Poets & Writers interviewed me for their “Ten Questions” series just in time for Hellions pub day! “This week’s installment of Ten Questions features Julia Elliott, whose story collection Hellions is out today from Tin House Books. The eleven stories in this collection leap from the occult to the comic, from the horrific to the wondrous, as earthbound characters yearn for the otherworldly.”
When David Gutowski asked me to make a Hellions-themed playlist for Largehearted Boy back in January, I immediately began obsessing over finding songs for each story that capture the special essence of the hellion, whether pitchy and carnal or ethereal and sublime. I hope you enjoy this fantasy score for Hellions, out today with Tin House (demonic possession guaranteed by the time you finish the 6th track)!
Genre-bending fiction writer Lincoln Michel, whose sci-fi novel Metallic Realms arrives in May, interviewed me for his excellent Substack, Counter Craft. In “How Julia Elliott Wrote Hellions” we discuss “genre-bending, psychedelic Southern summers, and lyrical language as the magic key that enables you to slip between worlds.”
New York Times Book Review Sunday edition (print) features Hellions in “Newly Published”! “Swamp Apes and Slim Jims populate the rural landscape of this collection, which swings from comedy to horror in stories about pet alligators, shape-shifting professors and more.” Out April 15 (Tin House).
Over the past week or so Time, Gizmodo, Chicago Review of Books, Goodreads, and Vol. 1 Brooklyn have listed Hellions as a must-read for April (see previous posts for details). Here are a few other book-lovers who recommend my collection this month: Books of Brilliance in “Must Read April Book Releases You Can’t Miss,” Read Between the Spines in “April 2025 Most Anticipated New Book Releases,” and Write or Die Magazine in “33 Books We Can’t Wait to Read: April 2025.”
I’m happy to discover a great review of Hellions from Kirkus Reviews today: ““Elliot’s prose is immersive and lush, with all the wonders and unexpected surprises of an overgrown patch of woods. . .. The fantastical elements create a new language that makes the familiar strange again. . .. The path forward is not always brightest in these transporting tales.”
Vol. 1 Brooklyn lists Hellions in “Books of the Month: April 2025.”
“As ardent admirers of Julia Elliott’s past work, we’ve been eager to read something new for her for a while. This month brings with it the release of Elliott’s new collection Hellions, and the likes of Jeff VanderMeer have had very encouraging things to say about it. And hey, there’s an excerpt from it up at Reactor as well.”
Holy Hell! TIME recommends Hellions in “Here Are the 15 Books You Should Read in April”: “Blurring the line between reality and fantasy, Hellions provides an unsettling look at what it means to be alienated in our technology-driven world.” Out April 15 from Tin House.
I’m stoked that Gizmodo has included Hellions in “65 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books to Check Out in April.”
Chicago Review of Books Recommends Hellions in “12 Must-Read Books of April 2025“: “Hellions is a captivating collection that brings a blend of surreality and Southern gothic horror into every short story. Julia Elliott masterfully crafts these haunting tales, bringing both comedy and a dreadful sense of eeriness to every page.”