The Octopus Rises

by Ryan Boudinot

This is a collection of literary prose short fiction―stories about the end of Bert and Ernie’s relationship, about robot love, a town who shares a heart, and much more―from an up-and-coming Seattle author. Man, I had so many stab wounds, it was crazy. There I was at the conference center, and I hadn’t even adequately prepared my presentation. And so begins “Bleeding Man and Wounded Deer,” one of the stories in this collection of literary short fiction from the pen of acclaimed Seattle novelist Ryan Boudinot. Bouncing between experimental fiction, absurdist farce, paranoid futurism, and stinging satire, Boudinot’s funny, inventive prose lays bare the hopes and anxieties of our age. From a heartbreaking and pitch-perfect account of the end of Bert and Ernie’s relationship, to a story about lovelorn robots looking for a “chop-shop owner who’s willing to look the other way” in a world where robot sex is illegal, to a Miyazaki-esque story about an entire town that shares the same heart, Boudinot’s prose crackles an acerbic wit. Also featuring: “Chopsticks” (the protaganist’s cat who develops a hard drug problem); “An Essay and a Story about Mötley Crüe” (wish-fulfillment disguised as memoir); “I Used to Be a Plastic Bottle!”; and “The Guy Who Kept Meeting Himself.” Prose

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

164 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2015

About the author

Ryan Boudinot is the author of the novels Blueprints of the Afterlife and Misconception, and the story collections The Octopus Rises and The Littlest Hitler.

Ryan received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Bennington College. He also holds a BA from The Evergreen State College. Born in the US Virgin Islands, he grew up in Skagit Valley, in Washington State, and now lives in Seattle.

Reviews

[Anthony Crupi · Rating 2 out of 5]

At once precious and pomo and predictable*, this avant-garden-variety collection won't make anyone forget Boudinot's wised-up, fucked-up second novel, Blueprints for the Afterlife. This is the sort of scorched-earth whimsy that will make you wish you were reading Lipsyte or Barthelme or Saunders or Powell instead of marking time with what amounts to a [mercifully thin] issue of McSweeney's Quarterly Zima Enthusiast. Two-point-five stars, if only because "Readers & Writers" damn near redeems the project.

*even the most blinkered reader will see every "twist" in "The End of Bert and Ernie" rolling down Sesame Street like Big Bird on skates

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times both poignant and irreverent, this book had me cracking up and the design is impeccable. I loved it. Looking forward to checking out more by Ryan Boudinot. Highly recommended.

[Joshua Van Dereck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much of the time I find that if you read a good or great book by an author, subsequent books you read by them are less good. It's as if there's a standard reversion to the mean, and when you happen to stumble across a fine read, that's probably that author's best book. I read Boudinot's The Littlest Hitler last month and was impressed with it. There were 2 or 3 stories in that volume that I absolutely loved, and a lot of the rest of it was thought-provoking, fun, and interesting. Admittedly, many of the pieces felt a bit truncated or half-baked--the work of an impatient or perhaps flightly author, sharing his idea stubs with us rather than completing the stories those ideas might inspire. However, the collection sufficiently piqued my curiosity that I went out and dug up The Octopus Rises.

Published nearly a decade after The Littlest Hitler, The Octopus Rises shows all of the growth and development of the literary mind that one might hope to see (and seldom does) from a writer who is challenging himself and honing his craft. The stories are complete thoughts here. They gut punch the soul, stun the reader, squeeze acerbic chuckles from the throat, and tickle the nose with their sudden, sharp cultural commentaries. They are dark tales, one and all, dwelling on the dirty underside and failings of American culture and on existentialism more broadly. One of the tales feels like a beautiful paraphrasing of Waiting for Godot. There is rich expression of imagination in these pages, depth, sensitivity, and tremendous fodder for reflection. The Octopus Rises is a collection I can readily imagine reading from cover to cover five, six, or more times, finding something new in it at each reading.

It is extremely rare for me to find a book that so profoundly and consistently impresses me. This one is pure magic. A heartfelt bravo to Ryan Boudinot, and I sincerely look forward to future efforts.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off well, but most of the stories weren't strong enough to constitute a published book, in my opinion. I liked the first two stories.



"After he finished the water, he rinsed the glass in the sink with more water then put it in the dishwasher, where detergent, Jet-dry, and yet more water would usher it into a state he considered clean"

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite collections of short stories, this book had me giggling from beginning to end. It would deserve five stars for the design alone, but the prose just happens to live up to it. It's quirky and absurd, and I would recommend it to anyone with an offbeat sense of humor.

[Cynthia]

just weird to be weird ,,, did not finish

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stumbled across and loved Boudinot's debut collection of short stories, The Littlest Hitler, but haven't caught up with his two subsequent novels. So when I saw this oblong little thing, I grabbed it for my train commutes. I don't know if it's the brevity of the twelve stories (they generally take no more then 5-10 minutes to read), or the ill-conceived layout (the typeface for each is pitched to the story's contents or mood, which seems like something I might have done my first year as a designer), but none of them particularly grabbed me. At the heart of most is a genuinely interesting premise, but they tend to have a dashed-off feel, and could use a little more room to breathe and grow.

I especially liked "Readers & Writers" -- about two men who run into each other on a commute and discover they are reading, and have read, the exact same books their entire lives. But I wanted it to go deeper and further than it can in 17 half-pages. A lot of the stories have some kind of basis in pop culture ("The End of Bert and Ernie" is a riff on the breakup of the Sesame Street couple; "An Essay and a Story About Motley Crue" reads like Chuck Klosterman riffing on adolescent dreams), or in speculative fiction ("Robot Sex" is about what it sounds like; "Cardiology" is about a town where everyone has to stay hooked up to a centralized heart), or in work culture ("The Armies of Elfland" is "Office Space" meets Colin Meloy's Wildwood series; "Monitors" and "The Mine" are decent glimpses at how we let work control us). On the whole, these read like morsels of fluff for McSweeny's website.

[Mouselet · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the digital world of today, people tend to forget that with a physical object, you can control a person's entire experience of what you have created. From the physical structure of a book to the design of the pages and typography utilized, you can influence how every single word is read. And that doesn't even mention the stories themselves.

The Octopus Rises is a collection of short stories that tackle a few subjects that are, underneath, all the same: the fact that our lives are empty routines because that is what we are told to do, what we feel we are comfortable with. Yet each story is unique, tackling its philosophy at a different angle from the last. Not only that, but each story chooses how to use type, positive and negative space, images, and layout to help set its mood.

This book is more than just a series of somewhat disturbing stories seeking to make its readers think, it's an experience to hold in your hands from cover to cover.

[Gabriel Congdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this excellent book Boudinot sets himself out to be one of the great dark comedy/postmodern writers of our generation. He’s on par with Saunders fo sho, and in fact, one would have higher success passing around Boudinot to their coworkers than George Saud.

Boudinot does a tactful thing with these stories: he gives one the idea of the premise and after that goes on a different path than the one expected. It is only by having a crisp, sharp style can you have the freedom to underdescribe your plot, and underdevelop your characters. It’s by such less-is-more condensation that a vivid effect may be had, moving because it's hewn from ones own imagination. It puts more effort on the reader, but that’s what the imaginative act needs, something that’s not straightforward, or obvious, or something that does all the work for you.

[Kristina Kauffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I judged this book by it's cover, actually the entire element of design throughout, and I do not regret it. Boudinot accomplishes dark comedy perfectly, and this collection of short stories is the perfect size for your commute. Each unique story has a brilliant level of absurdity from the humanization of beloved childhood characters, Bert and Ernie, to a tale taking place in a town where all of the citizens are tethered together sharing a single giant heart.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is trippy, experimental fiction territory in the best way. I was looking for something that would capture that early aughts McSweeney's - Neal Pollack - Arthur Bradford surreal scene. And this scratched that long ago itch. I wonder if I didn't know otherwise I could think this was from that era. But maybe not; maybe it's the same spirit of experimental absurdism in fiction, but today there is more darkness, more melancholy. Or maybe I'm just old. Fun book though.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun collection that is as entertaining to hold as it is to read; very McSweeney's-esque in its package. Quirky, funny, dark, and thoughtful tidbits from a great local author.

[tenseManatee · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the design to the clever as of the stories (but not TOO clever), this was a great collection, and I liked it even better than his first collection, The Littlest Hitler. 4.5 ⭐️

[Kirker Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious. I wish I wrote as well as Ryan.

[Brent Legault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top notch, natch. ("Natch" if you've had the pleasure of reading The Littlest Hitler. You'd have expected no less.)

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times funny, at times disconcerting, but overall a fine collection of absurd tales wrestling with themes of disaffection, rebellion, complacency, corporate avarice, and despair.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Consistent tone at once melancholy and humorous. I enjoyed each story and the typography chosen to set them off from one another. Top marks and highly recommend!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and wildly entertaining.

[Emily Artruc]

Didn't finish. Lost interest and had too many other things to read.