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Longsight M40
"An author that knows how to snare the reader."
- Keith Rosson, author of Fever House
This moody and unforgettable coming-of-age novella from acclaimed author Tyler Jones (Burn the Plans, Midas), set against the eerie backdrop of a traveling Halloween fair.
Sixteen-year-old Clay hopes his beat-up first car will provide escape—from his parents’ collapsing marriage, from the bleakness of his neighborhood, and from the confusion of first love. But on a misty November night, he and his friends sneak into the Fright Fair, a grimy, retro horror carnival packed with animatronic ghouls and flickering lights. In a forgotten maintenance tent, they discover an antique fortune telling machine—an uncanny relic that should be broken, but speaks with chilling clarity. What begins as a joke quickly turns ominous as the machine reveals secrets and warnings that strike too close to home.
As tensions rise and emotions spiral, Clay is forced to confront his darkest impulses. Within four days, everything will change—and not everyone will make it out. This novella asks: what do we risk when we dare to see the future?
- Keith Rosson, author of Fever House
This moody and unforgettable coming-of-age novella from acclaimed author Tyler Jones (Burn the Plans, Midas), set against the eerie backdrop of a traveling Halloween fair.
Sixteen-year-old Clay hopes his beat-up first car will provide escape—from his parents’ collapsing marriage, from the bleakness of his neighborhood, and from the confusion of first love. But on a misty November night, he and his friends sneak into the Fright Fair, a grimy, retro horror carnival packed with animatronic ghouls and flickering lights. In a forgotten maintenance tent, they discover an antique fortune telling machine—an uncanny relic that should be broken, but speaks with chilling clarity. What begins as a joke quickly turns ominous as the machine reveals secrets and warnings that strike too close to home.
As tensions rise and emotions spiral, Clay is forced to confront his darkest impulses. Within four days, everything will change—and not everyone will make it out. This novella asks: what do we risk when we dare to see the future?
164 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2025
1 person is currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Tyler Jones
23 books196 followersTyler Jones is the author of CRITERIUM, THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROOM, ALMOST RUTH, BURN THE PLANS, TURN UP THE SUN, HEAVY OCEANS, MIDAS, and LONGSIGHT M40.
His upcoming books include:
DEPTH CHARGE (Shortwave Publishing)
NIGHT OF THE GLASS KNIVES (Shortwave Publishing)
GO (Clash Books)
His work has appeared in the anthologies BURNT TONGUES (edited by Chuck Palahniuk), ONE THING WAS CERTAIN, 101 PROOF HORROR, CAMPFIRE MACABRE, PARANORMAL CONTACT and in Dark Moon Digest, Coffin Bell, Aphotic Realm, Cemetery Dance, LitReactor, and The NoSleep Podcast.
He lives in Portland, Oregon.
He is represented by Elizabeth Copps at Copps Literary Agency and Alec Frankel at IAG for Film/TV.
His upcoming books include:
DEPTH CHARGE (Shortwave Publishing)
NIGHT OF THE GLASS KNIVES (Shortwave Publishing)
GO (Clash Books)
His work has appeared in the anthologies BURNT TONGUES (edited by Chuck Palahniuk), ONE THING WAS CERTAIN, 101 PROOF HORROR, CAMPFIRE MACABRE, PARANORMAL CONTACT and in Dark Moon Digest, Coffin Bell, Aphotic Realm, Cemetery Dance, LitReactor, and The NoSleep Podcast.
He lives in Portland, Oregon.
He is represented by Elizabeth Copps at Copps Literary Agency and Alec Frankel at IAG for Film/TV.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 28, 2025
Loved this new coming-of-age horror novella by Tyler Jones. He is so great at writing characters that you care about and he doesn’t pull punches emotionally. This is a perfect short read to add to your October TBR.
Thanks to the author for an eARC for review ahead of the publication date!
Thanks to the author for an eARC for review ahead of the publication date!
August 23, 2025
Another phenomenal story from Tyler!
Here we meet four friends Clay, Kenny, Harper and Joel as they stumble upon an old, broken fortune telling machine stowed away at their local fair.
The fortunes they receive will set the four friends down a path of heartbreak, turmoil and terror.
I won’t say much more because this short, action packed story will have you glued to the pages.
Make sure to grab this one when it releases in October.
Thank you again Tyler for the early read 🙏
Here we meet four friends Clay, Kenny, Harper and Joel as they stumble upon an old, broken fortune telling machine stowed away at their local fair.
The fortunes they receive will set the four friends down a path of heartbreak, turmoil and terror.
I won’t say much more because this short, action packed story will have you glued to the pages.
Make sure to grab this one when it releases in October.
Thank you again Tyler for the early read 🙏
January 27, 2026
Tyler Jones is a must-read author for me. has been since Midas. Must-read authors are the best. They pull you out of reading slumps, cleanse the cerebral palette, and recharge the imagination. And in the case of Longsight M40, Jones made me hate myself for going so long between reading his books.*
If you need the plot, I'll tell you: it's a coming of age story involving a group of friends consisting of Clay, Kenny, Joel, and Harper--3 guys and a girl. If you don't see the inherent drama in that hormonal teenage cocktail, you'll get a strong dose of it in the pages of the novella. These teens are struggling against the constraints of the present as they try to figure out their futures, when they find an old fortune telling machine in a carnival storage tent. What that machine tells them and the life of the man behind it kicks the story into another gear and unwinds terrible possibilities.
This had notes of Lutzke's Bruises on a Butterfly and King's Joyland while remaining solidly Jones. I spent a good percentage of my teenage years slapping down tarot cards. I was the only guy I knew who did that. Looking back it makes sense. I didn't get a lot of guidance and I struggled to know who I was and why I mattered. When I overlay those memories with the struggles of these characters it takes me back to those years. The yearning, the confusion, the insecurity, the determination to be heard. I was Clay losing countless Harpers to unlimited Kennys. I was Joel wondering why people had to make such a mess of things. I was Kenny feeling like the future was hateful emptiness under my feet. I was never Harper.
I can only wonder what 17 year-old Jeff would have thought of this story. My guess is this likely would have been his absolute favorite book, hitting right in the center of his intertangled, fried, highway of neurons--or whatever strings make us dance. When the future was a hungry mouth and every road he was on was just the tongue pulling him into the darkness.
Jones leans into those fears and gives them dimension. And the only reason this book has a lessened hold on my terror is because I'm reading it from the other side of the lame unknown known as adulthood.
For anyone who wants to take a tip back to what it felt like to stare down the carnivorous future, I can't recommend Longsight M40 enough. I promise you, the ending will be anything but expected.
FIVE STARS!
If you need the plot, I'll tell you: it's a coming of age story involving a group of friends consisting of Clay, Kenny, Joel, and Harper--3 guys and a girl. If you don't see the inherent drama in that hormonal teenage cocktail, you'll get a strong dose of it in the pages of the novella. These teens are struggling against the constraints of the present as they try to figure out their futures, when they find an old fortune telling machine in a carnival storage tent. What that machine tells them and the life of the man behind it kicks the story into another gear and unwinds terrible possibilities.
This had notes of Lutzke's Bruises on a Butterfly and King's Joyland while remaining solidly Jones. I spent a good percentage of my teenage years slapping down tarot cards. I was the only guy I knew who did that. Looking back it makes sense. I didn't get a lot of guidance and I struggled to know who I was and why I mattered. When I overlay those memories with the struggles of these characters it takes me back to those years. The yearning, the confusion, the insecurity, the determination to be heard. I was Clay losing countless Harpers to unlimited Kennys. I was Joel wondering why people had to make such a mess of things. I was Kenny feeling like the future was hateful emptiness under my feet. I was never Harper.
I can only wonder what 17 year-old Jeff would have thought of this story. My guess is this likely would have been his absolute favorite book, hitting right in the center of his intertangled, fried, highway of neurons--or whatever strings make us dance. When the future was a hungry mouth and every road he was on was just the tongue pulling him into the darkness.
Jones leans into those fears and gives them dimension. And the only reason this book has a lessened hold on my terror is because I'm reading it from the other side of the lame unknown known as adulthood.
For anyone who wants to take a tip back to what it felt like to stare down the carnivorous future, I can't recommend Longsight M40 enough. I promise you, the ending will be anything but expected.
FIVE STARS!
September 11, 2025
Clay is a sixteen-year-old boy with problems. His parents are fighting, and he feels a separation is imminent; his car – as much as he loves the freedom it represents – is practically an antique, and he isn't sure how best to confess to his friend Harper that he has feelings for her. He pushes that all to one side when his tight-knit group of four friends decide to go to a spooky-themed funfair, deciding instead to enjoy his night and maybe even tell Harper about his crush on her. Things take a dark turn, however, when they find a strange fortune-telling machine hidden away in a tent closed to the public – and it quickly becomes apparent that they may never be the same again.
Tyler Jones has written some fantastic stories in recent years, such as the collection Burn The Plans and the excellent Heavy Oceans, and it's always a delight to read a new tale from his twisted imagination – and Longsight M40 was no exception. While it's always great to see the scares he conjures, Jones stands apart from many of his peers by excelling at the way he writes emotional heft into his work. In many ways a coming-of-age book – the setting and the friends it focuses on can't help but remind you of a modern-day Something Wicked This Way Comes – Clay's problems feel so relatable and real. Whether it was his fear of his parents telling him they'll be getting divorced or his optimism about how Harper will react when he tells her his true feelings, I found myself (almost painfully) feeling like I was a teenager again.
As you may expect from a novella-length book, especially one with multiple characters and a good amount of setup towards the start, things really pick up in pace when the horror begins. In some ways I'd have preferred the book to be longer and let the back section breathe in the same way the first half does, but I think that's just because I enjoyed living in this world so much. The pacing is fitting considering the fair theme – it may be a steady climb to the top of the rollercoaster, but when the story goes over the edge, there's no stopping or slowing it down.
Overall, another success for Jones, and a book that I expect fans of his to embrace as a perfect Halloween read. Long may his productive streak, as well as the heartbreak and the chills he always provides, continue.
Tyler Jones has written some fantastic stories in recent years, such as the collection Burn The Plans and the excellent Heavy Oceans, and it's always a delight to read a new tale from his twisted imagination – and Longsight M40 was no exception. While it's always great to see the scares he conjures, Jones stands apart from many of his peers by excelling at the way he writes emotional heft into his work. In many ways a coming-of-age book – the setting and the friends it focuses on can't help but remind you of a modern-day Something Wicked This Way Comes – Clay's problems feel so relatable and real. Whether it was his fear of his parents telling him they'll be getting divorced or his optimism about how Harper will react when he tells her his true feelings, I found myself (almost painfully) feeling like I was a teenager again.
As you may expect from a novella-length book, especially one with multiple characters and a good amount of setup towards the start, things really pick up in pace when the horror begins. In some ways I'd have preferred the book to be longer and let the back section breathe in the same way the first half does, but I think that's just because I enjoyed living in this world so much. The pacing is fitting considering the fair theme – it may be a steady climb to the top of the rollercoaster, but when the story goes over the edge, there's no stopping or slowing it down.
Overall, another success for Jones, and a book that I expect fans of his to embrace as a perfect Halloween read. Long may his productive streak, as well as the heartbreak and the chills he always provides, continue.
September 27, 2025
Tyler Jones gives off a definite Fight Club vibe. Not in the typical Palahniuk sense, but rather he’s an author where you feel super fortunate and chosen to have been able to check out his work. He’s another author where I’m just blown away that he’s not received more traditional recognition in the literary world. His stuff is fantastic and has a deep emotional vein woven throughout, so it’s not just jump scares and monsters. I much prefer horror where I get to feel something and Jones is definitely in that class of authors. Longsight M40 was great and a very cyclical tale about four friends and a strange fortune telling machine. Like if the movie Big had been directed by Jordan Peele.
All four of the teens were nuanced in appropriate ways but I think Joel was my favorite. A well grounded kid who can pick up on some of the intricacies of teen life. Clay and Kenny are also going through some domestic trauma which only adds depth to the story. Jones has taken the typical fall festival trope and injected it with a sinister edge. This is a novella that doesn’t lean into dramatic imagery. The terror in Longsight M40 is more of the anticipatory kind where the dread is both palpable and inevitable. I’d recommend the to really anyone looking for a solid horror novella. It’s not gory at all and it’s a well written story where the horror lies more so in the expectation of what’s to come. Solid read and a perfect one for spooky season 2025.
All four of the teens were nuanced in appropriate ways but I think Joel was my favorite. A well grounded kid who can pick up on some of the intricacies of teen life. Clay and Kenny are also going through some domestic trauma which only adds depth to the story. Jones has taken the typical fall festival trope and injected it with a sinister edge. This is a novella that doesn’t lean into dramatic imagery. The terror in Longsight M40 is more of the anticipatory kind where the dread is both palpable and inevitable. I’d recommend the to really anyone looking for a solid horror novella. It’s not gory at all and it’s a well written story where the horror lies more so in the expectation of what’s to come. Solid read and a perfect one for spooky season 2025.
August 24, 2025
Coming out in time for Halloween is this fantastic novella that features a sort of coming of age story with a truly disturbing carnival prop which leads to horrific consequences.
This story is driven by four friends who are sixteen years old and don't always get along, especially with one having a crush on the female in the group but having her get romantic with another.
I may be an old fart but I remember those awkward teenage years and feelings and this book portrays that perfectly. It makes you care about the characters.
They discover a very creepy "fortune teller" machine in a tent at a traveling carnival and even though it's not plugged in, it works. But the fortunes dispensed are terrifying. Unfortunately, they're also going to be true.
As brutal things begin happening to this group, it's up to one to find a way to stop whatever curse this is. But that in itself will have its own dreadful consequences.
I mean, a traveling carnival with a horror theme, a cursed machine, great cast of characters, and terrifying narrative, of course I highly recommend this book.
I received an ARC of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
This story is driven by four friends who are sixteen years old and don't always get along, especially with one having a crush on the female in the group but having her get romantic with another.
I may be an old fart but I remember those awkward teenage years and feelings and this book portrays that perfectly. It makes you care about the characters.
They discover a very creepy "fortune teller" machine in a tent at a traveling carnival and even though it's not plugged in, it works. But the fortunes dispensed are terrifying. Unfortunately, they're also going to be true.
As brutal things begin happening to this group, it's up to one to find a way to stop whatever curse this is. But that in itself will have its own dreadful consequences.
I mean, a traveling carnival with a horror theme, a cursed machine, great cast of characters, and terrifying narrative, of course I highly recommend this book.
I received an ARC of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
August 16, 2025
In this upcoming horror novella from Tyler Jones, we meet Clay. He is 16 years old and has all the angst that comes along with that era of life. On one November night, he and his three friends head over, and sneak, into the Fright Fair, a cheesy, retro horror carnival. In a forgotten maintenance tent, Clay and one of his friends find an antique fortune telling machine named "Longsight". Somehow, it is in working order and they each take a fortune. This seemingly harmless action quickly becomes the stuff of nightmares … these "fortunes" are ominous and hit way too close for comfort. Again, Tyler's expert storytelling immerses the reader in the world he has built. He writes such compelling characters in a rich and vibrant atmosphere that is both chilling and unsettling. The truth behind "Longsight" reaches far beyond the carnivals borders. And the ending, OMG! Absolute perfection. Thank you again to Tyler for sending me this ARC. You can pick this up when it publishes September 30, 2025 from Lethe Press!
October 7, 2025
A phenomenal coming of age novella by Tyler Jones ! On one November night, 16 years old Clay and his other friends Kenny, Harper and Joel decide to sneak into the Fright Fair, a horror carnival. At one of those tents, they find a rectangular wooden box that turns out to be a fortune telling machine which is called “Longsight”. The machine mysteriously comes to life , offering each of them a fortune ticket that will only bring misery to their ominous futures.
Tyler Jones just created the dark version of Zoltar here! The way he described the friendship between the characters was sentimental. The secret behind that antique machine was very interesting. The ending was the best part of the story for me as it was simply perfect.
Highly recommend reading it, thank you so much for this story Mr Jones!
Tyler Jones just created the dark version of Zoltar here! The way he described the friendship between the characters was sentimental. The secret behind that antique machine was very interesting. The ending was the best part of the story for me as it was simply perfect.
Highly recommend reading it, thank you so much for this story Mr Jones!
October 23, 2025
This was a fun story about a group of friends who find an abandoned fortune teller machine when a dark carnival comes to town, and being curious teens, decide to play with it. What they don’t realize is that by toying with the man in the machine, they also toy with their fate.
The mystery of the machine is somehow tied to the lore of an Ancient Greek relic. If the teens figure out how it works, they might be able to beat the fate that is foretold. The twist of fate in the end is pure Tyler Jones storytelling magic.
This story will really be appreciated by fans of Bradbury’s Something Evil This Way Comes, Mike Flanagan’s Rare, Fine & Limited, or movies like BIG or the Final Destination series. It’s a fast-paced read, and perfect for spooky season.
The mystery of the machine is somehow tied to the lore of an Ancient Greek relic. If the teens figure out how it works, they might be able to beat the fate that is foretold. The twist of fate in the end is pure Tyler Jones storytelling magic.
This story will really be appreciated by fans of Bradbury’s Something Evil This Way Comes, Mike Flanagan’s Rare, Fine & Limited, or movies like BIG or the Final Destination series. It’s a fast-paced read, and perfect for spooky season.
August 24, 2025
Some things should not be messed with. Clay and his friends are going to find out the hard way. They thought the fortune teller machine LongSight M40 was a joke. LongSight gave each of them predictions that started to come true. Can Clay solve the mystery of who LongSight is and how to stop the last predictions from coming true or have their fates already been sealed.
I got to say this is a good book. I read it in a few hours. It was short but wasn’t rushed. I love the predictions were written in riddles. The twist at the end was unpredictable and satisfying. I would definitely recommend this book if you need something to fill few hours of your time.
I got to say this is a good book. I read it in a few hours. It was short but wasn’t rushed. I love the predictions were written in riddles. The twist at the end was unpredictable and satisfying. I would definitely recommend this book if you need something to fill few hours of your time.
September 14, 2025
Coming of age at a fair. Tyler gives us Clay, a sixteen-year-old that has his typical teen issues, and to make it worse his parent are causing him stress as well. When he and his friends go to a fair and have their fortune told, it's all downhill from there. We get enough of a slow burn in this novella to know the characters before the horror picks up speed as it ramps up and take us to the ending.
September 8, 2025
Longsight M40 by Tyler Jones is an absolute powerhouse of a novella. It grabs hold from the very start and doesn’t let go. Part coming-of-age story, part Twilight Zone with a twist, it’s packed with emotion—grief, loss, and that raw turmoil Jones always delivers so well. I tore through it in one sitting and loved every second of it.
October 7, 2025
This coming of age novella is perfect for Halloween. The story was action packed, and the characters were realistic. Very cool concept, and the writing was solid.
October 18, 2025
4.5 stars
Haven't we all learned to leave the creepy fortune telling machine alone???
Great story. Read in one sitting.
Haven't we all learned to leave the creepy fortune telling machine alone???
Great story. Read in one sitting.
November 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this one. Great stuff!
January 3, 2026
A great story and a fitting time to read during the spooky season. Tyler always hits the mark with themes of family and grief, but he moves more towards a Twilight zone episode meets Something Wicked this Way Comes, with a blend of his natural family influence and roots.
If you like Bradbury or Clay McLeod Chapman, this is one you definitely want to give a read.
If you like Bradbury or Clay McLeod Chapman, this is one you definitely want to give a read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews