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Attack of the 50 Foot Indian
Sharp, searing, with a masterful use of language, Attack of the 50 Foot Indian is a brilliant satire of the portrayal of American Indians from breakout author Stephen Graham Jones.A Tale of Two Moons. Every government of every nation debates what to do when a fifty-foot tall man, dressed in a loincloth and dripping from the sea, appears off the Siberian coast. As the American people puzzle over how he came to be and what to do next, the news outlets start calling the titan “Two Moons,” social media abducts him into the memesphere, and the military, well, they have their own action-plan for dealing with threats to what they mistakenly consider their homeland. With unapologetic honesty and wit, Stephen Graham Jones cuts to the bone of the stereotypes used for American Indians, showcasing his talent as a humorist and as one of our great American writers in this short story.
40 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 13, 2020
51 people are currently reading
1146 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Graham Jones
237 books15k 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 89 reviews
January 1, 2026
”'He's going for the White House...' a movie critic tweeted out, illustrating it with a GIF.
'Not the White House, you idiots,' a former Texas Ranger, current congressman, said, slamming his fist down on a control board. 'Can't you see he's going for the white women?'
'You mean you keep them all in one place?' the Crow translator asked …”
Funny and witty and brilliant, and full of biting social commentary. This short story is only 20-ish pages (the other 20-ish are devoted to a sneak peek of The Only Good Indians) but it packs a punch. It isn't horror, not really, but it might just be one of my new favorite stories by Stephen Graham Jones nevertheless. 4.5 stars, rounded up.
'Not the White House, you idiots,' a former Texas Ranger, current congressman, said, slamming his fist down on a control board. 'Can't you see he's going for the white women?'
'You mean you keep them all in one place?' the Crow translator asked …”
Funny and witty and brilliant, and full of biting social commentary. This short story is only 20-ish pages (the other 20-ish are devoted to a sneak peek of The Only Good Indians) but it packs a punch. It isn't horror, not really, but it might just be one of my new favorite stories by Stephen Graham Jones nevertheless. 4.5 stars, rounded up.
August 10, 2020
Real Rating: 4.5* of five
I loved it immoderately.
*I* wouldn't make that PC joke, and I wouldn't recommend *you* make that other PC joke, but Author Jones? Go to it! I loved reading 'em, and I enjoyed that laugh more for the fact that the Blackfeet author felt he needed to make 'em. Yes, out of our mouths, my whites, they'd be horrible and offensive; out of his, satirical, biting, facetious possibly, but utterly and totally on-brand. Speaking of things white folks didn't ought to say:
And thereby hangs a visual that I won't spoiler for you despite being damn near bustin' to do so. Tears, my olds, tears of howled laughter streaming down my beard.
Included in your 99¢ purchase price is the utterly different in tone and style first chapter of The Only Good Indians, Author Jones's latest true-life horror novel. The chapter is scary enough to make me feel horripilation even thinking about it. Also included is the story of how this tale came to be, which does a whole lot to explain why it is the way it is. I don't think this guy can be, you know, average. I wonder what the cop thought....
Why be bored? Ninety-nine cents from now, you could be chuckle-stuffed and deeply gruntled. The layers of this half-hour of lunacy would delight the most geological sociologist of a killjoy reader. Texts by and about Native Americans aren't exactly rare these days, but texts that celebrate and satirize and scorn the tropes and people they limn are, and therefore are to be sought out and treasured.
Seek no further, here it is.
I loved it immoderately.
This was important because now his waist and pelvis and smooth upper thighs were heaving into view between the waves: he wasn’t wearing a thobe or board shorts or muslin pants or any kind of brightly colored wrap or grass skirt—he was in what looked to be a… a loincloth?
“So he is Indian,” a conn officer said, rocking with the submarine like he’d just inserted a quarter for this ride.
“Is that okay to say?” a petty officer listening in asked all around.
–and–
Spotters in helicopters were next, and had to work, but the social media outcry about the irony of using helicopters named “Apache” and “Lakota” and “Black Hawk” generated enough public outcry that these spotters were all reluctantly grounded.
*I* wouldn't make that PC joke, and I wouldn't recommend *you* make that other PC joke, but Author Jones? Go to it! I loved reading 'em, and I enjoyed that laugh more for the fact that the Blackfeet author felt he needed to make 'em. Yes, out of our mouths, my whites, they'd be horrible and offensive; out of his, satirical, biting, facetious possibly, but utterly and totally on-brand. Speaking of things white folks didn't ought to say:
“Not the White House, you idiots,” a former Texas Ranger, current congressman, said, slamming his fist down on a control board. “Can’t you see he’s going for the white women?”
And thereby hangs a visual that I won't spoiler for you despite being damn near bustin' to do so. Tears, my olds, tears of howled laughter streaming down my beard.
Included in your 99¢ purchase price is the utterly different in tone and style first chapter of The Only Good Indians, Author Jones's latest true-life horror novel. The chapter is scary enough to make me feel horripilation even thinking about it. Also included is the story of how this tale came to be, which does a whole lot to explain why it is the way it is. I don't think this guy can be, you know, average. I wonder what the cop thought....
Why be bored? Ninety-nine cents from now, you could be chuckle-stuffed and deeply gruntled. The layers of this half-hour of lunacy would delight the most geological sociologist of a killjoy reader. Texts by and about Native Americans aren't exactly rare these days, but texts that celebrate and satirize and scorn the tropes and people they limn are, and therefore are to be sought out and treasured.
...the story was that {the 50-footer} was going to force his great fingers down into the base of a certain holy mountain, grab on hard, and flip the whole thing over, releasing all the salmon or all the buffalo or all the maize and squash and beans, and it would wash across America from sea to shining sea, re-Indianing it up once and for all, the way it always should have been.
Seek no further, here it is.
October 21, 2022
A short, pulpy blast which is a satire clearly inspired by King Kong that is hilarious while squarely taking aim at many of the ridiculous and racist Native American stereotypes infecting American culture.
May 21, 2020
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT INDIAN. What can I say? Surely, with that cover, this must be a pulp adventure story?
In a way it is. But it's a lot more than that. It slyly works in social commentary on a number of different levels. It's done deftly, tongue in cheek, and I loved it.
My only complaint is it was too short!
At this point, I'll read whatever Stephen Graham Jones writes, and you should too!
*I bought this Kindle short story with my hard earned .99.*
**Read 5.20.20. Not entering reading dates here at Goodreads so this doesn't count towards my yearly reading goal.
In a way it is. But it's a lot more than that. It slyly works in social commentary on a number of different levels. It's done deftly, tongue in cheek, and I loved it.
My only complaint is it was too short!
At this point, I'll read whatever Stephen Graham Jones writes, and you should too!
*I bought this Kindle short story with my hard earned .99.*
**Read 5.20.20. Not entering reading dates here at Goodreads so this doesn't count towards my yearly reading goal.
April 26, 2020
First, I want this book cover as a poster for my house. It's too clever with its throwback matchbook-style and the way the 50 Foot Indian is striking a sasquatch pose (the story does come to the Puget Sound/Elliot Bay).
Second, I read a story when I was a child about a very small Indian displaced from his homeland that has stuck with me all this time, so reading about a very big Indian displaced from his homeland made me immediately emotional and nostalgic.
This is the tale of Two Moons...
Bam. Tears.
It's part subject matter and part Stephen Graham Jones' writing- his wordsmithing makes me cry. It's not something I feel that I can put into words, just believe me.
I don't need to tell you what this novelette is about. All I want to say is that there is so much here: Behind the veil, between the words, and infused into the carefully chosen phrases.
It's a simple story with a big impact told like only SGJ can tell it. There's humor, irony, satire, and heart. It's everything. I loved it.
Second, I read a story when I was a child about a very small Indian displaced from his homeland that has stuck with me all this time, so reading about a very big Indian displaced from his homeland made me immediately emotional and nostalgic.
This is the tale of Two Moons...
Bam. Tears.
It's part subject matter and part Stephen Graham Jones' writing- his wordsmithing makes me cry. It's not something I feel that I can put into words, just believe me.
I don't need to tell you what this novelette is about. All I want to say is that there is so much here: Behind the veil, between the words, and infused into the carefully chosen phrases.
It's a simple story with a big impact told like only SGJ can tell it. There's humor, irony, satire, and heart. It's everything. I loved it.
May 18, 2020
Jonathan Swift meets Creature Feature. At once a love song to Atomic Age monster movies, keen social commentary, and a delightful read, Attack of the Fifty Foot Indian is classic Stephen Graham Jones—which is to say that the real monsters aren’t where they seem to be. And the ending is just right. Highly recommended.
July 14, 2020
Review to come
April 26, 2020
A super short story of the horrors of humanity. Short on words, huge on impact.
It breaks down how our assumptions and our sterotypes and our sciences are poison. Think King Kong only human, who just barely manages to escape our evil, malintentioned clutches!
It breaks down how our assumptions and our sterotypes and our sciences are poison. Think King Kong only human, who just barely manages to escape our evil, malintentioned clutches!
June 6, 2020
It's not billed as a companion piece, but I highly recommend reading this novella in conjuction with The Only Good Indians. It by no means covers the same ground or tells the same story, but it does have similar themes running through it, expressed much differently than the novel.
Fast moving, entertaining, and at times very funny (I'm still laughing over a spirit animal reference), Attack of the 50 Foot Indian is also a bit poignant, and, just, true. I'm pretty sure this is exactly how such an occurrence would go down.
Loved it, yet more proof, as if we needed it, that Jones can write circles around all of us, and we're lucky to get to read the outcome. Long may he write.
Fast moving, entertaining, and at times very funny (I'm still laughing over a spirit animal reference), Attack of the 50 Foot Indian is also a bit poignant, and, just, true. I'm pretty sure this is exactly how such an occurrence would go down.
Loved it, yet more proof, as if we needed it, that Jones can write circles around all of us, and we're lucky to get to read the outcome. Long may he write.
January 6, 2023
This was so much fun, like a cross between Tommy Orange and David Sedaris.
December 17, 2020
Somehow, in this short story, Jones is able to craft a unique voice about American history, racism, the modern cultural zeitgeist, and social perceptions. All while being fun and entertaining in a pulpy sort of way.
May 25, 2020
What to say? Judging by the cover, this should be a pulp-y sci-fi book, easily read, easily dismissed. A bit of fun. And it was, but also, it wasn't.
This little tale begins exactly as you would expect. This 50 foot Indian, unknown tribe, but wearing a loincloth, appears in the Puget Sound area. Despite looking just like us, in other words human, we don't attempt to communicate or understand, we first try to subdue. With missiles! And submarines and bombs. Oh how I wish this was a bit unrealistic, but I feel very strongly that it is not.
If this is how we react to something the same as us, imagine how we would react to the "other." should they ever visit. On Star Trek, there is something called The Prime Directive." It's basically a rule saying that you must allow civilizations to develop on their own with no interference. We NEED interference. We are mucking up the so called civilization process so badly. Jones simply calls us out on it using our current slang, phrases and notions.
Embarassing.
This little tale begins exactly as you would expect. This 50 foot Indian, unknown tribe, but wearing a loincloth, appears in the Puget Sound area. Despite looking just like us, in other words human, we don't attempt to communicate or understand, we first try to subdue. With missiles! And submarines and bombs. Oh how I wish this was a bit unrealistic, but I feel very strongly that it is not.
If this is how we react to something the same as us, imagine how we would react to the "other." should they ever visit. On Star Trek, there is something called The Prime Directive." It's basically a rule saying that you must allow civilizations to develop on their own with no interference. We NEED interference. We are mucking up the so called civilization process so badly. Jones simply calls us out on it using our current slang, phrases and notions.
Embarassing.
April 25, 2021
Funny little short story!...Reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut!...Very witty.....
November 11, 2021
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT INDIAN is a sharp and satirical short story from Stephen Graham Jones about a giant 50-foot Indian found off the coast of Siberia and how America reacts. The government acts one way. Social media acts another. And both ways are very unapologetically raw and speak volumes on racism, social commentary, and social perceptions. But all of this is through SGJ's lens full of humor, wit, and cleverness. While this story is short, its impact and range are huge. This is fun and entertaining, but also filled with a serious message of right vs wrong, humanity, and heart. SGJ has an amazing voice and I love the way he tells stories.
November 22, 2021
Interesting short story about a 50 foot Indian essentially coming out of nowhere and eventually going back... add in the hunt and chase and a 50 foot blow up doll... the author definitely has an awesome imagination... and sense of humor.
January 31, 2024
Always a fan of Stephen Graham Jones' writing. This was a wild, short story that was inspired by King Kong and the racist stereotypes in Society. I enjoyed reading this short story.
August 26, 2021
From the acknowledgments: ”Fiction’s just a fort I build wherever I am.”
Hi everybody - it’s just me here to let you know once again that Stephen Graham Jones is really fuckin’ good at writing.
Short stories are usually a miss for me because I like my fiction oversteeped, but this was fantastic. The writing is funny, sad, witty, and stupidly original. Huge fan.
Hi everybody - it’s just me here to let you know once again that Stephen Graham Jones is really fuckin’ good at writing.
Short stories are usually a miss for me because I like my fiction oversteeped, but this was fantastic. The writing is funny, sad, witty, and stupidly original. Huge fan.
April 14, 2020
An entertaining, B-movie-ish story with some funny satire about cultural perceptions of Native Americans. I was a little disappointed that the story is only half the ebook and the other half is a sample chapter for The Only Good Indians, but overall, it's definitely worth the 99 cents.
July 29, 2021
SGH always has the most insane concepts written in the best possible way. Do yourself a favor and pick up one of his books; any of them.
August 22, 2020
Written in a style that can only be Stephen Graham Jones, this was wonderful, even though it says something very real and very depressing about the way the indigenous people of North America are viewed by some. Maybe "some" is an understatement, I don't know. I guess it says that prejudice isn't confined to one class, or one area of society. From the president to the man on the street, they all show their true colours in this story.
Still, at least they didn't win. Not really.
It deals with a real-life problem, but I do love the way Jones writes.
Still, at least they didn't win. Not really.
It deals with a real-life problem, but I do love the way Jones writes.
June 23, 2020
Loved this. A fun, fast, incisive read about a fifty foot Indian and the world that in part unites around him and alternatively tries to hunt him down.
"... and evidently what he was subsisting on was rage and recrimination.
When interviewed on whether that was a sustainable traditional diet, a Shoshone elder looked into the camera and shrugged, said it had kept him going for eighty-eight years so far, hadn't it?"
Also, the preview at the end for The Only Good Indians is sooo good.
"... and evidently what he was subsisting on was rage and recrimination.
When interviewed on whether that was a sustainable traditional diet, a Shoshone elder looked into the camera and shrugged, said it had kept him going for eighty-eight years so far, hadn't it?"
Also, the preview at the end for The Only Good Indians is sooo good.
January 24, 2022
i love everything i've read by stephen graham jones so far, and this story was awesome.
March 16, 2025
SGJ dabbling with a King Kong pulp fiction esque story? I’m here for it. This also wasn’t 40 pages. Half of it was a teaser for another SGJ.
“He's just another Indian running from the cavalry, and running for all he's worth, because he's going to be the one from his whole tribe who gets away, he's going to be the one to make it to the future.”
“He's just another Indian running from the cavalry, and running for all he's worth, because he's going to be the one from his whole tribe who gets away, he's going to be the one to make it to the future.”
June 4, 2023
A short, short story about a tall, tall Indian.
Well actually, it's some social commentary BS laced with racist stereotypes. Readable but not enjoyable.
Well actually, it's some social commentary BS laced with racist stereotypes. Readable but not enjoyable.
June 21, 2023
so short it almost feels wrong adding it here but enjoyed this v much. pulpy, witty, sly, sharp, genuinely funny, and other adjectives 👀 always love sgj x
April 28, 2020
You can't go wrong with Stephen Graham Jones. Plus, an excerpt from his new novel.
July 16, 2021
unapologetic, touching, humorous and a satirical portrayal of American Indians. packs a punch in a short amount of time. found this novella randomly on a whim, this author is usually hit or miss for me and this was a hit
November 14, 2020
Perfect. Tall guy looking for his ride.
February 20, 2021
This satirical short story was the perfect antidote for my insomniac's blues.
August 3, 2020
This is easily the best short story I've read this year and one of the best all around. Stephen Graham Jones is a damn gift to humanity. I just started The Only Good Indians and can't wait to see where that one goes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews