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.
Limited-time special holiday discount pricing!
"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…
I loved this collection. The stories in The Artificial Elephant kept me thinking long after I finished them. Each story takes you into a completely different world; sometimes sci-fi, sometimes leaning into fantasy, and occasionally brushing up against horror. Yet, despite their variety, the stories share a powerful thread of isolation, transformation, and memory that really struck a chord with me.
What made it so compelling for me was the way Eric Hull uses varied genres so effortlessly. One moment I was caught up in surreal magic, the next navigating the stark corridors of a near-future dystopia. His imagination feels limitless, quirky, strange, and often surprising, but what resonated was the emotional depth behind it all. These aren’t just clever ideas; they’re explorations of grief, resilience, and the longing for connection. I found myself reflecting on those themes long after I’d put the book down.
The characters are vivid and diverse, and even when their circumstances are fantastical, their struggles feel real. I cared about them, and that’s what made the stories so powerful for me.
If you enjoy stories that linger in your mind, this book is a must-read. For me, The Artificial Elephant wasn’t just entertaining; it was moving, thought-provoking, and beautifully written.
-Allan Russell, author of the Veiled War series
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
Eric Hull’s fiction is always lyrical, usually moving, sometimes frightening, and occasionally soothing. And then, sometimes, through his storytelling genius, Hull manages to accomplish all of that simultaneously. I can’t explain it; all I can say is, try to read just one story. Impossible. You’ll need to go back for more. Hang onto your heart and find a cozy spot to settle in for an enjoyable ride. “The Artificial Elephant” is a treat to be savored.
From the house mourning its lost occupants to the behemoth of a man who learns to fly, Eric’s characters are memorable and believable in their unbelievability. There can’t really be a woman who can take back all her tears, but that’s exactly what she does in “Taking it Back.” And a young man can’t possibly both fear and adore his sister’s invisible ghost when she’s standing outside a shower curtain, but in “Charcoal,” that’s exactly what happens.
If Rod Serling and Ray Bradbury had a son, it would be writer Eric Hull, whose sharp intelligence, staggering talent, and stunning creativity bring incredible characters to life on the page. These are people you believe in as they live incredible lives with total credibility.
A few tidbits to lure you in:
From Charcoal: “She is absolutely not standing there, an arm’s reach away, staring at the shower curtain and waiting for me. And as surely as I know the house to be empty, I also know that I cannot open the curtain and find out.”
From Taking it Back, a description of tears: “Sometimes mercurial, shimmering, glassiness that never spills. I savor those, the splintered rainbows they produce, and the way that if I hold my head just right, they can be stilled and calmed, sinking and cooling back into my eyes.”
From Papa’s Machine, “It was a sight I will carry with me always: Harold Peterson, all four hundred pink pounds of him, green swimmer’s goggles over laughing blue eyes, hair blowing in the rush of the air, tumbling and grinning and flapping his arms like a great, dimpled baby.”
-Patrice Locke, author of Exit Signs
The Artificial Elephant - Stories of Loss, Magic, and Hope collects stories of magic and struggle that excel in presenting diverse scenarios of the unexpected.
She stared at him, her head and heart aching. A hollow masculine echo, wooden form breathed with not-life and twisted into the shape of her desire. Was she so lonely then, out here with only her daughters and her craft, that she would risk it all? For this? For the company of a homunculus, grown from mandrake and witchweed? Clearly, she had been that lonely, that stupid.
Can demon spirits be changed for the better? Sarah attempts to find out, and as readers follow her into the rabbit hole of difficult choices, issues of pride, power, and consequence emerge in an inviting consideration of mixed-up feelings and a surprising triumph.
Compare this with “Duet.” Here, Sarah lives in a world that ice has covered, separating her from love and forcing her to revisit a frozen lake in hopes that life will somehow be different.
Dances begin and dances end.
As she finds unexpected ways to survive, a new safe haven emerges from the darkness.
These stories contrast with others such as “Gleaners” by C.M. Stultz and Eric J. Hull, which offers different viewpoints and perspectives.
The result is a commanding dance between survival tactics, revelations, magical realism, and shifting emotional and physical seasons and worldviews.
Libraries and readers seeking short stories filled with magic and life adaptations will love this intersection between fantasy and psychological realms. It sizzles with insight and survival tactics – perfect reading for modern times.
-D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review