The Indigo Room

The Shivers Collection #2

by Stephen Graham Jones

Don’t lose your head over office politics…The horrors of the modern workplace meet actual horror in a fiendishly entertaining short story from New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.

When the lights go out and the slideshow begins, middle manager Jennifer has a disturbing a headless colleague right across the boardroom table. Is it a trick of the light, or a vision of the future? She tries to brush it off and salvage the afternoon—but when her ex unexpectedly drops off her son at the office after school, suddenly her whole world takes an alarming turn.

Stephen Graham Jones’s The Indigo Room is part of The Shivers, a collection of haunting stories that reveal the otherworldly terrors all around us. Once you know, there’s no going back. Read or listen to each story in one unsettling sitting.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Paranormal, Adult

35 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2025

About the author

Stephen 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.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess this was entertaining enough, but it's certainly not my favorite Stephen Graham Jones short story (that would be “The Backbone of the World,” which is amazeballs). The scariest bit is probably the boss showing up on a day when she's not supposed to be in the office, because that's some real-life horror right there. Jennifer has a vision, bribes a subordinate into babysitting, and then goes home. The end. Well, okay, maybe there are a few unsettling details that I'm neglecting to mention ...

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overly long, but I enjoyed this one.

[Phrynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the story I liked the least from the Shivers Collection, mainly because I could not get my head around it. It was a little scary because some very strange things happen, but I was not able to follow the sequence of events to my own satisfaction. I was not tempted to read it twice so I can only say it was okay but not great.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[The Belladonna · Rating 2 out of 5]

“I ruined it, I ruined it all!”

Yes, yes you did SGJ. Yikes. This was a dumpster fire and a poor choice on my part for my first SGJ experience. For shame, Bella. I would like the time and the IQ points I lost reading this refunded back to me.

[John (JC) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure what to say about the Indigo Room. It seemed a bit jumbled. I enjoyed the premonition aspect and the explicit descriptions. It is worth reading but it would not be my go to book.

[LTJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Indigo Room” by Stephen Graham Jones (The Shivers Collection #2) is the second book of this fantastic Amazon-exclusive collection. I loved “Jackknife” by Joe Hill, and couldn’t wait to dive into this second book since I’m a huge fan of SGJ. As expected, his storytelling delivered, and let’s just say that I’m glad I don’t work in an office.

So far, “The Shivers Collection” has been great. If you’re interested in checking out this series, here’s a list of the entire collection…

Jackknife by Joe Hill (The Shivers Collection #1)
The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones (The Shivers Collection #2)
The Blanks by Grady Hendrix (The Shivers Collection #3)
Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward (The Shivers Collection #4)
Letter Slot by Owen King (The Shivers Collection #5)

There was only one trigger warning I found while reading, which was…

- Office shootings

If this triggers you, please don’t read this book. Moving along, if you’re new to SGJ, expect his signature slow-burn style of writing. It always takes time to reach those initial horror moments in his work, but if you enjoy tension, it's worth it. In just 36 pages, you’ll lose your mind with an awesome, jaw-dropping twist at around the 60% mark.

This is a unique and creepy take on “office horror” that’s done brilliantly. The story here is right to the point, and once the horror hits, you’ll start making weird faces while reading. I enjoyed that epic plot twist, and again, it’s worth the wait for the drop-the-mic moments.

I’d never spoil anything for my fellow horror readers, but this had some grisly horror that I genuinely enjoyed. I’ve been reading SGJ for years now, and his books consistently earn 4 or 5 stars from me. If you also enjoy his work, this one won’t disappoint. Whether you’re an SGJ fan or new to his work, go along for the slow ride—it won’t disappoint.

The ending to “The Indigo Room” was insane and left me shocked. I didn’t expect that coming, and in typical SGJ fashion, it left me wanting more. I loved what he wrote in such a quick read that you can finish in less than an hour.

I give “The Indigo Room” by Stephen Graham Jones (The Shivers Collection #2) a 5/5. It’s office horror taken to a whole new level in a way that only SGJ can. After working 15 years in retail and over a decade in sports media, I'll think about this book every time I’m in a Zoom meeting.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m done hanging out in an indigo room, and I’m excited to see what kind of party the blanks are about to throw in my honor.

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the paranormal vibe in this one

A nice short little Novella in the Amazon original story collection, this audio listen was quick and interesting. The ending did leave me a little confused and I had to listen to it twice, but I think I got it down. It is a little eerie, which fit the bill for my mood.

[TheConnieFox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Errr… Nope. This was worse than the 1st one in this short story The Shivers Collection. I am hoping the third one is good!! Longest short story ever and wtf did I just read?!?! I have read books by this author and they were really good, so I don’t know why this was boring and poorly executed.

I wish I had more to say, but that is the review. 😫

-These are on kindle unlimited, if you want to check them out. The 1st one is meh and this one is Nopeeeeee - for me.

Off to the 3rd… LOL 😂

[Zain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too Lofty.

This book is too highfalutin. Too worldly for me. I feel that this is a superior book for horror. The standards are too high.

I don’t have much to say about this story other than I don’t like it. I just knew that I would because I’ve heard so much about this author.

I know that he is considered a high brow writer. He has won many accolades and prestigious awards. There are too many to count.

So I am disappointed that I don’t like this book, I’m sorry to say. Maybe I’ll try to read another book by him and hope that it is running in the race.

Four stars. 💫💫💫💫

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Indigo Room is another short story in the Shivers Collection from Amazon Publishing, and this one played on reality and perception.
We follow a group of office workers on a seemingly normal day in the office. A meeting takes place, but strange things happen in it when they turn the lights out. This book didn't give me the Shivers, but it did make me question what reality was and what was perceived reality in regards to the happenings and the characters' accounts. The ending left me a little confused and I didn't really know what to make of this one by the end.

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

in this short story the fmc starts to have eerie premonitions of the future. i wanted to like this but the execution was lackluster.. it could’ve gone a lot darker.

[evergrowingtbr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t wait for this short story to be over. I just didn’t care about anything that was happening…

[♡ retrovvitches ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was an odd one, because i really didn’t know how to feel about it. it was ok i guess, but i was a tiny bit confused. was it unsettling and had some genuine plot? definitely. but not my fav

[Ruben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the Indigo Room is a meetings/conference room, once the lights are turned off, it looks more like a room that foresees the future. That's what Jennifer realizes after she has some vivid and yet horrid images of a couple of her coworkers.

Could this all be a product of her imagination? She'll know more about it as time goes on.

I wasn't particularly keen on the story. In fact, I felt it a bit forced at times. Like I previously said, I feel short tales are not always that easy to write.

First time I read anything by Stephen Graham Jones, not my best experience, though.

[Steph ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get it. At all. I don't understand the ending. The premonitions were a little creepy but that's about it. To be fair, I don't have a great history with SGJ books as it is, so I wasn't expecting too much from this.

[Brooke (B for Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know if I’m just thinking in colors…but this was kind of David Lynch-y. Workplace horror, excellent opener but hard to follow.
A surreal chain of events, and an ending that reminded me of a surrealist painting. Seems like SGJ might be doing something interesting here but judging by other reviews I don’t know if it’s worth the re-read lol. I love surrealism in literature but was never the biggest David Lynch fan. This story gave me major Lynch vibes, and not just because of Blue Velvet.

The scariest thing of all is middle management.

[Horror Nerd · Rating 1 out of 5]

An extremely boring office meeting turns into something very sinister. Did a woman really see something strange when the lights were turned off? Is it just her nerves, stress from her rocky marriage? Or is it all a warning?
The story could have been perfect, but the author's writing style was very difficult to get through. The writing is very disjointed, like getting bits of overheard conversations that never quite connect into something coherent.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

[Gerhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is an emotional, er, heart to this slick story about a horrific accident in a typical corporate office that makes it quite affecting, especially the ambiguous ending.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 3 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Kyla Garcia

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Indigo Room is a conference room at Jennifer’s workplace. Apparently her work involves extremely boring meetings and extreme boredom at her desk in a cubicle? Or something? Doesn’t matter because her job is not important to this storyline. What is important is the fact that The Indigo Room makes her workday decidedly LESS boring.

My first experience with Stephen Graham Jones is a positive one. I never would have thought of a work conference room as something that could be eerie before reading this. Just like Jennifer’s job, I found the startup of this short story to be a bit boring; however, once things started happening, I rather enjoyed the pacing! At first I had mixed feelings about the ending but after letting it sit awhile, I decided I love the ending!

The Shivers Collection
Jackknife by Joe Hill - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Blanks by Grady Hendrix - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Letter Slot by Owen King - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ceecee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jennifer sees some very strange images in the Indigo Room - has she had a premonition of the future?
It was ok - an interesting premise and a few creepy images but it wasn’t very shivery.

[Alya ( 20 comments restriction ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Follows an FMC who experiences pre-emotions in an indigo room... I feel like this had potential but nothing wow about it

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It reminded me of a grown-up Goosebumps book with a bit of Final Destination thrown in, and that ending was brutal.

Buddy read with Malli!

✨ Content warnings for: violence, gore, blood, child illness

———

You can also find my reviews on…
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[STEPH · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, this is kinda freaky. I never thought a simple office meeting could turn into a sinister foreshadowing of accidents. What’s the play here?

This was okay—nothing special or extraordinary. I liked the characters, but I would’ve liked to know why Sharon summoned them to the Blue Room.

Hope the next short story is better.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨3 stars✨

Amazon Original Stories - The Shivers Collection

[Amanda NEVER MANDY · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cons of office work.

I liked the premise but not the flow.

[Gareth Is Haunted · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second instalment of The Shivers collection from Amazon Originals.
This all plays out in an office. Things start fairly normal, with a meeting/series of presentations. When the lights go off the MC notices some odd occurrences, and then things start to get really strange.
I'm a huge fan of SGJ, but this time around I struggled to follow some of what was going on. His writing was great as usual, twisting and turning, intricate as ever. Unfortunately, this didn't make up for the confusion I had regarding the events that unfolded.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

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[Rae Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

is it like a requirement for every story in this collection to make absolutely zero sense with no resolution whatsoever so ever??? like genuinely i don’t even know how to sum up these events??? truly just not good

[AziaMinor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall Rating : C



Just some good/bad old fashioned boardroom shenanigans.