoming a killer. Tolly Driver felt like as outsider among his classmates while growing up in a small Texas town and his autobiography references his memories of becoming a revenge killer. There was a lot of chaos and tangential scattered thoughts expressed and I felt the resulting story was slow paced. There was also a love story with his best friend Amber. This book was also a tribute to the old popular slasher movies.
I am aware that we were supposed to sympathize with Tolly but I was not engaged with any of the characters nor immersed in the location. The references to heavy duty mechanical equipment was hard to visualize and I had to look up the pumpjack. Too many excessive details. I regret the writing style is not for me, but readers who enjoyed the previous books or the old slasher movies should be entertained.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. The publication date is set for July 16.
Read
July 23, 2024DNFing at page 215.
I need to just accept the fact that SGJ’s writing style is not for me. My 4th attempt at his work and it just doesn’t click with my brain.
I need to just accept the fact that SGJ’s writing style is not for me. My 4th attempt at his work and it just doesn’t click with my brain.
January 11, 2025
How Stephen Graham Jones manages to consistently write these horror novels that are equally unique, heartfelt, and also so FUN is beyond me. No one else is doing it quite like this. Favourite book of 2024.
July 25, 2024
I liked it a lot! This is a very original take on the slasher tale, not only because it is told from the slasher point of view, but also because it integrates a strong friendship and supernatural elements to the tale.
The writing was great at conveying the tension and the confusion of the main characters, and of course, the horror elements of every good slasher tale.
The writing was great at conveying the tension and the confusion of the main characters, and of course, the horror elements of every good slasher tale.
June 18, 2024
This dragged.
Being in his head was absolutely sluggish and awful.
I couldn’t relate to the characters. I didn’t care about the plot. The backstory didn’t draw me in.
Being in his head was absolutely sluggish and awful.
I couldn’t relate to the characters. I didn’t care about the plot. The backstory didn’t draw me in.
July 19, 2024
Trying to read this book was like trying to run through quicksand.
August 3, 2024
I told myself 2024 would be the year I start to DNF books I don’t like, so here we are. I’m not wasting my time with this one, I gave it an honest go ~30% but I absolutely could not stay focused long enough to even understand this one. The narration in this is my main issue, it’s legit like reading the inner workings of an ADHD child, genuinely the continuity of this was terrible. I didn’t understand the majority what I was reading and I just didn’t like the main character at ALL. The narration was capturing every single thought as well as what was going on in the surroundings and it just didn’t make sense at all?? I guess I expected like some sort of like slasher comedy like recounting the glory days but this was not it. Another major issue I have with this book was the format. 60 pages in a chapter should be ILLEGAL, especially this type of book, it just went on forever when it could have been broken into more digestible chunks. It really would have been a waste of time for me personally to keep reading this. I can see how some people would like this one but I just can’t get behind that. Don’t bother wasting your money or time on this one, Aardvark definitely did not have a winner in July for this one.
August 28, 2024
In the kindest way possible, I felt like I was having a brain aneurysm reading this.
Not for me.
Not for me.
August 20, 2024
It would probably be fair to say that any follow-up to a phenomenal horror trilogy like The Indian Lake Trilogy would naturally be somewhat disappointing. It may be fair to say, but it would also be inaccurate.
Stephen Graham Jones’s latest “deconstructed slasher/teen horror opera” is as intense, horrific, funny, emotionally draining, and poignant as his last three novels, and then some.
“I Was a Teenage Slasher” is the story of Tolly Driver, a skinny, awkward teenager with a peanut allergy and one friend—-the town’s only Indian, a girl named Amber. Tolly is also a slasher.
He doesn’t want to be. And, frankly, he doesn’t even know all the “rules” of being a real-life slasher, which is where Amber comes in handy. She loves slasher films. She knows all about the slasher’s motivations (almost always revenge), the fact that a slasher needs a “brand” (in Tolly’s case, he kills with a never-ending supply of leather belts), and who the final girl is. This may be a problem, because there are multiple candidates in town.
The novel is set over a few days in the summer of 1989 in a small Texas town of Lamesa, where Tolly’s wave of mutilation starts with a very weird pool party.
Jones has done something utterly crazy and unheard of: he’s written a slasher novel from the viewpoint of the slasher, and—-on top of that—-made him absolutely lovable.
Sure, he kills a bunch of teenagers, but they all (kind of) deserve it. Or do they? Therein lies the crux of Tolly’s moral dilemma. He’s compelled to kill these kids for (in a cosmic sense anyway) valid reasons, but, deep down, he knows that they are just kids like him: dumb and prone to making bad decisions that they will regret later in life.
This novel reminds me a lot of a 1988 horror/comedy called “Heathers”, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Jones doesn’t mention it as an inspiration, but I’m fairly certain that he had to have seen it. Regardless, both have a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek approach to teen murders that could only have been set in the pre-Columbine pre-“Woke” 1980s. Jones is certainly tapping into that vibe, while simultaneously properly excoriating it.
Stephen Graham Jones’s latest “deconstructed slasher/teen horror opera” is as intense, horrific, funny, emotionally draining, and poignant as his last three novels, and then some.
“I Was a Teenage Slasher” is the story of Tolly Driver, a skinny, awkward teenager with a peanut allergy and one friend—-the town’s only Indian, a girl named Amber. Tolly is also a slasher.
He doesn’t want to be. And, frankly, he doesn’t even know all the “rules” of being a real-life slasher, which is where Amber comes in handy. She loves slasher films. She knows all about the slasher’s motivations (almost always revenge), the fact that a slasher needs a “brand” (in Tolly’s case, he kills with a never-ending supply of leather belts), and who the final girl is. This may be a problem, because there are multiple candidates in town.
The novel is set over a few days in the summer of 1989 in a small Texas town of Lamesa, where Tolly’s wave of mutilation starts with a very weird pool party.
Jones has done something utterly crazy and unheard of: he’s written a slasher novel from the viewpoint of the slasher, and—-on top of that—-made him absolutely lovable.
Sure, he kills a bunch of teenagers, but they all (kind of) deserve it. Or do they? Therein lies the crux of Tolly’s moral dilemma. He’s compelled to kill these kids for (in a cosmic sense anyway) valid reasons, but, deep down, he knows that they are just kids like him: dumb and prone to making bad decisions that they will regret later in life.
This novel reminds me a lot of a 1988 horror/comedy called “Heathers”, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Jones doesn’t mention it as an inspiration, but I’m fairly certain that he had to have seen it. Regardless, both have a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek approach to teen murders that could only have been set in the pre-Columbine pre-“Woke” 1980s. Jones is certainly tapping into that vibe, while simultaneously properly excoriating it.
August 9, 2024
I’m for sure in the middle with this one. I gave it a lower score because it turned out to be not what I expected at all and the jacket is somewhat deceiving. I went into it thinking this would be a tale about a teenage slasher and the kills he did once upon a time, and instead got a story of a teenage slasher but with a HUGE supernatural element in it. I’m talking HUGE. So it took me out of it for the most part. After 75 pages I was like “What the hell is this?”
Now if you go into this blindly without reading what it’s about, I think you would get a much different experience. The story is good, the two main characters are likeable and had me cheering for them to get revenge. So that part was great.
I felt a touch of “Scream” in this, and the whole talking about the rules of a slasher/horror film, very similar to Jamie Kennedy explaining the rules to Sydney and the gang in the first movie.
Overall it was good for what it was, but I was expecting something else. 3 stars
Now if you go into this blindly without reading what it’s about, I think you would get a much different experience. The story is good, the two main characters are likeable and had me cheering for them to get revenge. So that part was great.
I felt a touch of “Scream” in this, and the whole talking about the rules of a slasher/horror film, very similar to Jamie Kennedy explaining the rules to Sydney and the gang in the first movie.
Overall it was good for what it was, but I was expecting something else. 3 stars
July 7, 2024
It was only a couple of months ago that I expressed in my review for The Angel of Indian Lake, the final installment of the Lake Witch series, how sad it is not being able to read from the pov of its unique main character JD anymore. Fast forward a couple of months and I find myself reading Tolly Driver and Amber, characters who, if not as striking and dear as JD, still bear traces of her, giving I Was A Teenage Slasher a slight Indian Lake feeling. But they're not JD, and this is not Proofrock, Idaho, it's worse; it's Lamesa, Texas, in 1989. We follow the growing pains, the not fitting-in, the friendship, the bullying, in short, the high-school life of Tolly, who, after a concussion, starts experiencing changes in his perception and in his body he initially attributes to the accident he had, but which may have more sinister roots.
Up front; this is a typical SGJ book in that it bears his signature style, colloquial, strewn-in contradictions hinting at unreliability, deep emotional understanding hidden behind informal language, a slow unfolding of events leading to a delightful realization... I think only mannequins are lacking at this party. So, if you haven't enjoyed or weren't into that in his previous work, this might not be your cup.
I was thankful for the similar feel of the characters to JD, as I'm still pining for her a little, and there were enough differences to make this its own, original work. The underlying idea of portraying a final girl/slasher unit from the inside, their interactions and even feelings for each other, if you want to put it that way, the parallels to werewolves, the transformation scenes, thus throwing in some supernatural into a genre grim and problematic, making it enjoyable even for readers not drawn to it – all this is ingenuity only SGJ can offer.
Up front; this is a typical SGJ book in that it bears his signature style, colloquial, strewn-in contradictions hinting at unreliability, deep emotional understanding hidden behind informal language, a slow unfolding of events leading to a delightful realization... I think only mannequins are lacking at this party. So, if you haven't enjoyed or weren't into that in his previous work, this might not be your cup.
I was thankful for the similar feel of the characters to JD, as I'm still pining for her a little, and there were enough differences to make this its own, original work. The underlying idea of portraying a final girl/slasher unit from the inside, their interactions and even feelings for each other, if you want to put it that way, the parallels to werewolves, the transformation scenes, thus throwing in some supernatural into a genre grim and problematic, making it enjoyable even for readers not drawn to it – all this is ingenuity only SGJ can offer.
August 14, 2024
Schting!
1989, West Texas. Tolly Diver ventures out of his comfort zone, crashing a house party with his bestie . . . and then some things happen – first, to him and then to six people from his graduating class. This is Tolly’s own story about how he became a Slasher.
Every Star. This is how you write a horror story and someone needs to option the film rights pronto.
1989, West Texas. Tolly Diver ventures out of his comfort zone, crashing a house party with his bestie . . . and then some things happen – first, to him and then to six people from his graduating class. This is Tolly’s own story about how he became a Slasher.
Every Star. This is how you write a horror story and someone needs to option the film rights pronto.
September 26, 2024
I liked everything about this book. Only Stephen Graham Jones could write a slasher with such gravitas and intellect.
July 28, 2024
Reading Vlog(s):
https://youtu.be/2ZwZVIQv0Kc
https://youtu.be/JwP5_p9CEbY
https://youtu.be/cxaXB6DrPG4
Stephen Graham Jones SHOULD be the author for me. He writes weird, f**ked up horrors that don't fit in any one genre or trope. I love that...usually. I don't know what it is about his writing that doesn't land for me. I recognize that his talent is celebrated among many horror fans. I wish I was one of them. He doesn't do anything wrong, per say. It just doesn't work for me. And I hate that.
Unfortunately, this book was too repetitive for me. If I had to hear the main character think "cause I was a teenage slasher" or "teen slasher's always" or "but that's not what happens to a slasher" one more time, I might have liquified in frustration.
But I did adore the platonic friendship at the heart of this story. It almost had me tearing up at the end. So bonus points for that.
Over all, I'd say that I would recommend this broadly to people who like weird and self-analyzing horror. But I would preface it with "It wasn't for me, but it could very well be for you".
https://youtu.be/2ZwZVIQv0Kc
https://youtu.be/JwP5_p9CEbY
https://youtu.be/cxaXB6DrPG4
Stephen Graham Jones SHOULD be the author for me. He writes weird, f**ked up horrors that don't fit in any one genre or trope. I love that...usually. I don't know what it is about his writing that doesn't land for me. I recognize that his talent is celebrated among many horror fans. I wish I was one of them. He doesn't do anything wrong, per say. It just doesn't work for me. And I hate that.
Unfortunately, this book was too repetitive for me. If I had to hear the main character think "cause I was a teenage slasher" or "teen slasher's always" or "but that's not what happens to a slasher" one more time, I might have liquified in frustration.
But I did adore the platonic friendship at the heart of this story. It almost had me tearing up at the end. So bonus points for that.
Over all, I'd say that I would recommend this broadly to people who like weird and self-analyzing horror. But I would preface it with "It wasn't for me, but it could very well be for you".
July 5, 2024
this was my first SGJ full length novel and i didn’t realize this book was more character focused, i think the plot was good but it wasn’t strong so i kind of struggled getting through the middle of the book and i guess i just expected the book to take a different route but i do enjoy the writing
August 12, 2024
3.5 Stars
This book partially suffered from timing. I read this after reading a huge string of meta horror that usually had a slasher component. This one is arguably better than the ones I read earlier this summer but it's hard to fairly compare when I've become so tired of these kind of stories.
This author has a distinct narrative style that mirrors the modern indigenous dialect, often found on reserves. As usual, it took some time to wrap this one around my brain.
It's clear that this author has a strong understanding of the tropes of the horror genre. This narrative is cleverly written to address the cliches with a self aware voice that almost breaks the fourth wall.
This is very much a time that I appreciated what the author was doing but found myself fatigued on these kinds of stories.
I would recommend this one to readers either already love this author or are looking for another take on the slasher fiction genre.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This book partially suffered from timing. I read this after reading a huge string of meta horror that usually had a slasher component. This one is arguably better than the ones I read earlier this summer but it's hard to fairly compare when I've become so tired of these kind of stories.
This author has a distinct narrative style that mirrors the modern indigenous dialect, often found on reserves. As usual, it took some time to wrap this one around my brain.
It's clear that this author has a strong understanding of the tropes of the horror genre. This narrative is cleverly written to address the cliches with a self aware voice that almost breaks the fourth wall.
This is very much a time that I appreciated what the author was doing but found myself fatigued on these kinds of stories.
I would recommend this one to readers either already love this author or are looking for another take on the slasher fiction genre.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
September 2, 2024
My heart aches too much to write a review for this right now, but god damn, I adored this book.
July 24, 2024
I really need to start DNFing.
I hated the way this was written. Tolly rambles all over the place and I probably could have followed it better but the plot was ridiculous and I just couldn’t buy it. So boring.
I hated the way this was written. Tolly rambles all over the place and I probably could have followed it better but the plot was ridiculous and I just couldn’t buy it. So boring.
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