The Artificial Elephant
stories of loss, magic, and hope
A boy grieves the impossible beast that healed him. A house searching for its lost family. A vampire who steals her lovers’ tears. A scavenger hunt gone hilariously awry. Two lovers dancing at the end of the world.
Ghosts. Love. Winter. Hope. These 22 stories of fantasy, science fiction, and horror cast flickering light against the crowding darkness. They embrace the transformations between grief and love, kindness and bitter fate.
"And still I hunger in the hollow part of me, the emptiness from which all tears come."
This thrilling anthology opens with the macabre. In "Deep Enough," grief, loneliness, and hubris lead Sarah to abuse the craft and create a monster. Mistakenly convinced that she is sufficiently powerful to control her creation, Sarah now faces sheer terror as she battles to avoid imminent death for herself and those she holds dear. In an abrupt shift of tone, "Christmas Lights" beautifully captures the loneliness of a home when its occupants suddenly disappear. In a brilliant display of creativity, Hull tells the story from the house's perspective. Using personification and emotive writing, the author shows how the essence of a family is indelibly etched into the walls of their home and how memories echo throughout time.
"Taking It Back" is a chillingly descriptive account of overwhelming grief spiraling into bitterness, vengefulness, and madness. Through vivid imagery, Hull draws readers into one young woman's violent cross-country quest to seek revenge and reclaim her tears from everyone who has ever hurt her. In a sharp contrast, "Papa's Machine" is a heartwarming tale of human connection. Benedict modifies his father's Flying Machine to give carnival-goer Harry Peterson brief but glorious ease from his lifelong burden, creating a memory of undiluted joy that will bond them for eternity.
This is a collection of masterful storytelling, featuring unique characters and highly diverse plots, unified by themes of grief, loneliness, and hope. From horror to fantasy, this anthology will appeal to lovers of all genres. Powerful, poignant, and extremely well-written, these stories peel back the layers of the human psyche and invite readers to step into the characters' skins. Hull has delivered an imaginative, wonderfully entertaining triumph that weaves a complex tapestry of emotions. Readers will enjoy the rollercoaster ride of dizzying thrills, solemn dips into the abyss, and heartening beauty.
RECOMMENDED.
Joslyn Vann, The US Review of Books
The reviews are in…
Eric J. Hull’s The Artificial Elephant: stories of loss, magic, and hope is a fantastic collection, with every individual work in its sweeping catalogue leaning heavily into real innovation and an exceptional degree of imagination. Hull’s ability to create worlds that feel totally lived-in, with characters and arcs that are wholly fleshed out, is a testament to their skill as a writer.
My favorite story, Back in Time for Tea, follows Helen Rosenthal as she cleverly infiltrates a hotel penthouse to retrieve a thumb drive while handling technical obstacles and an unexpected armed confrontation that, coincidentally, includes a thoughtful gesture. I love it for its inventiveness and playful intelligence, making it far better than most stories that are many times its size, memorable, and satisfying. For readers who enjoy speculative fiction in the classic style but with contemporary foresight, look no further. Very highly recommended.
Jamie Michele, Readers’ Favorite