Ratings42
Average rating4.5
Part graphic novel, part dystopian coming-of-age story, with a sprinkle of “The Road” thrown in, this illustrated novella was unlike anything I'd ever read before, and I very much enjoyed it.
The Electric State tells the story of a runaway teenager, Michelle, and her drone robot buddy, Skip, driving across an eerie, abandoned alternate USA in 1997, where ruins of the previously thriving consumer culture can still be seen alongside massive derelict war vehicles left over from a cybernetic conflict. It's a post-apocalyptic wasteland where the zombies aren't a result of dark magic or contagion, but some kind of “neuronic” technology that linked peoples' minds and stole their souls.
The art book is filled with beautifully haunting paintings of scenes encountered by the pair on their journey towards the west coast. It's amazing how Stålenhag can make such mundane images of American highways, cars, ordinary buildings look so sad and creepy – even when monuments of high technology are injected in between. The masterful part is how the visuals and the text come together. Accompanied by the visuals, the narrative is a well-written, tragic character story. Everything that Michelle has already gone through, as told in flashbacks, is sad. But it also feels like her life was the norm and that the shiny plastic veneer of this society was easily scratched away. Despite the setup for a road trip adventure, the plot involves almost no action apart from driving from stop to stop. Stålenhag's writing is excellent at evoking a mood of decay and abandonment, and he gives Michelle's voice a feeling of weariness, even though she also feels determined against the backdrop of the rest of the world that has given up, dissipated and disappeared.
A challenge in reading this book is that it doesn't really hold your hand. The writing is subtle about when the voice or timeframe has changed (though there are typographical cues – which makes me feel bad for the audiobook readers, and they're also missing out on the visuals, which are the best part). Michelle's narration often switches between past and present without warning. Plus, the backstory of this alternate world requires some puzzling together of various snapshots (along with visual clues from the illustrations). The book is never a sunny funny read, but it also stops short of being depressing. It stirs up all kinds of feelings, especially if the reader manages to engage with Michelle and Skip's story (including the finale told only in images – which I confess I loved, but am not sure I understood completely). This is that kind of book. (4 out of 5)
Simon Stahlenhad is a special type of magic. His art has astounded people for decades. In this graphic novella we have Michelle, a young woman, perhaps even still a teenager. She is traveling through a desolate landscape with a robot she calls Skip. There are illustrations of Stahlenhag's machines on at least half of the pages. Full page illustrations and then perhaps a half page of text.
The war between humans and robots is over. There is almost nothing left but giant mechanical beasts littering the countryside. People are wandering, dazed, and catatonically under the influence of an invasive neural AI that infects their brains through a connected headset.
Michelle is driving west for an unstated reason. Her dialogue is flat matter-of-fact and toneless and the story is told completely without emotion. She has an address in a community out on the end of a peninsula. The bulk of the book is the tale of the journey.
Once there we see what she has been aiming for. No spoilers here but suddenly Michelle's narrative is alive with emotion. She knows that now she has to make a terrible decision that might have disastrous consequences.
The book only takes an hour or so to read but you'll need to add time just to sit and absorb the many illustrations of Stahlenhag's world. It's a tale of defeat and desperation that issues in a sudden burst of love and hope at the end. Love and hope that is hemmed in with the always present possibility of destruction.
Not quite sure the purpose of this short, visually-enhanced story outside of just someone on a journey to put someone to rest. The drive through the dystopia is a bit intriguing (but gets repetitive) and outside of some very basic worldbuilding, there isn't much substance to this. It will be interesting to see how they turn this into the upcoming feature-length film when there isn't any conflict or big happenings throughout.
Firstly, there's no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most aesthetically pleasing, creative, emotional, and frankly, deeply melancholic books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Though it doesn't try to invent the wheel of dystopian fiction, the huge appeal comes from the fantastic, gorgeous art that perfectly portrays so much emotion and desolation with each page. I know picture books tend to be frowned upon by a loud minority of people, but this has completely proven that sentiment wrong to me. The art and the writing both compliment each other to create such an immersive experience that, in my opinion, borders of melancholic comfort. However, art aside, despite the written content being reserved to a few paragraphs per a few pages, the author honestly managed to catch my attention with his story-telling, and vivid descriptions. I was undeniably invested in every page, be it art or paragraph, yearning to learn more about the world from the protagonist, Michelle, as she travels a barren wasteland with her brother/robot companion, Skip. On a personal level, from start to finish, it truly felt like an emotional trip that I, with no doubt, would certainly revisit. Genuinely, it's a one in a kind masterpiece, and I'm excited to see where the series goes next with it's live action adaptation coming soon.
Firstly, there's no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most aesthetically pleasing, creative, emotional, and frankly, deeply melancholic books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Though it doesn't try to invent the wheel of dystopian fiction, the huge appeal comes from the fantastic, gorgeous art that perfectly portrays so much emotion and desolation with each page. I know picture books tend to be frowned upon by a loud minority of people, but this has completely proven that sentiment wrong to me. The art and the writing both compliment each other to create such an immersive experience that, in my opinion, borders of melancholic comfort. However, art aside, despite the written content being reserved to a few paragraphs per a few pages, the author honestly managed to catch my attention with his story-telling, and vivid descriptions. I was undeniably invested in every page, be it art or paragraph, yearning to learn more about the world from the protagonist, Michelle, as she travels a barren wasteland with her brother/robot companion, Skip. On a personal level, from start to finish, it truly felt like an emotional trip that I, with no doubt, would certainly revisit. Genuinely, it's a one in a kind masterpiece, and I'm excited to see where the series goes next with it's live action adaptation coming soon.
So creepy, but so compelling! Simon Stalenhag's narrative artbook is a fantastic mix of art and storytelling. I really appreciate when these two mediums mix whether it is in graphic novel form or like this where full on coloured paintings accompany the story, enhancing it and pulling you into a dark dystopian world. Picture books are not just for kids! Stalenhag's paintings are realistic, but with a truly dark sci fi twist and you must pay attention to both the pictures and the story to glean what exactly is going on. There are definitely ambiguous parts to the story that seem to be left up to the reader to decide on the outcomes or surrounding narrative, so if you like all the answers given to you, then you might not care for this one. And it is also very bleak, so don't look for uplifting or happy endings either. Having said that, it truly is a treat to read. The imagination and the superb artwork create a world unlike any I've seen that's comparable, but still managed to bring the story into focus through the eyes of a young girl and her robot and their journey which has surprising twists and turns you won't see coming. Recommended reading for those looking for something a little different and aren't afraid of a little bit of bleak storytelling.
This is more of an art book than a book but I always knew that going in. The images are absolutely striking in their depictions of the world described here. They literally leapt off the page so many times. Highly recommend for art lovers and scifi fans
Loved the story and loved the imagery. Dystopic and eerily dark. Reading along with the soundtrack is quite where experience. https://simonstalenhag.bandcamp.com/album/the-electric-state
