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Then the Night Got Weird: A Surreal Time-Bending Adventure
In 1945, the U.S. Army recovered a meteorite containing alien crystals—stones capable of opening microscopic wormholes. One experiment went wrong. Very wrong. Physicist Dr. Gordon Keith vanished while working with a crystal. The Army buried the incident. The remaining stones vanished into history.
Forty years later, Luke Boyd and his four best friends in small town Texas accidentally uncover one of those crystals during a reckless Fourth of July prank. They think it’s just a strange rock.
They’re wrong.
On the eve of their twentieth high school reunion, the crystal activates again—ripping Luke and his friends out of 2009 and slingshotting them back to 1985—back to the teenage bodies they once inhabited.
They still have their adult minds. Their adult memories. And everything to lose.
If they alter the past, Luke’s wife and children may never exist.
To get home, they must survive puberty again, retrace their original timeline without changing a moment—and stop the unhinged physicist they’ve just freed from a warped pocket of spacetime.
Because Gordon Keith didn’t disappear in 1945.
He’s been waiting.
The crystal can be their salvation—or their ruin.
Wormholes don’t forgive mistakes.
And this time, the future is on the line.
Forty years later, Luke Boyd and his four best friends in small town Texas accidentally uncover one of those crystals during a reckless Fourth of July prank. They think it’s just a strange rock.
They’re wrong.
On the eve of their twentieth high school reunion, the crystal activates again—ripping Luke and his friends out of 2009 and slingshotting them back to 1985—back to the teenage bodies they once inhabited.
They still have their adult minds. Their adult memories. And everything to lose.
If they alter the past, Luke’s wife and children may never exist.
To get home, they must survive puberty again, retrace their original timeline without changing a moment—and stop the unhinged physicist they’ve just freed from a warped pocket of spacetime.
Because Gordon Keith didn’t disappear in 1945.
He’s been waiting.
The crystal can be their salvation—or their ruin.
Wormholes don’t forgive mistakes.
And this time, the future is on the line.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 26, 2025
About the author
Greg Neeley
1 book15 followersGreg Neeley is a proud Gen Xer with roots on a rural Arkansas farm and a long-time home base in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. A lifelong sports fan, Greg enjoys good company, cold beer, and Friday nights that don’t take themselves too seriously.
He’s also happily married and loves spending time with his wife, whose support and insistence helped ensure this very sentence made the cut. All kidding aside, she's his everything...without her he would be rudderless ship.
His debut novel, Then the Night Got Weird, co-written with longtime friend and creative partner Reggie Tennison, is a passion project born from a shared desire to reclaim the imaginative spark that life sometimes sidelines. What started as a casual brainstorm turned into an excellent adventure—and the duo is already halfway through their next book.
Greg writes with a mix of nostalgia, humor, and surreal wonder, drawing on decades of lived experience and a deep love for storytelling. He’s not one to brag, but he’s pretty sure his dog thinks he’s brilliant.
He’s also happily married and loves spending time with his wife, whose support and insistence helped ensure this very sentence made the cut. All kidding aside, she's his everything...without her he would be rudderless ship.
His debut novel, Then the Night Got Weird, co-written with longtime friend and creative partner Reggie Tennison, is a passion project born from a shared desire to reclaim the imaginative spark that life sometimes sidelines. What started as a casual brainstorm turned into an excellent adventure—and the duo is already halfway through their next book.
Greg writes with a mix of nostalgia, humor, and surreal wonder, drawing on decades of lived experience and a deep love for storytelling. He’s not one to brag, but he’s pretty sure his dog thinks he’s brilliant.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 3, 2026
I won this from a Goodreads giveaway and am glad I did. It was a fun read with a good pace and concepts to get me thinking.
April 15, 2026
Kept waiting for the book to get interesting… It did not. DNF’d at chapter 14
January 18, 2026
If only I could go back in time to change things or experience moments once again, or maybe go to the future to see how the future enfolds? Are some time travel thoughts I've had for a very long while and this book hit the nail.
I started reading with not much expectations, to allow the book to do it's magic and it did more than just that! The opening suspense from the scientific lab to the gore it leads to, by the end of the first chapter left me awestruck and dumbfounded. Furthermore, the difference in the forty year timelines from 1945 and 1980s was amusing and the plot kept moving keeping me engaged. The transition between the chapters describing the moments with the adults and kids with a mix of fun and funny banter made me feel lighthearted after experiencing heavy pages of intense action. The characters are intriguing, have their unique way of expressing their identity and the way they project themselves in the friend group. The time travel trip must be mentioned as their bond throughout the book is memorable.
The book also talks about struggle which is inevitable, the grief that follows loss and the bonds that stay through it all and after. As the story proceeds to a lighter scale, I witnessed young affection that blossomed into romantic love between the two friends and it was heartwarming, who doesn't like a little touch of young love?
I started reading with not much expectations, to allow the book to do it's magic and it did more than just that! The opening suspense from the scientific lab to the gore it leads to, by the end of the first chapter left me awestruck and dumbfounded. Furthermore, the difference in the forty year timelines from 1945 and 1980s was amusing and the plot kept moving keeping me engaged. The transition between the chapters describing the moments with the adults and kids with a mix of fun and funny banter made me feel lighthearted after experiencing heavy pages of intense action. The characters are intriguing, have their unique way of expressing their identity and the way they project themselves in the friend group. The time travel trip must be mentioned as their bond throughout the book is memorable.
The book also talks about struggle which is inevitable, the grief that follows loss and the bonds that stay through it all and after. As the story proceeds to a lighter scale, I witnessed young affection that blossomed into romantic love between the two friends and it was heartwarming, who doesn't like a little touch of young love?
January 25, 2026
This sci-fi novel knows exactly what it must carry. From the start, energy never drops, it pushes forward, unstoppable. I stayed up late finishing it; I never paused, eyes locked on the pages. Something tugs harder once surprises pile up fast, soft on the outside yet biting. Inside, I laugh loud yet keep turning because bonds between them grow tight without noise.
What makes it unique is how writers mix genres; drama, witty humor, clever science with seamless flow, lively talk that feels natural. History stretches from World War II forward, dipping into early tensions between countries, so the tale goes beyond fast-paced plots. It looks at how ideas shifted among individuals back then, then throws in time trouble, watching reactions follow. Packed with thoughtful, carefully built elements, the world keeps readers smiling while nudging them to think.
Picture how it feels when scenes flow together so close you see their breath. That moment arrived, real quiet kind, where timelines folded not just logically yet also felt deep inside. Hope lives in small choices made under pressure, like handshakes that hint at more than greeting. If mysteries set among stars pull your attention, if problems to solve drag pleasure, or if people shaped by pressure carry weight, then placing this next to other things you follow doesn’t sit wrong.
What makes it unique is how writers mix genres; drama, witty humor, clever science with seamless flow, lively talk that feels natural. History stretches from World War II forward, dipping into early tensions between countries, so the tale goes beyond fast-paced plots. It looks at how ideas shifted among individuals back then, then throws in time trouble, watching reactions follow. Packed with thoughtful, carefully built elements, the world keeps readers smiling while nudging them to think.
Picture how it feels when scenes flow together so close you see their breath. That moment arrived, real quiet kind, where timelines folded not just logically yet also felt deep inside. Hope lives in small choices made under pressure, like handshakes that hint at more than greeting. If mysteries set among stars pull your attention, if problems to solve drag pleasure, or if people shaped by pressure carry weight, then placing this next to other things you follow doesn’t sit wrong.
February 5, 2026
This story will awaken your senses in the way the story is connected on different sides facing different situations. At some point it's just a bunch of teenagers doing teenage things, focusing on school, sports, and friendships. It shows a side of friendship many wish for, and this was so beautiful to me. The other section was about people in the army doing their ever army activities. I like how this book feels like different stories at once.
The author achieved this so well. And they come and join at some point. My favorite part, however, was when the teenagers were still teenagers. The flow was lovely and heartwarming. I'd say the book shows lovely sides of friendships. From Mikey who is being helped by his friends to avoid the asylum to Pete's friends trying to save his life.The flow is impeccable, and I totally loved the story, and it was also written in a very relatable way. I would totally recommend it.
The author achieved this so well. And they come and join at some point. My favorite part, however, was when the teenagers were still teenagers. The flow was lovely and heartwarming. I'd say the book shows lovely sides of friendships. From Mikey who is being helped by his friends to avoid the asylum to Pete's friends trying to save his life.The flow is impeccable, and I totally loved the story, and it was also written in a very relatable way. I would totally recommend it.
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March 20, 2026I think I might title this "Then the night got boring." If you read time travel narratives frequently enough, you'll see the usual tropes here, stifle a yawn, and be glad you didn't pay too much for this thing as you start skimming through the last half of it just to get to the predictable end. It should be a lesson to me not to pay attention to reviews of people who don't have any sense of the history or tradition of a genre, so they're all "OMG this was so fun!" No, it was fun the other 14 times I read similar time-travel-y narratives.
Sometime I'll tell you what I really think, ha ha ha!
Sometime I'll tell you what I really think, ha ha ha!
February 11, 2026
This is a fun listen! The story is quirky and engaging, with a great splash of ’80s teenage nostalgia and humour that made it even more enjoyable. Just when you think you know where it’s going, another time twist pops up to keep you on your toes. Aaron Sills absolutely nails the narration and adds a lot of life to the story. A thoroughly entertaining audio book.
April 16, 2026
This book was very nostalgic for me. That made me feel like I was right there. I frown upon stories that begin off with distinct story lines because it take skill to successfully blend the stories later. This book did this very well. It was truly a fun listen. Narration was superb as well.
January 1, 2026
Fiends forever
I loved this very different, "weird" Time travel book. The love and interplay between the boys is so reminiscent of growing up
I loved this very different, "weird" Time travel book. The love and interplay between the boys is so reminiscent of growing up
Want to Read
February 24, 2026Placeholder.
I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews