Thank you Brilliance for the review copy! I am a tremendous fan of Stephen Graham Jones and this was a story with promise! I think overall he is an author who works better for me with more time to develop a plot, to get into his characters but The Indigo Room, so well produced, is a strong example of the author's ability to create tension and a compelling character in a short story as well. At times I need more room for the plot to come together and some stronger understanding of where the conclusion took me but it was still an interesting story and showcases his flare for unexpectedly interesting stories.

This is a new Amazon original short story. It’s supposed to give you the chills. In it, we have a woman I don’t know if you want to say descending into madness, losing touch with reality, or just pre-experiencing life. There’s a very dark room in her office building that is called the indigo room. While there at a meeting, she sees horrible things happen to people such as missing hands, severed heads, etc. Those things become true later through workplace accidents. To go all along with this is her son, who has been dropped off at work because she forgot to pick him up. This story ends in a funky spot. It’s not where I would have chosen to end it, but I guess it helps make the ending ambiguous. And while the story was interesting it’s not my favorite by this author. This was OK but not one I would brag about.

I haven't read the entire Shivers collection yet (it's next up on my list!), but I can say this one fell far short of the Joe Hill story in the same collection. I don't know what it is about SGJ. Sometimes, he freaking knocks it right out of the park ("The Buffalo Hunter Hunter," for example) and sometimes his stories leave something to be desired.

This was one of the latter.

One of SGJ's main strengths is character building and setting the scene. I think that may have been one of the main problems with this one. It's a short story -- just 36 pages -- so he didn't have time to really build the narrative like he does in his longer works.

If you've ever read Stephen King's "The Sun Dog," you may feel a bit of nostalgia. No, this story isn't about a haunted camera, but it does give off similar vibes. (A woman experiences something in the Indigo Room that allows her to POSSIBLY see the future.)

And if that IS the case -- if she really CAN see the future -- then something she sees might just be the most unsettling thing a person CAN see. I think the real horror in this story is the psychological terror of having to live with the knowledge that something awful is going to happen that you can't do anything about...

Not one of the best SGJ stories I've ever read, but entertaining enough.

Thanks, Netgalley and the publisher, for gifting me this ARC.

This short book had an intriguing concept and a lot of potential, but ultimately left me feeling a bit let down. The storytelling was a little confusing at times, and by the end, I was hoping for more clarity or explanation. It felt like the ideas were there, but not fully developed. Still, the author clearly has a unique voice, and I’d be interested to see where they go next—there’s definitely something promising here.

I received a gifted audiobook copy from Brilliance publishing and netgalley.

I really enjoyed this short story. I think the author did a fantastic job of building atmosphere and creating some horrific imagery that will stick with me even as it was against a backdrop of a very familiar feeling workspace.

This is a review of the audiobook.

The Indigo Room is a chilling short story by acclaimed horror writer Stephen Graham Jones and part of The Shivers Collection. The story begins in a conference room named The Indigo Room. Here, protagonist Jennifer, through an apparent “trick of the light,” sees one of her colleagues missing their head and another missing a hand. Soon after the meeting, her ex calls, insisting on dropping off their son at her office, and her boss unexpectedly returns to the office. Dealing with multiple stresses at once, Jennifer is then faced with another high-stress situation that makes her question if her visions in the conference room were a foretelling of real-life horror.

The story is extremely short at only 36 pages and just under an hour on audio. The narrative begins with great intrigue and suspense, having Jennifer seemingly experience a horrifying hallucination to see her colleagues missing a head and a hand. From there, the story doesn’t really seem to find its footing—there’s a bit of office drama, marital drama between Jennifer and her ex, a bribing situation between Jennifer and a subordinate about babysitting her son, and a horror scene that comes out of nowhere. Perhaps all these interesting subplots could have been better fleshed out in a longer novella or full-length novel and created a more cohesive, memorable story.

Protagonist Jennifer comes across as defensive, self-centered, and manipulative, making her quite unlikable. When her son is brought to the office, she is suddenly concerned for his safety, but readers may be wondering why—is it her paranoia, or is something sinister really at work? Readers are not given enough information to piece it together. Just when she convinces herself that the visions she had in the conference room were her overactive imagination, something happens to make her think otherwise. There’s also some comedic subtext embedded in the horror—Jennifer’s boss showing up on a day when she's not supposed to be in the office is a real-life horror in itself!

If you analyze the story from a multidimensional lens, it’s apparent that the author was ambitiously trying to create a multilayered, thought-provoking tale with a good punch of horror in very few pages—unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work. On the positive, the writing is excellent, and the dialogue is dramatically engaging (if not a bit over the top) to keep readers fully entertained—but it’s not a story that will linger past the final page. Once readers reach the climax, it’s difficult to decipher what’s really happening and what isn’t, which feels perplexing and somewhat unsatisfying.

If you’re considering reading this story, the audiobook is definitely the way to go. Narrator Kyla Garcia expertly narrates the story, using a tone infused with high tension and atmospheric suspense. She vividly brings Jennifer to life and makes her inner monologues and dialogue dramatic and compelling. The narration is perfectly paced, and the horror scenes at the end are well executed.

Overall, The Indigo Room is a unique short story that offers a quick punch of horror and office drama. It’s probably not the author’s best short story written to date, nor the best offering from "The Shivers Collection," but it does stand out for originality and its entertaining dialogue. If all this intrigues you, consider giving this one a read or listen!

Short and immediately intense, this is weird and totally obscure. The ending hits with a whoof, too...

I enjoyed the narrator. This was great all around.

Workplace unease + dreamlike visions. Is Jennifer seeing the future—or losing her grip? This story feels slightly different from his other works—it's less raw and unfiltered, but still unsettling, especially the ending.
Rating: 3.5 ⭐

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones is short story number two of five in the Shivers Collection: "a collection of haunting stories that reveal the otherworldly terrors all around us."

What starts in a boardroom slowly escalates to the whole office building, and when one thing goes wrong, they all go wrong! This story featured horrific premonitions and played with the deepest fears of parents everywhere. Though I'm sure no reader will have experienced a day at the office quite like this one, the overall story is extremely relatable! With an ending that left me gasping, this is one fantastic short story!

Kyla Garcia's audiobook narration was straightforward yet filled with all the proper emotions, and fear was definitely heard!

This series features 40-ish page/hour-ish long books, and they're just the sort of story to slip into when you've got just a bit of spare time!

Thank you NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing and Amazon Original Stories for the complimentary audio copy to read and review.

We all know and love SGJ to truly lay down the plot only after at least 200 pages with another 200 to go (not complaining!) so a short story is quite the treat. This was a quick, hallucinatory tale set at work during an important meeting. What could be scarier than work - especially when your boss who never comes actually shows up at the worst time possible.

Our main character, a stressed, single mother with a difficult ex, had to take her son to work with her even thought it’s a big no-no… then her boss shows up. Stakes are already high and now she’s hallucinating about awful things happening to her co-workers. But maybe it’s forshadowing? In just under 40 pages, this quick story sends you on a short and slightly disturbing ride into madness.

This is part of The Shivers collection along with stories from several amazing horror authors. I can’t wait to read them all. Thanks to Brilliance Publishing for my advanced audiobooks. The Shivers collection released today!

THE INDIGO ROOM by Stephen Graham Jones is about a corporate office meeting that gets freaky when the lights go out. Super strange and surprisingly emotional. Loved the narration! It was made for an audio performance imo:)

I really enjoyed the way this played out but overall it felt flat. I am a massive fan of Stephen Graham Jones but it felt like this didn’t have his same voice. Absolutely loved the ending though

This is my proof that SGJ isn't for me. Not impressed at all. Spooky office meeting room, but something this short needs more ooomf to get me loving the story.

I absolutely loved this short story. I can't wait until I can read the next book by Stephen Graham Jones. Five out of five stars from me and would be more if I could.

This short story felt a little disjointed to me. It definitely had a creepy “Final Destination” element, but I struggled to connect to the main character. Definitely keeps you thinking after you finish it! Really good narration.

Once things got going they were incredible but for it being a short story I wish it picked up quicker. I was a bit confused at times even thought it was a short story.

It takes a rare genius of a writer to achieve what SGJ has in a mere 36 pages.

This was impactful where the reality aspect is more scary than the horror.
It is a workplace horror regarding a recently divorced mum.

I didn’t even know I could feel so many emotions and feel so satisfied by such a tiny story.

Audiobook arc gifted by Brilliance Publishing.

Great short story for Amazons horror short story collection. Creepy right from the start and an ending that was satisfying in a way that not many short stories hit. Wonderful audio.

Wow this story was creepy. After seeing a vision in her company's "Indigo room", it comes true not long after. Jennifer needs to take care of her son while at her job, bit her boss does not allow for kids or pets to be there. You can feel the tension throughout the story, which is compounded by her realization that what she saw is now happening. Horrifying and tragic, this story was fast paced and eerie!

This began quite slowly so it was intriguing to see where the story went and what they twist would be.

I did like the main character and feel she'd be great ina full-length novel.

The main parts of this definitely felt like they could be a scene from a Final Destination movie.

This was a fun listen but not something I'll be thinking about for long. It did the job as a spooky story but did feel a tad basic.