Turn Up the Sun

by Tyler Jones

Three brand new novellas from Tyler Jones, author of Midas, Heavy Oceans, Almost Ruth, Criterium, and Burn the Plans (one of Esquire's "Best Horror Books of 2022")

In Turn Up the Sun, Hazard, the eccentric drug dealer from Criterium, is horrified to discover he has a doppelganger who appears at the scene of a grisly murder.

In Stridor, a pediatrician is not only haunted by her mistakes, but stalked by them.

In Sidewinder, a young musician receives a custom, otherworldly guitar pedal.

“Tyler Jones’ stories are a manifesto for how horror can move, disturb, amuse, and devastate...written with such heart and humanity that you close the book feeling refreshed, confident that horror still has much to offer.”
—Esquire Magazine on Burn the Plans

"...smart...thrilling...Tyler Jones has written one for the ages...one of my favorite reads in years."
- Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box and Spin a Black Yarn on Midas

"A grisly tale, an ever-so-slow twisting of a knife. A triumphant piece of fiction."
- Philip Fracassi, author of Boys in the Valley on The Dark Side of the Room

"This is small-town Bradbury with a world-weary mean streak: even the magic here seems perfectly happy to break your bones and drag your face across asphalt."
- Jeremy Robert Johnson, author of The Loop on Criterium

Tyler Jones writes with the lyrical complexity and haunting tenderness of masters like Matheson and Straub while remaining entirely new and inventive. A true visionary of contemporary horror fiction."
—Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke on Almost Ruth

"Gripping, visceral, and supremely unpredictable."
- Nat Cassidy, author of Nestlings on Heavy Oceans

Genres: Horror

Paperback

First published February 5, 2024

About the author

Tyler 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 NIGHT OF THE LONG KNVIES (coming December 2024 from Earthling Publications). 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.

Reviews

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyler Jones knows how to write interesting characters. His stories are disturbing but you just can’t put your finger on what is making you so uncomfortable. These are people that you care about…a drug dealer, a guitarist, and while I might not have liked the doctor in Stridor, I certainly felt bad for her husband and child.

[Mitch Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic collection of stories from the immensely talented Tyler Jones.

This is a collection of 3 stories:

Turn Up The Sun - a direct sequel to his stories CRITERIUM and ENTER SOFTLY where we follow Hazard in the events leading up to the end of CRITERIUM. Make sure you have read those other stories before you read this one. I won’t go into details on this one so I don’t spoil anything.

Stridor - a story of a woman haunted by her mistakes that she continues to make. The amount of depth Jones gives us for his characters is always so impressive, and this story was no exception. An incredibly layered story with an ending that rips your heart out. And his use of metaphor in this story is up there with how he expertly crafted it in CRITERIUM. Brilliant.

Sidewinder - a story of a struggling rock musician longing to break into the music scene gets a guitar pedal that changes everything. As a guitar player myself I was most looking forward to this story, and MAN. What a ride. I know now to avoid any pedals with snakes on them. This is a story I’ll come back to time and time again.

You’ll never go wrong picking up a Tyler Jones story, and this has three GREAT ones. Can’t recommend it enough.

[Chiara Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyler Jones has quickly become a guarantee of a great horror read for me!

These three novellas are wholesome and suspenseful, again a look at one's life through metaphors that become alive and disturbing, tormenting the main characters.

I listened to the audiobook and I was happy to listen again to Jennifer Pickens voice as their narration is always perfect!

As usual, Tyler Jones’ beautiful writing style subtly inserts itself underneath your skin without making any noise, but calmly and expertly churning your stomach as you read the characters’ woes. It is never boisterous, but always effective!

I won't go into details as I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone, but make sure you hang tight as this is a read that will stay with you for longer than you think!

Thanks to the author for a code and this is my honest opinion.

[Brennan LaFaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the three novellas in this collection share no overt theme, they are linked by a momentum, a patient urgency. As oxymoronic as that sounds, read the book and you'll see. "Turn Up the Sun" is a sidequel to Jones' novella Criterium, that can be read on its own, and resonates with a classic quality. "Stridor" is a pitch-black examination of guilt and regret. "Sidewinder" is Jones' rock and roll novella, and come on, every horror writer needs one. Watch out for the venom.

[Svea Neitzke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of three novellas. The first one is Turn Up the Sun. It is a direct sequel to Criterium and Enter Softly. It tells us Hazzard's story. The world he builds in these blends reality with the supernatural to give us a deeper understanding of how drugs affect people and their families. The Criterium novellas really dug into me for personal reasons.Hazzard believes he sells "medicine" not "drugs." He struggles with his morality throughout Turn Up the Sun. Jones portrays Hazzard, not as a villain, but as a human who has unresolved trauma. He made bad decisions because of what he experienced.

The other novellas are stand alones. Stridor follows a flawed pediatrician who makes a devastating mistake. This one was tense, especially as a mother. It is a character driven story that punches you in the gut towards the end.

The last one, Sidewinder is an interesting take on the cursed object genre. It kept me at the edge of my seat! The descriptions were so vivid too! Nick is a guitarist who just wants to get better at his art. He gets a pedal that's custom made, but he gets more than just an improved sound.

[Jesse Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, you can’t go wrong picking up a Tyler Jones book.

I went against all advice and read Turn Up the Sun before reading Criterium and Enter Softly! And I still enjoyed the story and the character Hazard. Will have to circle back and reread when I do read the other two. But two passages in this story that really show the brilliance in Tyler’s writing and also personally hit different for me.

“Now he's wondering why he ever thought he needed a pharmacy line. There was a reason at the time. There always is, but sometimes our reasons for doing things get stuck in the moment, encased there, and they become less clear the further we get from the moment in which the decision was made, until we're looking back at past actions and wondering how we could be so stupid.”

“When you're just a pawn being moved across a massive chessboard, none of the moves make any sense. Something unseen propels you into black and white spaces, and you wait to move again, or to be taken off the board altogether.”

While Turn Up the Sun had my two favorite lines in the book…

Stridor was by far my favorite story in this collection. An unfaithful wife and mother whose distractions, decisions causes her to make a mistake that has dire consequences. Tyler has a way of making the reader (me) really get inside the characters head and makes you get lost in this story following Becca.

Sidewinder was a page tuner! It made me feel embarrassed to own an Epiphone guitar haha 😅 Actually reminded me that I have one stashed in a closet. This story took me back to a time when I was obsessed with my hobby of playing guitar. I was mediocre at it and do remember a time I was buying pedals thinking that would improve my playing and sound.
In this story Nick, a stagehand, who craves playing onstage or more so wanting the feel of playing for an audience who are rocking along his riffs and seeks out Cole to make him a special pedal personally suited just for him only to find out that there’s something more about this pedal… something sinister… bring your earplugs and make sure to also wear earmuffs for this eardrum popping experience.

[C.I.I. Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turn Up the Sun is another great set of novellas from, someone who is quickly climbing the ranks of my favorite writers, Tyler Jones.

The title story, Turn Up the Sun, is another wing of the Criterium triptych. Quite honestly, this was my favorite of the three stories set in this universe. Hazard feels like a character tragically cut out of the Breaking Bad universe (something I'm sure anyone who has owned a television in the last two decades will understand as high praise). The quirky drug dealer has a run in with an all too familiar bicycle and has to confront his own tragic past. This is one of the most fully developed characters in contemporary horror, which is impressive given the considerably little amount of ink he's been given. I hope we have not seen the last of Hazard.

Stridor, the second novella, hit me on a gut level to the point where I'm not sure how to review it. The characters are almost too familiar, which in and of itself can be satisfyingly terrifying as a reader. The story's central character, on her surface, seems brutally selfish. But when haven't we all been brutally selfish at one time or another? The magic, and horror of this story is recognizing the woman's struggle with guilt and her efforts to absolve herself of her wrong doing. The phantom calls and the stalking, giant dog are pretty scary, too.

Last up is Sidewinder - and it was sort of a relief from the heavy themes of the two preceding novellas. This felt like a throwback to the 80s and 90s - reminiscent of Stephen King or Bentley Little. This puts a new spin on the cursed object subgenre that is simply a pure good time! A guitar effect pedal that turns its user into a virtuoso performer. But at what cost. Bonus points for utilizing one of more rational, slithering fears so effectively.

[Craig Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently listened to Criterium, I was looking forward to checking out Jones' collection of previously-released bonus novellas, knowing that I'd be dipping back into that world and spending more time with Hazard. I didn't know much about the other two stories going in, but based on the strength of his other work, I expected this to be a very strong collection - and Turn Up The Sun more than lived up to my expectations.

The title story, Turn Up The Sun, works as a follow up & expansion on Criterium. I would highly recommend reading that beforehand, I found this novella pretty impactful and I think a part of that was knowing about the character and that world beforehand. This is followed by Stridor, which deftly deals with the subject of infidelity before moving into something much creepier and darker. It would be easy for the protagonist to be unsympathetic or even downright unlikeable, but Jones is so adept at characterisation and adding depth that this isn't the case here. The ending is a gut punch, and caps off a fantastic story perfectly.

My personal favourite is the final story, Sidewinder, about an aspiring musician that discovers the maker of amazing custom guitar pedals - that perhaps sound a little TOO good to be true. As a bassist myself, and as someone who's previously spent far too much time and money on having the perfect pedals built to my own taste and requirements, I was very excited to realise where this story was going. That personal connection made it even more effective for me, I'm sure, but I was hooked on this one immediately.

I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Jennifer Pickens, who I thought was excellent. An engaging and interesting performer, Pickens did the writing on display justice and I wouldn't hesitate to listen to another book with her behind the microphone.

[Molly Mix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am already constantly shoving Criterium (another of his novellas) and its extension Enter Softly in anyone's face who shows the slightest interest in a horror book recommendation because it's one of my all time favorites, and that is relevant to THIS collection because the title novella Turn Up the Sun is another return to the Criterium universe. It follows enigmatic peripheral character Hazard from Criterium and it is [insert preferred profanity indicating appropriate magnitude] brilliant.

Criterium goes deep. Enter Softly goes deeper. Turn up the Sun buries them both in shallow graves. Tyler Jones . is. just. that. good. I have read all of his books at this point except Midas, which is of course on my imminent TBR. He is an absolute sure thing as far as I'm concerned, and I highly recommend giving him a go.

Novellas:

Turn Up the Sun - The eccentric, enigmatic dealer from Criterium is stalked by his doppelganger who shows up at a horrific murder scene with a silent offer to take a dark ride.

Stridor - A distracted pediatrician makes a terrible mistake that haunts her. Like physically haunts her.

Sidewinder - A musician gets a mysterious guitar pedal made by a mysterious reclusive former rock star which may be more curse than blessing once the novelty wears off.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyler Jones' 'Turn Up the Sun' contains three novellas originally published as a “bonus” story for previous limited editions of his works. I myself, for various reasons being unable to read printed editions of books, would have never been lucky enough to get these; that is, until now. In a few days, all three will be available in one volume, easily accesible wherever you buy books.

How do I praise Jones highly enough without annoying everyone? Well, why praise him at all? Alright; let me count the ways. He's brilliant at world-building and atmosphere; excellent in characterization; a genius in combining emotional complexity with his own vision of dark realism in horror fiction. And his writing shines whatever the number of pages: novel or novella length or even less. Case in point: this collection. 'Turn Up the Sun' asks again and again: what defines us? Is it the things that happen to us? The acts we ourselves make happen to others? Or something even more abstract, like fate or karma or whatnot? I personally have no clue. But after reading these stories, I feel that whatever the answer, the air of mystery and subtle magic found here will be part of the answer; at least, if nuance is what one wants.

The opening story, "Turn Up the Sun" has been written to be enjoyed after two other Jones' stories: "Criterium" and "Enter Softly," already available. It provides a sort of closure to the previous tales, though I don't think that the order much matters. Perhaps starting with this story and going to the other two next will enhance the experience of discovery; in any case, all three stories together make better sense. I hope this is not the last we'll see of Hazard, the weird drug dealer from "Criterium." The idea of a crack house that takes advantage of one's deepest desires is employed here with far more subtlety than in the previous stories. It's also one of those stories that trick you into going inside the haunted house yourself, since I as a reader had no idea how we'd get there. Plus, the end is wickedly clever, as it connects, almost invisibly, to "Enter Softly."

The second story, "Stridor" (meaning the sound you make when your throat is blocked) is freaking amazing: the realistic portrayal of infidelity, the thinking going into it, the emotional turmoil, the regret - they're all described in detail and with great insight, until the supernatural kicks in; then you gotta prepare for a hit right in the feels! The poignant ending compements perfectly the theme of (wrong) choices and their cost. This is an exemplary, stand-alone horror story, about people who are broken, and hope as such means nothing to them - until it does; but it's too late.

The final story, "Sidewinder," employs the trope of the cursed object to somewhat upend it or overcome it; it's a clever way to remind one that desire is not about making things right - on the contrary, it's about acknowledging how terrifying desire can be and not flinch from it. The main character in this story, a story about guitar playing and stardom, does not flinch; but other things do, and twitch, and... bite.

Overall, this collection shows that Tyler Jones cannot lead you wrong, if horror is your thing. Recommended!

[David Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turn Up The Sun by Tyler Jones

4/5

I have to get it out the way up top, Tyler just doesn't miss. He's so great at writing these novellas that pack a punch and have you hooked from the first page.

This is literary horror without being pretentious, absolutely beautiful prose throughout, and characters you always care for.

This is a Trio of novellas, the first one being a follow up to Criterium, this time following Hazard and his run in with the bike from Hell.

Next up is the stand out for me 'Stridor' in which a doctor let's her life go pieces and is hunted down by a manifestation of her guilt.

Last is Sidewinder, which is about a musician who gets a demonic effects pedal for his guitar. This one felt like pure Outer Limits for me.

As always no spoilers, but family themes, cosmic horror and incredibly tense narratives and Tyler's fearless ability to take a story to somewhere that you'd never even imagine it could go.

You will never have a bad time with a Tyler Jones book.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the way Tyler writes. It was great getting a Hazard story, had a lot of fun with that one I thought Sidewinder was a pretty rad story as well. Stridor would probably come in third in my rankings, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it, just not as much as the other two stories. I'll read anything that Tyler writes, he's a force to be reckoned with!

[Joan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Tyler Jones

These three novellas were really good. They don't connect to each other. They are all creatively written.

Turn up the Sun is a continuation of a drug pusher pov of addiction

Stridor is an unfulfilled, successful wife. She has the world on her shoulders.

Sidewinder I is a musician who wants to be the best in the music world.

[Mike Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from Jones. Back in a familiar world with Turn up the sun for the third time and it didn't disappoint. Loved it.
The second novella, Stridor, was absolutely amazing. This one is the true star in this collection for me. Then we get Sidewinder was another good one, liked the music element to this one.

[David Cluck · Rating 5 out of 5]

All 3 stories were excellent.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyler Jones strikes again. Wonderful, terrifying Stories which Grab you by the throat.
As always emtionally touching pieces of writing Art.
Thanks Tyler for letting me read those.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nicely done. Tyler Jones has quickly become one of my "must read" authors. Dude has skills and his writing never fails to impress.