"** NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX FILM DIRECTED BY THE RUSSO BROTHERS, STARRING MILLIE BOBBIE BROWN, CHRIS PRATT AND KE HUY QUAN **
A teenage girl and her robot embark on a cross-country road trip in this beautifully illustrated science fiction story, perfect for fans of Fallout 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.
Told in achingly melancholy, spare prose and featuring almost a hundred gorgeous, full-colour illustrations, The Electric State is a novel like no other.
PRAISE FOR THE ELECTRIC STATE:
"A jaw-dropping science fiction artbook . . . This quiet, sad adventure is an excellent and visually stunning addition to any graphic novel, art, or science fiction collection." Publishers Weekly
"A haunting illustrated novel. . . . Readers of bleak, emotionally rich dystopian science fiction will be fascinated with the way Stålenhag doles out details." Booklist (starred)
"The Electric State is a striking and strangely compelling work of science fiction gothic."New York Journal of Books
"One part art-book, one part picture-book-the mundanity of everyday relationships play out alongside science fiction imagery that is as beautiful as it is unsettling." Waypoint
"Simon Stålenhag's stories crawl into my brain and mess with my memory of history, time, and place." NPR Books
"The mix of science fiction and real world pop-culture nostalgia is instantly compelling, but there are layers to The Electric State that take the story beyond surface value." Los Angeles Times"
"From the renowned creator of The Electric State, now a major Netflix movie, Simon Stålenhag returns with a new work of retro-futuristic dystopia set in the mysterious environs of an abandoned Swedish military facility. An epic, beautifully illustrated science fiction story for fans of Annihilation and Station Eleven.
Beginning in 2024, yet set largely during the early 2000s, Sunset at Zero Point unfolds on a secluded Swedish island, home to a secret weapons lab that has been off-limits for years. Two young men, stuck in both the past and each other's orbit, set out to explore the forbidden zone together.
Set against the backdrop of Stålenhag's native Sweden and based on an imagined version of Mälaröarna, outside of Stockholm, Sunset at Zero Point juxtaposes giant futuristic machines with the inner turmoil of characters facing a social dystopia, crafting a narrative that is both visually stunning and emotionally resonant.
In this, his most intimate work to date, Stålenhag's masterful storytelling and hyper-realistic art reveals not only an otherworldly alternate history, but also a poignant and profound exploration of nostalgia and enduring connection. Delving into themes of masculinity, friendship and sexuality, this is a powerful queer science fiction tale that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page. "
Join our community for the latest bookish news, reading recommendations, exclusive opening extracts, author events and competitions. It\'s all free. And enter a monthly draw to win a £50 Gift Card. See past winners here
