The Electric State

by Simon Stålenhag

A teen girl and her robot embark on a cross-country mission in this illustrated science fiction story, perfect for fans of Ready Player One and Black Mirror.

In late 1997, a runaway teenager and her small yellow toy robot travel west through a strange American landscape where the ruins of gigantic battle drones litter the countryside, along with the discarded trash of a high-tech consumerist society addicted to a virtual-reality system. As they approach the edge of the continent, the world outside the car window seems to unravel at an ever faster pace, as if somewhere beyond the horizon, the hollow core of civilization has finally caved in.

Genres: Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Art, Dystopia, Comics, Post Apocalyptic

144 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2017

About the author

Konstnären och författaren Simon Stålenhag är mest känd för sina digitala målningar som ofta visar vardagliga scener med fantastiska inslag. Efter sitt genombrott 2013 har Stålenhag publicerat två böcker om ett alternativt 1980- och 90-tal på Mälaröarna utanför Stockholm. Ur varselklotet (2014) och Flodskörden (2016) har hyllats både i Sverige och utomlands. Den ansedda tidningen The Guardian korade Ur varselklotet till en av tidernas bästa dystopier, i sällskap med Franz Kafkas Processen och Andrew Niccols Gattaca.

Simon Stålenhags evokativa och filmlika bildspråk har väckt uppmärksamhet även i film- och datorspelsvärlden. Han har verkat som konceptillustratör och manusförfattare i ett flertal projekt. Stålenhag har medverkat i Searching for Sugarman (regisserad av Malik Bendjeloull) och i datorspel så som Ripple Dot Zero (2013).

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In the beginning, God created the neuron, and when electricity flowed through the three-dimensional nerve cell matrix in the brain, there was consciousness.”

This book is highly unusual since the surreal, captivating and very unsettling magic is in the illustrations, and the story is there to illustrate the art. And that art for me perfectly hits that intersection between almost pastoral oil painting-like atmosphere and incongruous creepiness of decaying drones and rotting robots in the disintegrating desolate society, the exact place from where the unsettling dreams threaten to start.

Think of it as a surreal trip through alternate world California Pacifica, where something led to the collapse of the society as we know it. Where battle drones decay and giant airships are littering the landscapes, where remaining humanity is trapped in dreams among giant neon structures on the background of slowly disintegrating Americana.

It’s the place where photorealistic and otherworldly meet in pervasive haunting melancholy.

And although after railroading Dennis into rereading it with me I begged for any sort of clarity after the abrupt ending (spoiler alert: there *isn’t* any clarity) and came up with a few desperate tinfoil hat theories, let’s face it: it’s really not about the story or backstory but about the disquieting magic of this decidedly unsettling art. The story is sparse because it’s not meant to take the foreground. It’s the caption to the stunning art.

Eerie, haunting, beautifully nightmarish and infinitely ominous.

5 stars.

“The more nerve cells the better, and our brains contain hundreds of billions of neurons; that's why we make better lasagna than chimpanzees.”

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Buddy read with Dennis (his review)

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Also posted on my blog.

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My reviews of all Simon Stålenhag’s books:
- The Electric State
- Tales From the Loop
- Things From the Flood
- The Labyrinth

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 re-read:

I may have got roped into this re-re-read but I ended up enjoying every second of it. Still in love with this book. And it turns out it is a great book for a buddy read, too, as it doesn't give you all the answers and there's lots to be discussed. Lovely experience, once again.


********

2020 re-read:

Still a breathtakingly amazing experience. What a book! How many times can you say wow during a single read? I couldn’t stop. All the stars!

We follow 19 year-old Michelle and her little robot on their way from the Mojave Desert to the Pacific coast. In search of {spoiler}. Michelle narrates their journey through a strangely dead landscape littered with gigantic battle drones and the remnants of a society that has lost its way.





People got addicted to a virtual reality and basically turned into shells of their former selves. That is, if they are not dead already.

The war had been fought and won by drone pilots-men and women in control rooms far from the battlefields, where unmanned machines fought each other in a strategy game played over seven years. […] The drone technology was praised because it spared us meaningless loss of life.
The collateral damage was of two kinds: the civilians unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire, and the children of the federal pilots, who, as a concession to the godheads of defense technology, were all stillborn.

The effects of the war on the landscape and also the effects of the advancements in technology on the few remaining people is shown through a combination of artwork and prose. But Simon Stalenhag also leaves some room for the reader's imagination.



The result is a perfect symbiosis between melancholic prose, beautiful art and the power of your own mind.

Michelle also recounts moments of her childhood and adolescence, which gives us a better understanding of how the world turned to shit. Her recollections show some glimmer of hope from time to time, but mostly it’s the sadness of looking back on a time that is gone.

At some point, when I was about ten, I decided to lock up all the memories of my mother and not talk about her with anyone, and I managed to do that until one night in Soest six years later, when I suddenly told Amanda everything in an empty playground. We had been sitting in the net up on the jungle gym, and my head was in her lap. It was fall, and she was wearing knitted fingerless mittens and caressing my forehead. The gloves were gray, with snowflakes on them. She wore those gloves all winter, and then in the spring she moved.

In the present we witness moments of tenderness and sometimes even playfulness between Michelle and her little robot. Maybe not all hope is lost.

Michelle’s narration is occasionally interspersed with a second POV. Someone else is on their way to the Pacific coast too.



The rest you have to find out for yourself.

For the art alone this book deserves five stars. It is so rich in detail, photorealistic sometimes, eerily otherworldly in other moments. The coloring is amazing as well. Seriously, this is some of the best artwork you will ever see, in any book. It’s simply amazing.







Easily among my top 10 books ever.


Link to the soundtrack that the author composed for this book: https://simonstalenhag.bandcamp.com/a...

Link to Simon Stalenhag's art gallery: https://www.simonstalenhag.se/
(There's a lot of artwork from his upcoming fourth book as well as from this one. Not all of it made it into the final draft. And I would consider a couple of images to be slightly spoilerish. But then again, there's no text, so you probably won't be aware of their meaning.)

Link to an animated video that uses artwork from this book (no spoilers): https://youtu.be/iXCKGrDWylE


********

2018 "review":

All the stars!

This book is a piece of art! Literally. It's like nothing I've ever read before.

I took a lot of pictures and now have to decide which ones to use for my review. The light got a little bad towards the end. So I'll also have to retake some of them tomorrow. Therefore the review will take some time. But this book is worthy of the effort. I loved every second of it.



It goes straight onto my favorites shelf.

********

There it is! :D







Thanks, Trish! 😘

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend Dennis asked me to look for a number of books while I was in London last week. This was one of them. When the Waterstones employee handed it to me, the first thing I noticed was the vibrant colour and the realism of the artwork. Naturally, I started flipping through the book. I brought it back to Germany for my friend but, of course, have read it first now. ;P

Before this little adventure, I had never heard of this Swedish author although he seems quite well-known. I also didn't really know what the book was about (apart from what I guessed due to the title and some art I had seen while flipping through).

I decided to read it in October despite it apparently being an apocalyptic scifi read and not a horror story and it couldn't have surprised me more, it fit so perfectly!
Following a girl named Michelle and a robot named Skip through the ruins of what used to be the USA, watching the remnants of a once mighty technological nation, reading the flashbacks as much as the descriptions of the present ... it was all VERY spooky. I never knew if something would jump up out of the underbrush and attack or if the terror came from the zombie-like remaining humans or the weird technology that reminded me of Skynet but also Blade Runner and one episode of Sea Quest. I was creeped out!

The story comes together nicely although I'm not sure I've successfully figured out who Walter is and what the parts directed at him were all about. You see, this story is a puzzle. You have all these pieces scattered, the art serving as your background to give you a sense of direction, and you slowly piece everything together, picking up speed along the way. And it's one hell of a smart story. Just enough text, the rest being told through the artwork.

Speaking of the art, it is gorgeous! From the colour palette to the astonishing realism of the images, I was sucked in and it only added to my growing sense of unrest while I was constantly looking over my shoulder and expecting to be jumped by something. The drones, the ships but also the other humans and sad landscapes ... brilliant!

Apparently, it started out as a Kickstarter campaign, I only found the page when looking for a good way to show you the art, so follow this link and watch the video which should give you a good idea about the colour schemes and details: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
I'm so glad he was able to realize this project and I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of his work.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is good, but the art is phenomenal.

[Victor Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5. Estranhamente estranho, tô fascinado.

[Left Coast Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upping this to 5 stars on a re-read. Stalenhag accomplished exactly what he set out to do.

Dennis and Nataliya made me very curious about this one.

I don't really know how to review a book that isn't really a reading experience. The illustrations, which appear to be watercolors, for the most part, are cool throughout and in some cases completely arresting.




As coffee table books go, I definitely prefer this to something like The Magic of Zinnias or Pewter Candle Snuffers of Old New England. The fact that I'm familiar with most of the locations mentioned here added to the fun.

[Caro the Helmet Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere in the alternative 90-ies of the alternative USA a young woman is traveling through apocalyptic landscapes of California with her pet robot and a mission that she's keeping to herself. We see the decaying civilization through her eyes and inevitably learn how this all happened and why. No news here, one more time humanity fucked up majorly...

All right, Simon Stålenhag, you've got a new fan. The art was so awesome you guys. Very atmospheric, very evocative. I could literally feel the cold and the darkness. The story was also very good and there was a twist to it that made me come back to the very beginning right after I finished it and it all stood in a bit different light suddenly. One must be a careful reader here and try not to get carried away by the amazing artwork like I did.
And I think it's important to know - this is something more for fans of the depressing Black Mirror than the upbeat Ready Player One, no matter what the blurb suggests.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Electric State
By Simon Stalenhag
This is a strange book with a story told in a choppy way but this seems to fit the story. There are a lot of surreal images that help make the story come alive and more intriguing, but this really enhances the weird factor. It's a short book and it drops hints slowly about what is going on, who the characters are, and what has happened. Enjoyable read.

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I loved the first volume, this one I loved even more. What a perfect book end to the series. The first volume is whimsical, this one, the last, is a post apocalyptic journey, dark, gritty, twisted. The ending, the stories interwoven, just wow, it's amazing what Simon was able to do with so few words and amazing art work. Cannot recommend this highly enough.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where Tales from the Loop was eerie and smooth and original, The Electric State oozes a barely concealed scream in a Western USA dystopia that's part Singularity and part Biological AI-human convergence nightmare. And with the artwork, the effortless brief storytelling, the total immersion in the normal, and the new-normal, it's way too easy to lose oneself in the book.

To say that I'm an utter fanboy of these is to not say enough at all.

This was absolutely gorgeous. Not just the artwork, but the storytelling. I cannot recommend it enough.

[Imogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy fuck

[oliv · Rating 5 out of 5]

o final acabou comigo.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

SECOND REREAD UPDATE: Had to reread this again, because I remembered it as being SO GOOD…while the just-out Netflix movie was not only SO BAD, but was in fact the absolutely WORST movie adaptation of a great book that I have ever seen. I seriously think the movie folks didn't even READ the book, but merely looked at the pictures and borrowed some of its aesthetic. The ENTIRE plot is totally new (with Stålenhag's one big twist-at-the-end being blown in the movie's first two scenes), as is the extensive cast of human characters (as opposed to there being only three — like, literally three [see below spoiler] — in the book); the movie is all about robots, who only play a minor role in the original...I mean, the book was an outright HORROR story for God's sake, soaked in rain and mist — while this is a sun-drenched, jokey-hokey "Chris Pratt vehicle" from beginning to end, along the lines of Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Even if you haven't read the book, this is a bad, totally derivative and predictable movie…just ugghh and AAGGGHHHH!, and even more of a letdown than the also recent and awful adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s The Thicket.

But...DO READ THE BOOK! AND THEN READ IT AGAIN, because I found even more depth and suspense this time than I did on the first two reads.

FIRST REREAD UPDATE: Even better than the first time I read it, (and now that I've also read Stålenhag's previous two books and so can see the artistic evolution that lead up to this mini-masterpiece). I also spotted a MAJOR subplot that I totally missed the first time around — i.e., the man on pages 15, 105 and 117 is THE SAME MAN (you can vaguely see he has a shoulder holster in each picture), whose connected story is told on those pages with italicized white text on a black background, and who has been following Michelle and Skip in a mysterious red car which shows up in several other drawings — but which was probably noticed right away by most other, smarter readers.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Unbelievable photo-realistic, futuristic paintings combined with a fever-dream narrative make this an outstanding if unsettling reading experience. Despite a really nice hook at the end, this minimalist story of unexplained wreckage, lumbering robots, bizarre corporate mascots and a population addicted to a strange virtual reality make The Electric State more than a little confusing, but it's totally worth the time. This book could well reside in the "Matrix" universe and in fact be a sort of prequel. Highly recommended for everyone who is a fan of sci-fi, dystopia or just stunning artwork.





One minor complaint: for some reason, this was printed on a slightly off-white matte paper, and so the paintings don't really "pop" as much as they should - in fact, they're even sharper if you look at them online, so well worth a separate Google search. Also pretty cool to watch this book "trailer": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sRKE..., (as opposed to the movie trailer, which like the movie itself is to be avoided at all costs).

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatchya lookin' at, there, buddy?

This was definitely one of those right reads/right times dealios but even had that not been the case, this would have gotten a solid 4 stars out of me.

The art is incredible, all trippy photorealistic pastoral scenes of landscape and machinery, mostly. However, it's not all popartscifi; there's emotion and body language and ambiance and all sorts of other stuff that art people would appreciate and that I cannot clarify.

The story that goes along with the page-sweeping pictures is part journey and part super depressing apocalypse. A girl, with round-headed robot in tow, finds a map in an abandoned car and follows it to its destination. Along the way, she remembers what life was like before everyone got caught up in virtual reality, she remembers her mother and her foster parents and her best friend. The memories aren't really tinged with nostalgia since that life wasn't much better than the one she's now living, unable to connect to her fellow humans through the wires and images they've hooked themselves into. America has become a wasteland of rusting metal and stationary zombies stuck in their online worlds.

If you're an optimist, you can imagine a happy ending.
I am not an optimist.
I simply loved this book.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't even know of this book until last week - okay I have to work on my patience as I dropped (not literally) everything else I was reading to start this book and unfortunately I finished it that night.

The work of Simon Stalenhag was brought to my attention by my brother who loves this kind of artwork (and usually waits for me to buy it so he can read it).

Now up until recently I thought he only did art - not realising he had used some of that art to create this bitter sweet story with yes you got it mind blowing artwork.

Now I will not give anything of the story away which to be honest I very cleverly done in its own right painting a world that has gone in a totally different direction thanks to events in the past.

But what I will say is that the art in this over sized sumptuously presented book give it a totally new depth - especially the last few pieces. This book is a real treasure and I really hope that he creates more as this was amazing.

Now this is one book I will be reluctant to lend to my bother as I suspect it may be a while before I get it back.

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrative artwork was worthwhile, showing great imagination and technique. The written narrative was short and confusing and failed to provide sufficient knowledge of what was happening. The author Simon Staklenhag set two other books in his Swedish homeland, which may have explained the sights and situation with greater clarity. The Electric State takes place in a post-apocalyptic America. A young girl and her robot travel westward and view gigantic battle drones scattered along the way and high-tech trash discarded by virtual reality addicts. I will wait for the Netflix movie starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt to be released on March 14, 2025.
I downloaded the Kindle ebook version and read it on my iPad in order to view the artwork in colour.

[Lata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nineteen-year-old Michelle, and her companion, robot Skip, drive through a damaged western US, which is full of relics and ghosts. Massive, dead battleships litter the landscape, and there are huge, ambulatory drones, and, most chillingly, people everywhere wearing neurocasters, large VR headsets, who are sitting or standing motionless, unaware of anything around themselves.
Michelle gradually relates the unhappy story of her childhood and later foster care. We don’t know immediately where she’s going or why, but it’s clearly important she get there. She’s driven and hurting, and she’s surrounded by ghosts, addiction, and death.
Simon Stålenhag's artwork is a mix of breathtaking and horrifying, while the story is so bleak, including its gut punch ending.
I absolutely loved it.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this has the same wonderful artwork (full-page, often double-page), The Electric State differs from Stålenhag’s first two books in that it’s not set in his native Scandinavia and doesn’t appear to be anything to do with the “Loop”, the giant particle-accelerator ring under the Swedish countryside. It also lacks their nostalgic feel—here in fact, while we are again seeing the world through the eyes of a teenager, this teenager has had a horrible time of it and the world itself is in the process of unravelling around her.
    There’s more of a conventional narrative too. The year is 1997 and we’re in the southwestern USA as Michelle and her little robot Skip head west out of the Blackwelt Exclusion Zone, across the state line into Pacifica and then on through the Sierra Nevada mountains making for the coast. She’s armed with a shotgun, avoids main highways and cities. The landscapes are littered with grounded attack ships and rusting combat robots, the winding roads themselves largely deserted—although not as a result of the recent war. Much as television followed radio, so neurocasters are replacing TV: supplied by a company called Sentre, these are headsets which pick up virtual-reality broadcasts beamed from the huge neurograph towers now looming up into the sky everywhere; and after an upgrade the previous year, people are becoming addicted to this virtual world. In suburban homes they starve to death sitting on their own couch, neurocasters on, lips twitching like dreamers. That’s how Michelle got the Oldsmobile she’s driving: it was parked beside a desert road, doors wide open and its two elderly occupants sprawled nearby, headsets still in place. Later, they come upon a crew of road-workers and their rig, the work stalled half-done, all three in their fluorescent orange jackets with headsets on, oblivious.
    This is what’s happening everywhere, the USA itself stalling in mid-stride as people abandon themselves to the virtual world. Through this eerie alternative-present Michelle guides the car—not aimlessly, but towards Point Linden to the north of San Francisco. Her little robot is the key: it gets tired like a child, reads comic-books like a child, but once you suddenly understand what Skip really is and why Michelle is crossing the mountains, it’s a hugely touching story.
    I’m bowled over, have become a complete fan. Stålenhag’s books have captured my imagination like nothing else I’ve read since I was a teenager myself.

[reherrma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch ist für mich eine der Überraschungen des Jahres. Im Buchladen gesehen, reingeschaut und sofort gekauft. Danach in den Text, und besonders, in die hyperrealistischen Bilder eingetaucht und mich von der Atmosphäre darin mitreißen lassen. Einfach ein Genuß !
Man hat wirklich das Gefühl, mit der Protagonistin und ihren kleinen Roboter auf einem Road Trip durch den düsteren, post-apokalyptischen Westen der USA mit einer Klapperkiste von Auto zu fahren. Die Bilder sind wirklich phantastisch und schaffen, zusammen mit dem Text, ein besonderes Erlebnis, fast so, als wäre man in einem Film. Seite um Seite erfährt man mehr über diese Welt, es hat einen Krieg gegeben, um was oder gegen wen wird nie genau geschrieben, aber die Auswirkungen kann man sehr gut aus den Bildern (und dem Text) entnehmen. Hinzu kommt, dass die Menschen fast alle abhängig von virtuellen Stimmulanzien sind, dazu tragen sie Neurohelme, die sie ständig tragen. In den Bildern ist eigentlich nur die Protagonistin ohne Helm zu sehen, sie äußert auch Kritik an diesem Verfall, was aus den nachdenklichen Texten hervorgeht, der in episodenhafter Weise ihre Reise mit ihrem kleinen Roboter beschreibt, aber auch Rückblicke in ihre Vergangenheit der den Verfall ihrer Familie zeigt. Warum sie ihre Reise nach Kalifornien überhaupt durchzieht, durch alptraumhafte Landschaften und Szenen, das wird im poetischen Ende des Romans/Graphic Novel oder des illustrierten Romans (ich kann dem Buch keine Einordnung geben) angedeutet.
Das Leseerblebnis war für mich so plastisch erfahrbar, wie ich selten zuvor ein Buch gelesen/gesehen habe, warum auf dieser Grundlage Netflix eine Serie vorbereitet wird, ist mir ein Rätsel, für mich hat das Buch ein Alleinstellungsmerkmal, eine Serie kann hier nur noch ein müder Abklatsch sein, oder etwas ganz anderen und Neues.
Wie bereits erwähnt, ich war vor und nach der Lektüre total begeistert von diesem Buch und ich werde auch die anderen Bücher des Autors noch lesen....

[Adam Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I love Simon's art is an understatement, so this book could have been all pictures and still attained 5 stars. Behind the art however is a story: it is a roadtrip across an alternative version of USA in the 90s, one filled with a mixture of analogue and digital and a curious array of science-fiction artefacts left to rust and decay after an apparent 'event'. Or are they?

The story is told using a mixture of the art and the writing, often using the writing to delve into some character backstory and history of events – the pacing is slow and allows the world to become ingrained before we learn more about the narrator and the kind of events that have lead to this point. Indeed, there is some satisfaction in the scarcity of revelation; little nuggets we are given which we are able to mesh with revelations further on. It’s not a long read so there’s no trouble remembering important little elements, and a second read through might be worth it to pick up on anything you may have missed.

The writing itself was four out of five because of some inconsistencies over style, sometimes verging into stream of consciousness without punctuation, when really the slow, meandering style it had been using, and which was sometimes elegant, would have sufficed. It could have done with another editor too as it should have been tighter, often losing impact because of a passive voice.

Overall though, it leaves you wanting more, which is always a good sign.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A runaway teenager (Michelle) and her yellow toy robot (Skip) travel west through a post-apocalyptic United States. Many people have been turned into zombies by virtue of being plugged into neurocasters, which seem like a VR headset with full sensory experience. This dystopian landscape is littered with ruined battleships and technology. Michelle and Skip are inexorably headed towards a coastal town for reasons that become evident at the end. This is properly classified as a narrative art book, and not a graphic novel. Stalenhag's artwork is innovative, amazing and something to behold.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

La trama se sitúa en 1997, en unos Estados Unidos alternativos, donde parece que todo se está colapsando debido a la adicción de la población a un sistema de realidad virtual. La protagonista es Michelle, una joven que viaja con Skip, un robot. Juntos se dirigen hacia Pacifica, en una misión que conoceremos al final.

‘El estado eléctrico’ (Passagen, 2017), del artista y escritor Simon Stålenhag, es una novela ilustrada, donde destacan las magníficas pinturas. El texto es intrigante, pero las ilustraciones son como instantáneas de un viaje apocalíptico.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Electric State is an illustrated short story about a teenage girl crossing an alternate America with her small yellow robot. The landscape is littered with the remnants of titanic robotic fighting machines and its inhabitants wander or else rot hooked up to their addictive VR neurothingys.

As a story, there's not much meat to it. We are drip-fed details about Michelle's life as she and Skip make their way across the country.

Sparse as it felt, I didn't find myself focusing on the text because the artwork was so stunning. It's up there with some of the best concept art I've seen and the world is beautifully rendered.

I was taken on a breathtaking journey in pictures that was eerie, chilling and left a lot to the imagination.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just started, and I'm very impressed! Not comic-book style, but full-page art with text opposite. So far it's set in the Mohave (Mojave) Desert, a country I know & love. Here's Maria Muldaur's sweet voice singing its praises: Hmm. Google is struggling to find that one. One line I clearly recall is "... brown desert sands of Mojave." Zero hits! Well. I'll dig out my copy of the LP sometime....

Impressive that a Norseman knows this Western American desert so well! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_S... has his backstory, which is interesting. The story is listed by isfdb as a novelette, and was a finalist for a 2019 Clarke award.

Well. Finis! Ratings & remarks:
Art: 4.5 stars! Especially the desert stuff, which is easily 5 stars. But once he moves into the gloom of NorCal winter...
Story: starts out fine, classic quest for a Better Life after a major disaster. But then...
Ending: Nordic gloom on steroids! Which I don't care for, at all. No wonder those people drink themselves to death!
Calif's not like that at all, and especially not out at Pt Reyes, one of my favorite greater Bay Area parks. And the State's character, despite its many and very real problems, has always been optimistic. So his Nordic BG has betrayed him here, for me anyway.
Overall: say a weak 3 stars. But definitely worth picking up a library copy for the art!

[Fiona Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning, God created the neuron, and when electricity flowed through the three-dimensional nerve cell matrix in the brain, there was consciousness. The more nerve cells the better, and our brains contain hundreds of billions of neurons; that's why we make better lasagna than chimpanzees.

The Electric State is the third of Simon Stålenhag's graphic novels, and by far the most ambitious in story. Where the first two were reminiscences, this time we follow our protagonist and her brother on a road trip across the western, almost-dead, United States. The art is still fantastic, and the movement of setting and focus on a more coherent plotline hasn't resulted in a compromise of the otherworldly and melancholy splendour of the illustrations. There's nothing else out there quite like this, and certainly not at this level of talent.

[Fabiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

CAPOLAVORO

[Soňa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rok 1997. Michelle a jej malý žltý robot unikajú naprieč dystopickou Amerikou. Cesty lemujú vraky obrovských vojnových dronov a všadeprítomný technologický odpad rozkladajúcej sa konzumnej spoločnosti. Ako sa blížia k pobrežiu, v čoraz rýchlejšom slede sa za nimi rúca svet, akoby sa napokon za obzorom prepadlo prázdne jadro civilizácie.

Simon Stalenhag je medzinárodne uznávaný autor a ilustrátor kníh ako Ur varselklotet a Flodskörden: Illustrerade sägner ur Slingans landskap 1995-1999. Vďaka svojim originálnym ilustráciám a príbehom plným fantázie, ktoré zobrazujú imaginárne stroje a bytosti v kontraste so škandinávskou každodennou realitou, dnes patrí medzi najžiadanejších vizuálnych rozprávačov na svete. Vo svojej najnovšej knihe Pasáž (Passagen) upiera svoj jedinečný pohľad na Ameriku.

Takže nepoznáte? Spoznáte. Stačí si pozrieť niektoré z autorových kresieb a je vám jasné, že toto bude jednohubka s dlhým dojazdom.... no áno, asi má môj milášik Shaun Tan konkurenciu, v tom najlepšom slova zmysle.
Intro knihy začína opisom nejakej sedem ročnej vojny a jej následkov... a to aké sú tie následky sa dozvieme hneď v úvode a bez okolkov či chodenia okolo horúcej kaše:

veďlajšie škody boli dvojakého druhu: civili, ktorí sa nešťastnou náhodou ocitli v krížovej paľbe, a deti federálnych pilotov, ktoré sa ako ústupok božstvu vojenskej technológie všetky narodili mŕtve.

Nasleduje upútavka na najnovšiu prilbu od Sentre Mode 6, ktorá príde 1.11.1996 do ponuky... čo? o čom meliem?
Stačí otočiť stranu a presunieme sa do jari roku 1997 Mojavskej púšte a návalov piesku, ktorým sa prediera naša hrdinka s robotom a člnom... Krajina je bezútešná, situácia je ešte o kúsok horšia a Simon nám to servíruje postupne, ale cielene. Odhaľuje stav "dnešného" sveta, všadeprítomný piesok, beznádej, porozhadzované vraky dronov i vojnových lodí, prázdne ulice a ľudí s prilbami. Aj keď tu by sme mohli povedať, to čo z ľudí ostalo, keď si nasadili prilby a odovzdali moc technológii.... Ale neprezrádzajme priveľa :)
Podstatnejšia je každá strana tejto rozmerovo takmer A4 formátu knihy, ktorá ponúka okrem textu úžasné obrázky a vízie sveta, kde nechcete žiť. Sveta, ktorý stojí na pokraji zániku a cez jeho opustené cesty cestuje dievča Michelle a jej robot a postupne odkrývajú históriu toho, čo stálo za dnešnou situáciou. Ich púť je rozdelená do viacerých kapitol, pekne vykreslená na mape západneho pobrežia USA (dobrovoľne priznávam vygúglila som si mapu a sama sa pozrela na cestu). Ich príbeh je doplnený stránkami "akoby" z denníka či spomienok niekoho iného (osobne to tipujem na Michellinu mamu, pred svojím kolapsom), ktorá dopľňa ďalší kúsok skladačky zo začiatkov a priebehu vojny.
Celkový výsledok? Kniha, ktorú držíte a dúfate, že neskončí a zároveň chcete aby skončila, lebo ten svet i to čo z neho ostalo trhá srdce. Takže smelo do čítania a študovania obrázkov, jednoznačne jeden z highlightov tohto knižného roka:) Pre angličtiny znalých kuknite aj recenzie od Trish či Dennisa.

Na úplny záver pridávam video, lebo sú proste momenty, keď slová sú zbytočné.... a toto je jeden z nich.
Chcem 6 ⭐, lebo proste ani 6 dronov v podobe mačiatok nevie priasť dostatočne nahlas, aby prekričalo odkaz knihy.

PS. Teším sa, že v knižnici majú aj Slučka, ktorá by mala byť prvým dielom celej série a už na mňa čaká. A tiež už viem, že ma trápi fakt ako sa dostať k druhému dielu, ktorý zjavne nepreložili...

Prvá veta: Vojnu viedlia vyhrávali piloti na diaľku - muži i ženy na veliacich stanovištiach ďaleko od miest bojov, kde na seba útočili drony bez posádok v strategickej hre počas dlhých siedmch rokov.
Posledná veta: Bude to treba urobiť zajtra skoro ráno. Urobím to.

Goodreads Challenge 2021: 22. kniha

[Pierre Chanliau · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years, I’ve known quite a bit about Simon Stålenhag’s The Electric State from being on the internet and seeing people discuss it. However, I was finally inspired to read the book from my local library after seeing the first look at Netflix’s attempt at an adaptation from the Russo brothers, which left me with an immediate foreboding feeling that it didn’t understand the book.

Upon reading The Electric State, that feeling of foreboding was proven correct. While the first look and plot synopsis of the film adaptation leaned far more into generic sci-fi action, no doubt filled with cheeky jokes and thrills (considering Chris Pratt’s presence), the book itself was an incredibly quiet and depressing depiction of the apocalypse brought about by human apathy and corporate greed.

Stålenhag infused his illustrations with so much isolation and horrifying imagery, shown through nearly empty highways in the shadow of ominous advertisements, abandoned war machines either covered in human graffiti or techno-organic horror, legions of people lost to a blissful hivemind in cyberspace, or a little girl and her robot traveling across the slowly decaying corpse that is the United States. It was incredibly captivating, especially the narration from Michelle and Walter that often accompanied them.

I was surprised at how much I ended up liking Michelle, a teenager who had everyone close to her ripped away by one aspect of this new America, whether it was addictive drugs pushed by the military, the war itself, industrial malpractice for that war, or the abuse of the newest VR technology plaguing the country. Not only did she lose the chance to live a normal life and find love, it was all forcefully ripped from her.

She has every right to be a brat and angry at the world, which she was, but Skip, her robotic companion, also clearly acted as her moral anchor. Regardless of the state of the world, Michelle continued to pay for food and shelter (albeit with stolen money from the corpses of VR tech), actively engaged with its child-like interests, and acted as a proper role model for them.

You can just hear the sound of cracked asphalt being walked upon, the buzzing of fluorescent lights in an abandoned home or empty parking lot, or the groan of machine giants as they herd the shambling corpses of the last generation of humanity with every image. Stålenhag put us squarely into this dying world effortlessly, making me wish even harder for the Netflix adaptation to reach even a fraction of this book’s atmosphere, themes, and tone.

[Oriente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gondolkodás nélkül vettem meg ezt a kötetet, mert szerettem volna azonnal kifejezni a kiadó felé, mennyire értékelem az ilyen különlegességek, jelen esetben egy science fiction művészeti album megjelenését a sok tucattermék között.

Aki kattintgatta már Simon Stålenhag képeit, az nem lepődne meg, ha most a festmények hosszas és lelkes méltatásába fognék, éppen ezért inkább a szöveggel fogok foglalkozni. (Aki pedig még nem kattintott, az tegye meg! ;)) Bár írták már előttem, milyen szerves egységet alkot itt kép és szöveg, be kell vallanom, nem voltak nagy elvárásaim. Első ízben belelapozva a kötetbe, arra gondoltam jó, hát egy gyerek kóvályog kézenfogva egy kis robottal, elveszetten a lepusztult Egyesült Államok roncsai között, az emberiség virtuálisan bezombult maradékát kerülgetve. Régen lepődtem meg ennyire: mert szépen lassan kibontakozott egy ennél sokkal érdekesebb és összetettebb történet, ami messze túlmutat a rozsdás-nyikorgó disztópikus romantikán. Egészen weird vonásokat mutat a könyv második fele, és amikor a végén összeállt, mire is akar kilyukadni a sztori, hát elakadt a lélegzetem.
Úgyhogy azon nyomban fogtam, és elkezdtem az egészet elölről – ezúttal inkább csak a képeken keresztül felidézve a részleteket, és persze így újra kiélvezve az esztétikai élményt is.

Szóval olvassátok is, ne csak nézegessétek, és figyelmesen olvassátok, megéri!

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A marked step down from Stalenhag's previous two efforts. The pictures were still compelling, but lacked the eclectic energy of his earlier work. The writing was too much and the story not interesting enough. In my opinion, he's at his best when he lets the reader fill in the details. Trying to provide too much info only highlighted the stories holes.