Elephant Blue

Blue Seven Mainline #1

by John Franz

After going off his antidepressants and finding his girlfriend in someone else's lap, recently clean heroin addict, Ezra Luca, spirals into a dark abyss. Haunted by the enigmatic figure known as the Dark Stranger, Ezra's life takes a surreal turn when he discovers cryptic messages and symbols everywhere he goes that beckon him to the mysterious Oblivion Tree. Worried his mental illness, dormant all these years, is threatening to consume him again, Ezra considers using heroin to cope.

Ezra calls his sister, Noah, his favorite person in the world, and his sole comfort aside from drugs in such situations, only to find she is missing.

As he navigates a haze of drugs and fragmented memories, Ezra's quest to save his sister from an unknown fate becomes a race against the disintegration of his mind.

With the haunting presence of seven spectral figures, the Smiley Seven, each representing a different color of the Rainbow, Ezra must dig into his past relapses and hallucinations to separate illusion from reality. Will he be able to find Noah in this labyrinth of mental illness, or will the Dark Stranger consume them both?

359 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2026

About the author

John Franz is the author of the Blue Seven Mainline series and writes literary horror and weird fiction for people who should know better.

A small number of review copies are available for readers who are interested in strange books and leaving an honest review:

https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review...

Reviews

[Aiden Messer · Rating 4 out of 5]

IT meets House of Leaves.
A weird, wonderful book. I loved the way this story has layers, and the fact that the "editor" is part of the plot

[T.D. Lawler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I love everything he’s put out. From Junkie Jack to Sock Puppets to Before the Sky Falls, he’s consistently impressed me. He’s an incredible writer and honestly, I think the man might be a genius.

Now for the review.

Elephant Blue is a contemplative, emotionally layered collection that blends subtle surrealism with grounded human experience. The result is a tone that feels both intimate and quietly disorienting. The story explore memory, loss, and personal transformation, told through a style that favors atmosphere, allowing emotion and fleeting moments to take center stage.

There’s a softness to the prose that contrasts beautifully with the underlying melancholy, giving the entire book a reflective, almost dreamlike quality. But beneath that softness is something more unsettling, an undercurrent of emotional isolation and psychological unease that lingers long after each story ends.

This is a book about feeling and about the impressions it leaves behind rather than the answers it provides. It doesn’t aim for clean resolution, and that’s part of its strength. For readers who appreciate literary fiction with subtle surrealism, quiet dread, and a touch of psychological horror, Elephant Blue is a thoughtful, haunting read that stays with you well after the final page.

[Nicole Veldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hell of a ride. It was an extremely weird book. Not in a bad way, but in the way where you don’t know what the hell is going on most of the time 🤭

I loved the concept of ‘The Smiley Seven’ and the typewriter network. I wanted to read more about them and how everything is connected. It will probably become more clear in the next books 👀 The structure is also so unique. And the few ‘notes’ from John himself were a fun addition.

Every chapter was surprising and important for the story. It wasn’t an easy book to read though. Maybe it was because English is not my native language, or because Ezra (the main character) was confused too, but it wasn’t always easy to follow. Sometimes I thought things were ‘really’ going on and then a few sentences later it turned out to be a memory or a thing he made up. However, I also completely feel like that was the whole point. It didn’t need to be clear or easy, but you do need to read attentively. You definitely need to take your time to read it. But when you do, you’ll appreciate it! ✨️

A small but important note: there were a lot of footnotes at the end. I don’t know if I was supposed to see them sooner but I didn’t realize I could find them there. Maybe it’s an ebook thing, or maybe a me thing 🫣 They do help to make it more understandable and give some deeper insights. So I would recommend to keep them at hang while reading 👀

Overall an unique book with weird vibes that really makes you think 🤍

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I don't want to tell you what She looked like. That would spoil it. She looked like every girl that ever broke your heart and She had their names,too." -This is the point where I decided that I wasn't putting this book down.

The writing in this novel was phenomenal. I feel like it has to be to pull off a story as in-depth as this one is. Things can fall apart fast with an unreliable narrator and liminal spaces. This story, due to the writing, stayed expertly stitched together.

I don't think this is a story for everyone, and that's ok. It isn't an easy or quick read, and as much as it's a horror story it's very much is also a story about grief, anger, loss, trauma, friendship, and addiction. I expected to be scared, but I didn't expect to feel so much while reading this.

So after finishing this book late last night, I woke up and thought about it all day. I upped the rating from a 4 star to a 5 star. The melancholy that was conveyed through the writing is just immaculate.

I would like to thank John Franz for providing a copy of this book for me to review.

[Sarah Mclennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author for the gifted copy!

This one had me hooked way too quick. It’s gritty, a bit chaotic, and just… off in the best way. Like something isn’t right but you can’t stop reading.

I kept telling myself “one more chapter” and yeah… that didn’t happen.

Super moody, a little claustrophobic, and really easy to get lost in. I’m very curious where this series is going 👀

[Lesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me an ebook of this work.

3.5 ⭐️

This was definitely an interesting read. The author did a great job at piecing it all together. Sometimes I got confused not knowing if it was the MC hallucinations or real life and when it would switch back or over. Besides that it was a good read. Some very funny spots and some nostalgic parts.

[Theenrichmentoffiction1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

💉ARC Book Review 💉

Elephant Blue Book 1

By @authorjohnfranz

Genre- literary Horror

This is the second book I've read by John and I have to say his stories are very unique, I would love for this one to be a movie!

I'm looking forward to book 2 and diving back into his world of chaos and mind numbing characters!

Ezra Luca wishes he could live life in the present, but his past seems to follow him wherever he goes, from his childhood trauma and strange encounters with childhood characters that come to life when they hook themselves to their typewriter through their steel spines, one of the ways for him to feel less burdened with his thoughts is to drink but as his life gets more chaotic and depressing he starts using things that is stronger and more dangerous as time goes on.

His childhood friendships slowly fall apart, he doesn't have much left to call his own except the book he is writing and a few close people that truly care about him, Ezra will have to face his childhood fears in the typewriter as the wires hook into his steel spine and the green haze takes him to the only places that will save what he has left in life.

❗So much more goes on y'all I've only scratched the surface so I highly recommend this one! ❗

[HomelessMind · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I have to say this is one of the most original books I’ve read in a very long time and very much my kind of read. This story fits so perfectly within the style I love that I knew early on it was going to leave an impression.

Reading Elephant Blue by John Franz was truly an experience. This isn’t a book for everyone, but for the right reader, it’s one that keeps you invested through every strange, twisted, and beautifully chaotic turn. The back-and-forth flow was incredibly well done, and the typewriter network was such a unique, fascinating element that I absolutely loved.

The longing woven throughout these pages felt deeply real. At times, it read like a close friend’s journal…raw, unfiltered, and filled with every thought poured out despite the chaos brewing in their mind. The struggle of searching for Noah was powerfully presented and left a lasting impression.

This story was crafted with such distinct originality and intention that it easily stands apart. Strange, thought provoking, and deeply compelling, Elephant Blue gave me something refreshingly different and now I absolutely need more. I’m beyond ready to dive into the next two books.

[Page Escapes by J · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hauntingly beautiful descent into the uncanny. Elephant Blue isn't just a book; it’s an experience that lingers long after you’ve turned the final page. John Franz has crafted a narrative that feels like a shared secret, blending literary horror with a deep, psychological exploration of the mind.

The protagonist’s journey after stopping his medication serves as a raw, vulnerable gateway into the 'Blue Seven Mainline' world. I found myself completely captivated by the lore of the Oblivion Tree and the unsettling atmosphere of the Hockenhull Building. Franz’s writing is sharp and immersive, capturing that specific 'liminal space' feeling where everything is familiar yet fundamentally wrong.

If you enjoy weird fiction that challenges your perception of reality—or if you’ve ever been fascinated by the 'analog horror' aesthetic—this is a must-read. It’s dark, surreal, and brilliantly crafted. I’m already looking forward to where this series takes us next.

[Jen Self · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a weird and wonderful book! It reads like a fever dream, and is slightly disorienting (by design), yet at it's core, it's a heartfelt and haunting tale of how the past haunts us in the present. I really enjoyed the fast pacing and the perfectly rendered contrast between such tragically flawed & totally human characters against the scary, surreal protagonists. I look forward the the second book!

[John Franz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was difficult to write and even harder to prepare for publication.

The manuscript was delivered to me by a man named Christopher Halifax. The author listed inside was Ezra Luca. Over time, I became less sure where Ezra ended and I began.

If you decide to read this, just know; this is not a comfortable book. But it is an honest one.

-John Franz

[ChanaReadsHorror · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so unique in the way it plays with the concept of being haunted and what those demons are that haunt you. The book kept me engaged because of the way it melted the past and present so well I had to know what was happening and why on every page turn. I was not sure if what I was reading was happening or if it was in the MC's mind the whole time.

[Alli Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully chaotic story which will appeal to fans of Stephen King! It almost felt like I was reading a journal, interspersed with hallucinations. This book is highly original and won’t appeal to everyone, but if you like something slightly odd which pushes the reader to their limits, then this is the book for you!
Thank you to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Courtney]

The concept was really intriguing, though I personally struggled to fully engage with the story.
Many thanks to the author for the review copy.