Tyler Jones is a literary alchemist. How else to explain the way he deftly blends several elements of horror and transforms them into a beautiful, golden amalgam of a novel.
MIDAS, at its heart, incorporates components of grief, family, cults, westerns, gothic, murder, and obsession seamlessly into a wonderful tale laying bare its soul for all of us readers to experience. And by experience I mean devastate us. Ruin us and leave us as hollow shells of our previous selves.
It follows the story of fallen preacher Jeremiah Pevensie and his wife Emma, still reeling from the death of their young son, Samuel. Jeremiah comes across a riderless horse, and he wanders the hills of nearby Charwood to find the horse’s owner. What he finds is life changing. And something which puts him squarely in the crosshairs of cult leader Solomon, who has been searching for this same gift for a long time.
Jeremiah and Emma hide a secret within the walls of the castle they call home. A secret Solomon will stop at nothing to obtain. A secret which has been both a gift and a curse to Jeremiah and Emma in their quest to reunite with their son Samuel. But Jeremiah’s not going to let anyone take it from him. Jones knows how to build their story, all the while tearing apart their lives.
But to say MIDAS is a western horror thriller does not do it justice. Jones makes you care deeply for these characters, investing you in the story, so when the endgame comes it is soul crushing. Here Jones works his magic. These are familiar tropes to which Jones adds depth and dimension; a new sandbox for all of us to enjoy, turning it into something wholly shocking and invasive. I especially enjoyed (is that the right word?) Jeremiah’s arc—a man of faith who falters, finds a new faith, then realizes that,too, is a false god…albeit too late.
MIDAS is a chimera of a novel, merging all its distinct parts to form a literary monster of a tale. Feelings of obsession, grief, love, and pain play off each other symphonically, with Jones acting as maestro, landing every note with gut wrenching impact. This beast of a story packs a wallop on many levels. And through it all, Jones never lets you settle in.
Released as a limited edition of 500 through Earthling’s Halloween series it sold out quickly, meaning not everyone that wanted to read it got a copy. Here’s hoping for a wider release soon as it truly deserves to be read by more people #giveusmidas.
5 out of 5 g(u)ilt stars.