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Commendable Delusions: Tales of Meaning and Imagination
A secret club of storytellers tell tales about hidden possibilities. These exceptional beings gather inside the imagination of a traveler, where they've been trying to speak to him for his entire life. Sparks fly as the traveler learns to listen to them, for when his dreamworld and reality touch, the solid world of things reveals to him an upper sphere of existence forged in wonder and awe.
Delusion? No. A great truth is unearthed when a curious traveler reaches his internal pantheon of storytellers. Deep within him, for his entire life, the emissaries of his imagination have been gathering once a week to tell each other tales. The tales they tell reflect his innermost thoughts and vacant ponderings, his dreams of day and the renderings of his subconscious. They are The Mad Ones of Aux Folies — the traveler's multitudes within.
How does the traveler find them? He follows the roman candles...
'Those sparks that fly when nature's secrets are exposed. Those flashes across the eye when a mind ignites with something beautiful.'
From A.T. French comes a mesmerizing debut collection of short fiction: ten fantastically imaginative, exhilarating, heartfelt stories. Light but profound, these are tales that set the mind aflame.
Delusion? No. A great truth is unearthed when a curious traveler reaches his internal pantheon of storytellers. Deep within him, for his entire life, the emissaries of his imagination have been gathering once a week to tell each other tales. The tales they tell reflect his innermost thoughts and vacant ponderings, his dreams of day and the renderings of his subconscious. They are The Mad Ones of Aux Folies — the traveler's multitudes within.
How does the traveler find them? He follows the roman candles...
'Those sparks that fly when nature's secrets are exposed. Those flashes across the eye when a mind ignites with something beautiful.'
From A.T. French comes a mesmerizing debut collection of short fiction: ten fantastically imaginative, exhilarating, heartfelt stories. Light but profound, these are tales that set the mind aflame.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 20, 2022
61 people are currently reading
663 people want to read
About the author
A.T. French
1 book4 followersA. T. French is an American born author based in Paris, France. He writes books that are light-hearted yet deeply meaningful, often weaving together the dreamworld and reality.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 18, 2022
Every story in this collection is magnificent ❤️
December 26, 2023
I haven't finished this book yet, but I felt compelled to write this review as I can't help but feel transported into another dimension of reality. Within a few pages of the first story, The Mad Ones of Aux Folies, I felt as If I were experiencing the journey firsthand. As if I have already experienced the soul-less automatons guarding the doors of the cafe... then my imagination took over completely to settle me into the candle-lit interior that sent me into a world so relatable, yet so different. The mad ones would be happy...
May 31, 2025
Here are my thoughts on each story as I went:
THE MAD ONES OF AUX FOLIES
A head-swimmy dive into a dream, fit with meta-references to the book itself. The start really tugs at you and then challenges you to get your bearings, in a good way. Trippy and fun and interesting. A great start.
SKULL TREE
This was a wild one, anthropomorphic skulls musing about their death as grand catastrophes occur around them. I can tell from these first two stories I’m going to have my imagination stretched to its max with this book.
THE CORN SHOW
I found particular humor and delight from this coming from Nebraska, the home of many a ‘corn show’. How the author came up with the ideas behind each story is way beyond my own creativity. I love the absurdist tint to them all, this one the most fun so far.
THE CHOCOLATE OLIGARCH
More of a folktale than the dreamy visions of the first three. The premise of encountering the many multiversal versions of your future self is one that’s almost addictive — who doesn’t think about who we’d be in another life? Grounding it in the framework of a secluded desert family let the fantasy element shine even brighter. While I would’ve liked to see an ending with more crescendo, the message that’s there is strong.
GANGWAYS OF THE MIND
Reminded me of Lincoln in the Bardo, with the background chorus of players interrupting often and commenting on the narrator’s tale. The seaman’s voice is strong and keeps the action moving. Short and sweet.
THE DIORAMA MAKER
Absolutely loved this one. A very Charlie Kaufman-like telling of a man with an obsession and time to explore it, both the diorama and eventually the story itself blurring the lines of art and artist. I was pulled in with every new layer of the diorama, anxious to see just how far he would take it. A beautiful ending note as well. This is the best piece so far.
ALL HAIL THE PLUMBER OF THE SKY
Somehow both the most riveting and funny story of the bunch. It also reads the most natural, ending with just the right amount of silliness to match the wild ride of the story. In the top three for sure.
A SNOW GLOBE, SHAKEN
The most complete narrative of the book, and satisfying in the best way. I love how each story starts grounded and then trickles in the fantastical elements until it’s hard to know where one begins and the other ends. It’s used very effectively in this one, the atmosphere grief-stricken and the plot straight forward. I loved the image of the sawdust and wood, and how that related to the father’s journey. There’s so much creativity in all of these!
PROOF OF PARADISE
Reminds me of David Lynch-style storytelling; slipping the eerie and uncanny into the monotony of regular things, in this case a small town with average folks. There’s something about older people and the way they turn small things into major events (and even obsessions) that’s fun to watch (and maybe judge with a head shake and smirk). I liked the use of that here, and the mat-sticking heart of an ending.
SPEAK, STORYTELLERS
A call-to-action, a battle cry, and a tribute to stories of all kinds. The ones that enthrall us and the ones that live within, never to come out. This could be an inscription in a library or bookstore, convincing people they too may have something inside them worth writing about. Why not let it out? I’m glad the author chose to let his with this book.
Favorites, Ranked:
1. The Diorama Maker
2. The Corn Show
3. All Hail the Plumber of the Sky
4. A Snow Globe, Shaken
THE MAD ONES OF AUX FOLIES
A head-swimmy dive into a dream, fit with meta-references to the book itself. The start really tugs at you and then challenges you to get your bearings, in a good way. Trippy and fun and interesting. A great start.
SKULL TREE
This was a wild one, anthropomorphic skulls musing about their death as grand catastrophes occur around them. I can tell from these first two stories I’m going to have my imagination stretched to its max with this book.
THE CORN SHOW
I found particular humor and delight from this coming from Nebraska, the home of many a ‘corn show’. How the author came up with the ideas behind each story is way beyond my own creativity. I love the absurdist tint to them all, this one the most fun so far.
THE CHOCOLATE OLIGARCH
More of a folktale than the dreamy visions of the first three. The premise of encountering the many multiversal versions of your future self is one that’s almost addictive — who doesn’t think about who we’d be in another life? Grounding it in the framework of a secluded desert family let the fantasy element shine even brighter. While I would’ve liked to see an ending with more crescendo, the message that’s there is strong.
GANGWAYS OF THE MIND
Reminded me of Lincoln in the Bardo, with the background chorus of players interrupting often and commenting on the narrator’s tale. The seaman’s voice is strong and keeps the action moving. Short and sweet.
THE DIORAMA MAKER
Absolutely loved this one. A very Charlie Kaufman-like telling of a man with an obsession and time to explore it, both the diorama and eventually the story itself blurring the lines of art and artist. I was pulled in with every new layer of the diorama, anxious to see just how far he would take it. A beautiful ending note as well. This is the best piece so far.
ALL HAIL THE PLUMBER OF THE SKY
Somehow both the most riveting and funny story of the bunch. It also reads the most natural, ending with just the right amount of silliness to match the wild ride of the story. In the top three for sure.
A SNOW GLOBE, SHAKEN
The most complete narrative of the book, and satisfying in the best way. I love how each story starts grounded and then trickles in the fantastical elements until it’s hard to know where one begins and the other ends. It’s used very effectively in this one, the atmosphere grief-stricken and the plot straight forward. I loved the image of the sawdust and wood, and how that related to the father’s journey. There’s so much creativity in all of these!
PROOF OF PARADISE
Reminds me of David Lynch-style storytelling; slipping the eerie and uncanny into the monotony of regular things, in this case a small town with average folks. There’s something about older people and the way they turn small things into major events (and even obsessions) that’s fun to watch (and maybe judge with a head shake and smirk). I liked the use of that here, and the mat-sticking heart of an ending.
SPEAK, STORYTELLERS
A call-to-action, a battle cry, and a tribute to stories of all kinds. The ones that enthrall us and the ones that live within, never to come out. This could be an inscription in a library or bookstore, convincing people they too may have something inside them worth writing about. Why not let it out? I’m glad the author chose to let his with this book.
Favorites, Ranked:
1. The Diorama Maker
2. The Corn Show
3. All Hail the Plumber of the Sky
4. A Snow Globe, Shaken
February 22, 2024
“Within every mind there exists a set of storytellers. You have your own set too. They are you. Seeking them is the sincerest form of self-discovery.”
This read was a kind of experience I have never had before with a book. Except the second chapter, which was a tedious reading process, I liked every story. This felt like unravelling the madness of a wandering storyteller. A.T. French has a completely unique style of writing that I can’t wait to explore more.
This read was a kind of experience I have never had before with a book. Except the second chapter, which was a tedious reading process, I liked every story. This felt like unravelling the madness of a wandering storyteller. A.T. French has a completely unique style of writing that I can’t wait to explore more.
November 26, 2023
This was a short book that took me nearly 3 weeks to finish because I just couldn’t get into it so I wasn’t motivated enough to read consistently. Some of the short stories were extremely odd and I didn’t care for them, though others were better. The writing style was unique and I appreciated it most of the time. I may be too logical of a person for magical realism.
May 24, 2025
Really well-written and thought provoking short stories, I had a tear in my eye when I finished it! I hope this author publishes another collection
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews