Under the Sea

by Mark Leidner

A collection of stories that focus on love, lost love, death, the absurdity of the human condition, relationships and beauty. There is also a story about insects that is more human than most D.H. Lawrence. Leidner's fiction is deeply-infused with poetry but never turns purple.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Short Story Collection, Contemporary

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 17, 2018

About the author

Mark Leidner is a Georgia-born writer of books and movies. He currently lives in California.

Reviews

[Piers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this surprising collection! Loved the ant story, which was like a sexier version of Le Guin's The Author of the Acacia Seeds. K-4 was touching and relatable, Lost In Translation fucked me up, and The Void was a cute spin on, I guess, battling depression. I had a harder time getting into the opening story, Bad-Asses, and the one about the lady who's about to die. Many of the stories felt like they'd work well as short plays, and I heard on a podcast that 21 Extremely Bad Breakups (which I'd read previously and skipped in this collection (hope nothing changed)) has in fact been adapted for the stage. Leidner's mastery of voice is impressive - every story is confident in its delivery and characters are utterly believable.

[David Catney · Rating 5 out of 5]

refreshing.

[Liz Kilgore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since his poetry book 'Beauty Was the Case That They Gave Me' I have been a giant, starstruck fan of Mark Leidner. Favorite poet, and now one of my favorite short story writers. This book is so freakin' excellent, and I was sad it was over and I didn't have more to read.

I usually don't seek out short stories, but I LOVED this. Every story is distinct from each other but they all explore different aspects of our existence - and all of that sounds pretty high brow, but the accessible, colloquial way Leidner writes is my favorite. He is an expert storyteller and I love this book.

[Adam Wilson]

This book fuckin rules

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so well written and hilarious and beautiful and clever. I can’t pick a favorite story. I’ve read 7 books this summer and this is the best one.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's A Little Gloomy "Under the Sea", But the Sights Are Amazing

Short story collections are always like a mixed box of chocolates, but this book pushes that simile to the breaking point. These confections aren't filled with the literary equivalent of raspberry creme. They're filled with bugs, or deadpan humor, or post-postmodern playfulness, or a sadness so rich you can taste it. The stories are absurd, except when they are firmly realistic. They wander around, except when they are rigorously focused.

You know, when you read a story about three ants in an anthill bar, and the sexual tension, class conflict, political unrest, and sense of social collapse is palpable, well, you know you're in the hands of someone with skillz.

To be fair, this collection is predictable in one sense - some stories are real winners and a few were just interesting. I was most impressed by "Avern-Y6", (the ants' tale), and by "K-4", a boy's recounting of his kindergarten through fourth grade experiences that will break your heart with its melancholy and yet childishly forthright honesty. "Extremely Bad Breakups" streams all over the place, (there are lots of bad breakups out there), but it is the wittiest and showiest piece. "Lost in Translation" is just brutal, but in a good I-can-see-clearly-now sort of way.

I could go on, but you get the general idea, and anyway different readers read differently and enjoy pieces in their own fashion. The bottom line is that all eight stories here are well crafted and engaging. This is an enticing collection.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Gabriel Congdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may sing that song from the Little Mermaid more than you’d care to


Impressive collection. Even moreso that only one of these stories had been published in a literary journal. Usually that’s inauspicious. But not here.

Part Wells Tower part Jim Shepard, but instead of the spikiness and inherent theme of toxic masculinity, these stories are analytically cooler, less edgy, and less likely to be resolved by a blowtorch.

You could say it’s fatey. No kingpin in the clouds, but moon-crossed lovers, animal caste, familiar dharma. What keeps us locked up is also the handhold used keep bay vicissitude’s wind. It calls to mind Tom in Glass Menagerie when he ponders how you get out of a coffin without breaking a screw.

But I’m being bluer than the work is. He’s tactful with his pathos, it’s perhaps the reader whose tightens the screws on some of these things.

[John]

Short story collections generally contain stories which all seem to have "taken place in the same world" or "been filmed with the same camera." In other words, the stories in collections are often stylistically cohesive, which is to say, all pretty similar. It seems like this is thought to be a necessary component of The Short Story Collection. I've always been kind of under that impression.

Leidner's disregard for this formula is, I think, one of the things that makes Under the Sea so delightful and unusual. In terms of genre, style, attitude, approach, etc. - the stories are all over the place. They're sometimes realistic, sometimes fantastical, sometimes silly, often funny, sometimes serious, sometimes sad. Finishing a story, you're never sure what type of story is coming next. It's fun and refreshing. (One thing, though, which does pervade: Leidner's humor. I laughed a bunch.)

Another thing that struck me is this: Leidner's way of storytelling seems to break down or subvert "literary pretense/expectation" and often includes, or references, other unexpected "non-literary" storytelling tropes and forms, like popular movies or TV. I don't want to get into too much analysis, or spoil things, but "Avern-Y6", for instance, is told from such detail in the 3rd person that it almost reads like a script or movie (which is complementary to the bizarre content of the story).

As opposed to following standard short story conventions, Leidner often leans into the conventions of other story forms, and pulls it off: it's effective, enjoyable, non-pretentious, and, in literary fiction, atypical.

My favorite stories were "Bad-Asses", "Avern-Y6", and "Lost in Translation"

I really enjoyed Under the Sea. I think you should buy it and read it.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I award five stars alone for the permanent enshrinement of "21 Extremely Bad Breakups," a great epic of love and loss and human stupidity, into a widely available mass-market paperback. Beyond that, though, I would also heap on even more stars for "Lost in Translation" and "K-4" (and really, all the rest, though the two are particularly gutting and funny and seem like the kinds of stories you think you remember hearing in a bar one night and wondering later if maybe you actually dreamt them because the details were just too precise). And of course a few more stars for "Avern-Y6," a wonderful piece of science fiction. Globular clusters of stars just fall out of this book every time I take it off the shelf. Under the Sea is a self-contained region of dense, luminous star production so powerful it appears on my bookshelf as an undulating fiery mist, churning forth the chaotic material of future suns and ionizing regions of nearby interstellar space. My rating: Ten thousand stars.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under the Sea is a book of short stories about recontextualizing one's surroundings in the face of change, and what happens to us. Most of the protagonists feel like impostors or pretenders and encounter something larger than themselves which change them and their outlooks. This is woefully generic, because they're all pretty different, from dope deals to something like an ant-colony's hive mind to a literal void. I really liked *The Angel in the Dream of Our Hangover* and I really like this.

[Wilbur Zhang · Rating 3 out of 5]

If family guy skits were written as lyrical short stories I think it would resemble something close to the book. The stories told are infuriatingly nothing-burger, especially as the writing comprising them is such a delicious concoction of self-awareness and anxiety.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dazzling. "21 Extremely Bad Breakups" and "Avern-Y6" most boldly so, but with memorable and treacherous excursions into human consciousness throughout.

[Ken Baumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wide-ranging collection of stories, and each made me feel strongly. I love it.

[Bill Leidner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild ride. The stories in this book are a great read! Don’t miss out on reading “Under the Sea.”

[Josh Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the realist stories here best (Bad-Asses, Garbage, Lost in Translation), but even the surreal ones won me over.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the story about the insects. Amazing writing!

[Brooks Sterritt · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One's antennae housed one's memory and established a neural connection to every other consciousness in the colony."

[Josh Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was tender and beautiful and fun everyone please read it I’ll loan you my copy x

[Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bad-asses" and "Garbage" are 2 of the best stories I've read in many years. Like most story collections there is some filler here, but on the strength of the 2 above-mentioned I give it 4 stars. Dude writes good sentences.

[timj26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love short story collections especially when there this good
Because each story was so different it really kept it interesting
My top picks are badass,under the sea and avern y6 will have you seeing bugs in a new light
Luna’s narration is excellent highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

[Laura Borealis · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think mark leidner is a beautiful genius thats the whole review

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

adding mark leidner to my "contemporary magical realism/absurdism dudes rock" canon (max lavergne, bud smith, etc). i love a short story collection where nothing resembles each other thematically or in voice - the one thing that carries through each piece is confidence and commitment to the bit. the ants story blew my fucking mind, as did 21 extremely bad breakups

[Gabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Mark Leidner ever since I read Beauty Was the Case That They Gave Me. It was one of the first works of poetry that I ever owned. It definitely made a huge impact on me because I had always been intimidated by poetry. Beauty... really spoke to me and introduced me to the world of poetry. It really opened my mind to how versatile poetry could be. I was ecstatic to hear that Mark Leidner was releasing a collection of short stories.

These short stories did not disappoint. The first short story Bad-Asses was my favorite. I absolutely loved the entire story. The voice and the characters were perfect. It was compelling and I did not want the story to end. It really set a great tone and introduction to the book. The rest of the stories that followed were extremely well written and diverse. All of them have an awesome voice and an interesting setting. My favorite stories were Bad-Asses, Under the Sea, Avern-Y6, and Garbage.

I was extremely pleased with this collection of short stories and highlighted quite a lines from every story. I'm hoping this eventually leads to a Mark Leidner novel soon.

[E.G. Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

"As long as you keep surprising yourself, maybe you're going the right way."

"I could've been knocked over by a shhhh. I wanted to be."

"To excel necessitates sincerity, and even if it takes a lifetime of failure to learn it, an insincere person who learns sincerity has gained the world."

I really enjoyed this collection. I'm especially moved by Leidner's insight into character motivation, and his ability to render universal human experiences with such surprising, descriptive particularity.

More Ovaltine, please!

[Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best collections of short fiction that I've read in... probably my entire life? Leidner is a master at constantly subverting expectations. There are so many highlights here, but I think my favorite story is Avern-Y6, a tale of friendship and existential musings between insects. Must be read to be believed. I recommend this wholeheartedly, so much so that I'm breaking my own 'no star ratings' rule to give it a 5 out of 5. In short: I loved my time with Under the Sea. How much more praise do I need to give it to convince you? Read it!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories that feature a variety of characters and settings, from badasses to insects to run of the mill folks encountering key moments in their lives. Each story is well-told, with masterful use of language to convey scene and character. I also appreciate how true and honest each story feels, even if the circumstances of each story are fantastical. By the way, Leidner is a great Twitter follow, too.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

A motherfucking blast to read. Like at least 5 perfect short stories in here that rearrange your brain and make you see the world in a different way. Stories that strike you like lightning only you don’t get streaks of grey in your hair go insane afterwards. Or maybe you do and I just need to give it time.

[Bobby Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has long short stories like they used to make -- the short story avern-y6 was better than most books. Most books should be shorter. These short stories were muscly.

Think this book gave me contact adroitness.

Bonus review content -- if you start listening to the song hey ma by bon iver on the last three pages of avern-y6 you will be crying by the end of the story.

okay bye

[Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story Avern-Y6, about ants trying to make friends and feeling exploited by work.

Most of the other stories didn't really land for me. Somehow they didn't feel funny enough to me, and then the absurdity became tedious instead of fun.

Still, I liked Avern-Y6 a lot and recommend the collection just for that one.

[Maeve Rigeny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely obsessed with mark leidner’s works, and this short story collection does not disappoint. My favorites were Avern Y-6 and 21 Extremely Bad Breakups, but all of them were good in their own unique way. Buy this book. It will add to your life.