Criterium

By: Tyler Jones

Narrated by: James Olivas

Fighting the same addiction that killed his father, a young man stumbles across a strange bike that take him on a terrifying ride into darkness.

©2020 Tyler Jones (P)2020 Tyler Jones

Critic reviews

"A truly excellent novella. The prose is perfect, the story beautifully balanced, and the atmosphere is so strong it feels like you could cut it with a knife. Haunting, uncanny, and profound: the strongest and most compelling new voice that I've read in a very long time." (Michael Marshall Smith, author of Only Forward and The Straw Men)

"This book spoke to me on an emotional and spiritual level. I was moved. Haunted. An arresting story from start to finish...such a powerful piece. I'm adding Zach Ayers to my list of fictional characters who live in my soul forever. His story is achingly beautiful." (Sadie Hartmann, Cemetery Dance)

Let’s go for a bike ride …

This is not the type of story I generally read but after having just finished “Almost Ruth” which was so good it compelled me to give this one a try. This is a very original and imaginative story about the evils of addiction symbolized by a crazy bike ride told from the viewpoint of the addict. I enjoyed this book very much. It was well written and fast-paced and I would recommend to anyone looking to read something a little different.

Beautiful and disturbing

Tyler has a way with words that paint a vivid picture. I was hooked from the first sentence.
As an ex addicted this book rang so loudly in me. I related with every feeling conveyed throughout the story.
A horror story about addiction, loss, self discovery and second chances.
10 out of 10

Emotionally Shattering

Rating: 8.5/10

Thanks to the author for a copy of Criterium for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

Criterium is the most emotionally shattering novella I’ve read since Crossroads by Laurel Hightower. The crippling effects of grief and addiction hit so hard in such a short read and will leave you in a puddle of your own tears by the turn of the last page. Felt very King-esque.

Want a bike ride from hell? Well, just hop aboard the drug-addled path that Zach’s life has taken since the death of his father and you too can see just what awaits you on the other side.

After reading the opening chapter of this novella, I truly had no clue where Jones was going take this story. What truly happened to his father? Because WOW, what a way to go. How in the world do you recover from something like that? Well, unfortunately for Zach, drugs have a way of pushing those emotions down and work as a sedative to numb those feelings. Nevermind that those same demons affect all of those around him; his dad sure didn’t seem to care.

The real question surrounding this story is this: is what happens to Zach supernatural or simply symbolic? I guess I’ll have to chat with the author to find out because I am more than intrigued.

If you are looking for a fast-paced, supernatural tale to fill your lunch hour, pick up a copy of Criterium. Just don’t come crawling to me when you can’t pick your emotions back up off the floor in front of your co-workers.

A piece of my heart has been ripped out

Criterium is an emotionally gripping story about a dad who loses his life to addiction and his son, who sadly follows in his footsteps. This fast-paced story had me twisted up inside. As someone who has watched a loved one struggle with addiction, this was very heart-wrenching to read. I sympathized with the characters and was just praying for a happy ending. Tyler Jones writes beautiful, dark, compelling stories with vivid horrific imagery. The narration was fantastic as well. I highly recommend it!

quite the bike ride...

Woah! What a truly exceptional and heart-wrenching story. Criterium combines supernatural elements with real-life horrors brought on by addiction and grief. Definitely recommend. Fantastic as an audiobook.