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Wait for Night
A day laborer hired to clean up a flooded creek outside of Boulder, Colorado uncovers what could be a valuable find—if it doesn't kill him first.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2020
46 people are currently reading
2379 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Graham Jones
235 books14.9k 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 132 reviews
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September 13, 2024
Stephan Graham Jones is my comfort horror writer. Yea I know that sounds weird, but this guy makes grisly horror something that seeps into you as rather tender and charming while also scaring the shit out of you. And that is a dynamic I can get really get down with. I especially enjoy his short stories, such as this one, Wait for Night, because he has perfected this perfect balance of plot, side-descriptions of the characters lives, overall atmosphere and length, being bite sized terrors that taste deliciously literary. This guy does coming-of-age nostalgia inside of horror that feels like the best of Stephen King (who it assuredly is inspired by) but manages to be better. And he does such strong voice, like you more hear this than read it. I’m just fond of SGJ, okay?
Anyways, Wait for Night is such a good example of how he has just delightfully well done examinations of social lives—usually of people who have grown up in pretty rough conditions where hunger was more frequent than finances—and often can tap into a whole realm of ideas and mannerism through short and sharp descriptions. Such as this aside about one of the laborers the narrator works with cleaning out canals in Coloroado who calls himself The Reverend:
This is a whole sociological world building in a paragraph, and when later there is a quick comment about not having played football before it makes you laugh because earlier he led you to believe he at least played high school football. But no.
Oh yea, this is also a horror story. With dead things pulled out of the earth and violent monsters. And then a big badass monster fight like Godzilla vs Kong except not those monsters, though I’ll save the big reveal for Jones to pull off for you. Because you can read this whole thing in this here link, and you totally should because it’s Spooky Season. Yea I know its just the beginning of September but close enough, let the scary shit begin!
Bottom line: SGJ is my Jack Skellington of the Halloweentown that is my autumn-loving heart. Whatever that means.
Anyways, Wait for Night is such a good example of how he has just delightfully well done examinations of social lives—usually of people who have grown up in pretty rough conditions where hunger was more frequent than finances—and often can tap into a whole realm of ideas and mannerism through short and sharp descriptions. Such as this aside about one of the laborers the narrator works with cleaning out canals in Coloroado who calls himself The Reverend:
‘I don’t think he was really a reverend, but it’s not like I was the high school football star I’d taken to claiming either. We all gave each other a lot of latitude. That’s how it goes with day laboring. You’re always your best self, just down on your luck a bit, only here for a week, maybe two, until your real thing comes through.’
This is a whole sociological world building in a paragraph, and when later there is a quick comment about not having played football before it makes you laugh because earlier he led you to believe he at least played high school football. But no.
Oh yea, this is also a horror story. With dead things pulled out of the earth and violent monsters. And then a big badass monster fight like Godzilla vs Kong except not those monsters, though I’ll save the big reveal for Jones to pull off for you. Because you can read this whole thing in this here link, and you totally should because it’s Spooky Season. Yea I know its just the beginning of September but close enough, let the scary shit begin!
Bottom line: SGJ is my Jack Skellington of the Halloweentown that is my autumn-loving heart. Whatever that means.
September 7, 2020
“What are you?” I said with a really distinct, spattery lisp.
“Pissed,” he said.
love, love, a thousand times love. someday i will actually read all the stephen graham jones books i've been stockpiling over the years because i know our reader/writer true love is meant to be, even though circumstances seem to always be keeping us apart.
but i read this one, and it was a complete joy; funny and creepy and unexpected and everything one could want out of a free tor short.
someday i will be better about reading the books i want to read, someday i will get back into the habit of writing reviews again, someday i will grow wings and fly to the mooooooon!!
until then, i'll mask up, go to work, and try to make it through the day without toppling into the abyss while y'all stay safe and check this story out!!
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2020/09/02/wait-f...
come to my blog!
“Pissed,” he said.
love, love, a thousand times love. someday i will actually read all the stephen graham jones books i've been stockpiling over the years because i know our reader/writer true love is meant to be, even though circumstances seem to always be keeping us apart.
but i read this one, and it was a complete joy; funny and creepy and unexpected and everything one could want out of a free tor short.
someday i will be better about reading the books i want to read, someday i will get back into the habit of writing reviews again, someday i will grow wings and fly to the mooooooon!!
until then, i'll mask up, go to work, and try to make it through the day without toppling into the abyss while y'all stay safe and check this story out!!
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2020/09/02/wait-f...
come to my blog!
June 10, 2021
4.5 stars for this suspenseful Tor.com story, a 2021 Locus Award finalist. Free to read online here at Tor.com. Final review, first posted on FantasyLiterature.com:
Chessup is a day laborer working as part of a crew outside of Boulder, Colorado, helping to clean up a creek that was filled with trash in the aftermath of a flood. At the end of the day, looking to borrow a battery from the crew’s bulldozer to jumpstart his old car, Chessup finds something very old tangled up in the roots of a tree that the bulldozer had pulled down.
With visions of selling his discovery to a pawnbroker for cash, Chessup sets about removing it from the tangle of tree roots. He’s about to leave when his co-worker Burned Dan, who wears a bandanna over his face like a train robber, confronts him and demands that Chessup sell his find to Dan instead. But darkness is beginning to fall, and it may be too late for both of them …
Stephen Graham Jones’ “Wait for Night,” a Locus finalist short story, weaves a familiar mythology into an unusual setting. A pair of world-weary, down-on-their-luck workers are the main characters, and Jones’ depiction of Chessup’s character and his world is stellar.
Chessup is a day laborer working as part of a crew outside of Boulder, Colorado, helping to clean up a creek that was filled with trash in the aftermath of a flood. At the end of the day, looking to borrow a battery from the crew’s bulldozer to jumpstart his old car, Chessup finds something very old tangled up in the roots of a tree that the bulldozer had pulled down.
With visions of selling his discovery to a pawnbroker for cash, Chessup sets about removing it from the tangle of tree roots. He’s about to leave when his co-worker Burned Dan, who wears a bandanna over his face like a train robber, confronts him and demands that Chessup sell his find to Dan instead. But darkness is beginning to fall, and it may be too late for both of them …
Stephen Graham Jones’ “Wait for Night,” a Locus finalist short story, weaves a familiar mythology into an unusual setting. A pair of world-weary, down-on-their-luck workers are the main characters, and Jones’ depiction of Chessup’s character and his world is stellar.
Thirty minutes later, that five o’clock whistle blowing a couple hours late, my uncle’s unregistered Buick fell into its usual routine of refusing to start, and I was the only one still parked in the pullout. I sloped back down to the creek to splash my face, consider my life, and all the decisions I’d made to get me to this point.The characterization remains true even as Chessup finds himself in an intense life-and-death situation, faced with choices he never thought he’d be required to make. Burned Dan is equally interesting, making seemingly off-hand comments earlier in the story whose true import becomes all too clear later on. It’s exceptional storytelling, with so much going on between the lines.
October 25, 2020
...I approached the root pan. It was taller than me by half. This tree had been standing for…a hundred years? At least. Meaning this skeleton was older than that by a little bit.
A dollar sign ka-chinged distantly in my head, and when I centered on it the slot machine of my hopes opened, clattering possibility down into my throat.
Greed is a bastard, isn't it. Blood-price to pay for being greedy changes with the era, but the fact is that you're going to pay when you try to make money off the dead.
Chessup, the latest of Author Stephen's inept, greedy fools, pays a heavier price than usual but gets something I think serious readers everywhere long for in return. All the books I could finally read...and Chessup'll watch TV and drink! Such a waste.
This round goes to Burned Dan. Maybe Julian will have to reckon with Chessup next one. As always, I got so much more from Author Stephen than he had to give. The man's generous like that.
Another Tor Short so it's free to read.
September 30, 2020
Stephen Graham Jones has become one of my favorite authors this year, and his book The Only Good Indians will most likely be my favorite book of 2020. When I discovered this short story, (thank you Michael Patrick Hicks!), I scooped it right up. I'm glad I did!
This is a short tale about Burned Dan and Chessup, both men working on a construction crew. At the end of the day they make an ugly discovery and it changes both of their lives forever.
I had no idea what was going to happen here. Some portions had me laughing, such as this little nugget of humor:
"“What are you?” I said with a really distinct, spattery lisp.
“Pissed,” he said."
Other parts had my mouth hanging open in surprise and disgust. What fun!
WAIT FOR NIGHT is a short story, so I can't say much else other than that Stephen Graham Jones is a stellar writer, no matter the subject, no matter what, his work is always worth a read.
Highly recommended!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3idXh21
Read on 9.29.20. No dates entered so this doesn't count towards my reading goal for the year.
This is a short tale about Burned Dan and Chessup, both men working on a construction crew. At the end of the day they make an ugly discovery and it changes both of their lives forever.
I had no idea what was going to happen here. Some portions had me laughing, such as this little nugget of humor:
"“What are you?” I said with a really distinct, spattery lisp.
“Pissed,” he said."
Other parts had my mouth hanging open in surprise and disgust. What fun!
WAIT FOR NIGHT is a short story, so I can't say much else other than that Stephen Graham Jones is a stellar writer, no matter the subject, no matter what, his work is always worth a read.
Highly recommended!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3idXh21
Read on 9.29.20. No dates entered so this doesn't count towards my reading goal for the year.
September 13, 2021
Damn, I love SGJ's writing so much. This was fantastic. And you can read it for free right here on Tor.com!
October 27, 2021
A free short story from Tor.Com, available HERE
A day labourer cleaning out a waterway after a storm and after work, finds his car battery dead. Earlier a dozer was used to uproot a huge tree growing next to the waterway, so he figures on borrowing the battery to jump start his car. As he wrestles with the battery, he discovers something tangled up in the roots of the old tree - something that has probably been there for over a hundred years.
His workmate, who wears a bandana over his burned face, comes to see what the delay is, and seems to know more about the discovery than would be expected - and then a cop turns up to see what they are up to.
It all kicks off from there.
A short, dark tale, but it felt a little rushed at the end.
3.5 stars, rounded down.
A day labourer cleaning out a waterway after a storm and after work, finds his car battery dead. Earlier a dozer was used to uproot a huge tree growing next to the waterway, so he figures on borrowing the battery to jump start his car. As he wrestles with the battery, he discovers something tangled up in the roots of the old tree - something that has probably been there for over a hundred years.
His workmate, who wears a bandana over his burned face, comes to see what the delay is, and seems to know more about the discovery than would be expected - and then a cop turns up to see what they are up to.
It all kicks off from there.
A short, dark tale, but it felt a little rushed at the end.
3.5 stars, rounded down.
December 20, 2022
I can’t say it’s my favorite Tor short story I’ve read, but I had a good enough time reading it. It didn’t pack as much of a wallop as I know Stephen Graham Jones is capable of. But for a fantastically bloody and quick little story, it was worth taking a break on the couch to read.
September 16, 2020
"A dollar sign ka-chinged distantly in my head, and when I centered on it the slot machine of my hopes opened, clattering possibility down into my throat."
Cool little horror story with a great protagonist who knows how to roll with the punches, even when shit gets freaky after a gruesome discovery. The ending, however, is abrupt and not completely satisfying.
Cool little horror story with a great protagonist who knows how to roll with the punches, even when shit gets freaky after a gruesome discovery. The ending, however, is abrupt and not completely satisfying.
October 1, 2020
Really enjoyed this shorty. I won't spoil what it's about, but it was a cool twist on lore. I actually wish it had been more of a novella length, as I'd like to know so much more. But I guess that means it was successful in its premise!
November 3, 2022
oh this was a treat!
November 24, 2021
A fun and gritty little story about a day laborer that stumbles upon a macabre treasure tucked away in a flooded creek. He wonders if he can make a quick buck off the treasure, but he's not the only one that's got his eye on it. Written in the style of a weird fiction classic, the story quickly explodes into a comical and bloody skirmish between an every day laborer, a police officer, a burnt man and the undead battling over petty cash.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
September 10, 2023
świetnie klimatyczne opowiadanie! idealne na jesienne, mroczne wieczory
January 14, 2022
I just love the way Stephen Graham Jones writes. I could read his stuff on end. WAIT FOR NIGHT is a fun and creepy short story about two day laborers who discover one or two things in the woods near a creek they've been cleaning up around due to a flood. But what, or who, do they find? Greed is one nasty master and a blood-price is often the result, especially when you try stealing from the dead. I do not want to give too much away since this is pretty short and you can just experience this journey all on your own - trust me, you want to read this!
September 3, 2020
I really enjoyed this! The ending wasn't quite satisfactory to me -- it skipped far enough ahead that I missed the story in between that I wanted to have -- but I loved everything else. It's one of those monster stories that you can't identify in more detail in a review like this without giving everything away, but it was one hell of a monster story and kept this good combination folklore & urban legend vibe throughout.
September 4, 2020
A fairly straightforward horror short story that touches on the importance of remembering and of nature. At no point would I call it scary, but at every point would I call it stellar.
I don't want to get into the story at all, as, at ~5500 words, there isn't much one can say that isn't going to dampen someone's enjoyment through spoilers, but it's a great take on a classic horror staple.
I don't want to get into the story at all, as, at ~5500 words, there isn't much one can say that isn't going to dampen someone's enjoyment through spoilers, but it's a great take on a classic horror staple.
November 5, 2024
2.5 stars.
Two workers find a skeleton under some tree roots after the willow was taken down.
What comes next is a madness, as only Jones can create. I wasn't fond of this, but I liked the ending and the character Burned Dan, so this was a plus.
Two workers find a skeleton under some tree roots after the willow was taken down.
What comes next is a madness, as only Jones can create. I wasn't fond of this, but I liked the ending and the character Burned Dan, so this was a plus.
November 2, 2020
Good short story but perhaps too short. Ending was a little rushed and left me feeling like i'd missed out on a lot!
August 1, 2022
SGJ stories are like potato chips: delicious, a little crunchy, not necessarily good for you, but you just can't get enough.
September 2, 2020
As ever, a superb offering from SGJ.
June 12, 2021
"Interesting", is one way of putting it. It took a re-read before I saw some of the hints that one of the characters were more than what they truly were. I really liked how Stephen Graham Jones expanded on a very well-known mythology in a different context - hence my rating.
September 4, 2020
Very interesting take on a common trope.
September 2, 2020
Dang, I really love this dude's writing. Can there be an anthology* already please?
*that's available in the UK, a hard copy 😬
*that's available in the UK, a hard copy 😬
September 14, 2020
une histoire à la fois humaine et fantastique bien écrite à lire gratuitement sur le site de TOR
https://>www.tor.com/2020/09/02/wa...
https://>www.tor.com/2020/09/02/wa...
November 1, 2021
4.5 rounded up
Nice creepy read for the Halloween season. Loved the characters and how much was packed into this short story.
Nice creepy read for the Halloween season. Loved the characters and how much was packed into this short story.
August 22, 2021
Wait for Night (Đợi màn đêm buông): Trong lúc tham gia dọn dẹp lạch nước bên ngoài Boulder, Colorado, một người đàn ông tình cờ có một phát hiện giá trị - thứ nhanh chóng thay đổi bản chất khi màn đêm buông xuống.
Một truyện ngắn đọc thử nghiệm, nghĩa là được mình chọn dựa trên danh tiếng của tác giả (Stephen Graham Jones) và một tác phẩm nổi tiếng khác ("The Only Good Indians") của người này. Goodreads thường có xu hướng pr quá đà, khiến mình ăn phải một quả đắng là "The Midnight Library" :(( Vì thế mình khá thận trọng với mấy tác phẩm mới nổi. May mắn thay, Stephen Graham Jones hoàn toàn có thực lực và rất hợp gu mình. Mình thích phong cách viết của tác giả này, thích nguồn năng lượng nguyên sơ chảy rần rật trong mạch truyện, thích những nhân vật đầy khiếm khuyết sống dưới ánh nắng mặt trời và trong bóng đêm thăm thẳm. “Wait for Night” hoàn toàn có thể nằm cùng vũ trụ quái vật với "The Night Cyclist".
Vậy "Wait for Night" có gì ấn tượng? Một phân cảnh hành động đầy căng thẳng, sức sống đập dồn dập theo từng cú đánh bạo liệt, không chừa một khe hở cho nỗi sợ hay sự chần chừ chen chân. Ngoài ra, độc giả còn được khuyến mại một cảnh cháo lưỡi, xui thay, ít mãn nhãn hơn nhiều :)) Cái kết của truyện làm mình liên tưởng đến một series YA cùng thể loại mà mình rất thích.
Một truyện ngắn đọc thử nghiệm, nghĩa là được mình chọn dựa trên danh tiếng của tác giả (Stephen Graham Jones) và một tác phẩm nổi tiếng khác ("The Only Good Indians") của người này. Goodreads thường có xu hướng pr quá đà, khiến mình ăn phải một quả đắng là "The Midnight Library" :(( Vì thế mình khá thận trọng với mấy tác phẩm mới nổi. May mắn thay, Stephen Graham Jones hoàn toàn có thực lực và rất hợp gu mình. Mình thích phong cách viết của tác giả này, thích nguồn năng lượng nguyên sơ chảy rần rật trong mạch truyện, thích những nhân vật đầy khiếm khuyết sống dưới ánh nắng mặt trời và trong bóng đêm thăm thẳm. “Wait for Night” hoàn toàn có thể nằm cùng vũ trụ quái vật với "The Night Cyclist".
Vậy "Wait for Night" có gì ấn tượng? Một phân cảnh hành động đầy căng thẳng, sức sống đập dồn dập theo từng cú đánh bạo liệt, không chừa một khe hở cho nỗi sợ hay sự chần chừ chen chân. Ngoài ra, độc giả còn được khuyến mại một cảnh cháo lưỡi, xui thay, ít mãn nhãn hơn nhiều :)) Cái kết của truyện làm mình liên tưởng đến một series YA cùng thể loại mà mình rất thích.
September 2, 2020
I will never look at a willow tree the same again. I just read The Only Good Indians recently and loved it, which made me start preordering all of SGJ’s work and I have to say he is becoming one of my favorite authors. He’s up there with Clive Barker for me. I have Night of the Mannequins in my queue next to read which I’m sure will be fantastic. SGJ manages to make me care about a character who is a grotesque man-beast called Burned Dan in a 27 page story. Impressive and please keep them coming! I love the Blackfeet feel to everything even if it’s not rightly called out in the stories too, yeah? :) Something about Native American story telling just gets me. Thanks for being awesome Stephen Graham Jones!
Spoiler: My interpretation of this work is that Julian is Mother Earths rage fighting back from all the torment and destruction she constantly receives. The only way to satiate her is to give back. Which is why the only way to stop Julians rage is to make amends with the earth by giving back what you took. So awesome.
Spoiler: My interpretation of this work is that Julian is Mother Earths rage fighting back from all the torment and destruction she constantly receives. The only way to satiate her is to give back. Which is why the only way to stop Julians rage is to make amends with the earth by giving back what you took. So awesome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2021
August Review #2: Wait for Night by Stephen Graham Jones
A day laborer named Chessup works cleaning up a flooded creek. After his Buick fails to start, he decides to use the battery of the nearby Bulldozer to jump-start his car. He inadvertently finds a surprise inside the remains of the Willow tree they recently felled: a skeleton. Chessup thinks the skeleton is valuable, considering its age, and he extracts it. But his co-worker-the mysterious Burned Dan- has other ideas.
SGJ has another winner. This is a tale of duty, sacrifice, and the evil things that necessitate them. The characters are well-written and relatable. The supernatural action is also thrilling and, as always, wrapped around SGJ’s penchant for sly dark comedy. If this tale were written in the 90s, I’m sure it would be a fine addition to Under the Fa.. oh no, I’ve spoiled too much.
A day laborer named Chessup works cleaning up a flooded creek. After his Buick fails to start, he decides to use the battery of the nearby Bulldozer to jump-start his car. He inadvertently finds a surprise inside the remains of the Willow tree they recently felled: a skeleton. Chessup thinks the skeleton is valuable, considering its age, and he extracts it. But his co-worker-the mysterious Burned Dan- has other ideas.
SGJ has another winner. This is a tale of duty, sacrifice, and the evil things that necessitate them. The characters are well-written and relatable. The supernatural action is also thrilling and, as always, wrapped around SGJ’s penchant for sly dark comedy. If this tale were written in the 90s, I’m sure it would be a fine addition to Under the Fa.. oh no, I’ve spoiled too much.
September 4, 2020
“Second Time’s a charm.”
Stephen Graham Jones continues his winning streak that is his entire career as a writer with the go-for-broke style that’s become one of the most charming aspects his work within the Horror genre.
Because this story is extremely short, I feel like discussing even a tiny bit of the premise would be giving away some spoilers. So please do yourself a favor and go in to this one completely blind, (like I did), and find yourself grinning like an idiot when you reach the end (like I am doing right now).
Please don’t ever change, SGJ. The way your narrators/protagonists have of rationalizing their actions in heightened situations is nothing short of comical but somehow deeply human. I’m absolutely here for it.
Stephen Graham Jones continues his winning streak that is his entire career as a writer with the go-for-broke style that’s become one of the most charming aspects his work within the Horror genre.
Because this story is extremely short, I feel like discussing even a tiny bit of the premise would be giving away some spoilers. So please do yourself a favor and go in to this one completely blind, (like I did), and find yourself grinning like an idiot when you reach the end (like I am doing right now).
Please don’t ever change, SGJ. The way your narrators/protagonists have of rationalizing their actions in heightened situations is nothing short of comical but somehow deeply human. I’m absolutely here for it.
January 1, 2021
Sometimes you take a job; sometimes the job takes you.
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
This is a Tor.com short story, which usually means that it is an incomplete prequel for some novel by the author.
Not this one, though. In this one, we get a complete origin story that emerges as a bit of a surprise when our narrator, Chessup, takes a crappy day labor job cleaning up a river in Colorado with other losers in the rat race, discovers some skeletons in the roots of an uprooted tree, and while deciding how to hock the bones, discovers something far darker.
This was a fast-moving, gripping story that was worth its Tor.com price and the half hour spent reading it.
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
This is a Tor.com short story, which usually means that it is an incomplete prequel for some novel by the author.
Not this one, though. In this one, we get a complete origin story that emerges as a bit of a surprise when our narrator, Chessup, takes a crappy day labor job cleaning up a river in Colorado with other losers in the rat race, discovers some skeletons in the roots of an uprooted tree, and while deciding how to hock the bones, discovers something far darker.
This was a fast-moving, gripping story that was worth its Tor.com price and the half hour spent reading it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews