grid's review against another edition
5.0
This was fantastic. The writing, what little of it there was, were little vignettes, prose poems almost, like a still life painting set in a weird sci-fi world that defies subgenre. It’s not dystopia, nor utopia, but some of both. It’s not steampunk, but it is alternate history with more tech sooner.
Super interesting. I “read” it very slowly, leaving it on my currently-reading pile, usually only moving my bookmark forward a few pages at a time.
I think if I hadn’t watched the tv series before consuming this, I might have been even more intrigued, but I regret nothing.
Super interesting. I “read” it very slowly, leaving it on my currently-reading pile, usually only moving my bookmark forward a few pages at a time.
I think if I hadn’t watched the tv series before consuming this, I might have been even more intrigued, but I regret nothing.
lewis_fishman's review
5.0
"We made our nights our days, squinted at the horizon, and sighed. Way over there, the morning dawned."
skaldhart's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
abmgw's review against another edition
4.0
Schöne Bilder, aber ich erhoffe mir mehr von "Electric State"
fazekaszs's review against another edition
4.0
It was a good reading, although not as good as Electronic State. These are basically short, made up stories from Simons childhood, colored by science fictional and fantastical elements.
The digital art is just as good as in the aforementioned book; it is beautiful, capturing and it just feels good to look at them. I wish I was able to draw like this.
Regarding the story, there is not a continuous plot we follow (as far as I was able to judge), just little blinks, moments from his childhood, populated by robots, dinosaurs, strange, enormous, or sometimes a bit frightening machines.
If you don't spend time ten minutes looking at each artwork (which is hard to achieve), you will be able to complete the book in about 30-40 minutes, so it is also suitable before a good-night-sleep.
The digital art is just as good as in the aforementioned book; it is beautiful, capturing and it just feels good to look at them. I wish I was able to draw like this.
Regarding the story, there is not a continuous plot we follow (as far as I was able to judge), just little blinks, moments from his childhood, populated by robots, dinosaurs, strange, enormous, or sometimes a bit frightening machines.
If you don't spend time ten minutes looking at each artwork (which is hard to achieve), you will be able to complete the book in about 30-40 minutes, so it is also suitable before a good-night-sleep.
errspace's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
alexobeta's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
“Some days are like jittery, malicious clockwork—sometimes things freeze mid-movement and we age several years in a few seconds.”
I hadn't had a chance to get into science fiction, and this is a good start for anyone. The book is short, yes, and the prose is not life-changing. It's meant as a collection of small-town tales, wrapped up in this world of The Loop, as if your grandfather were telling you. There won't be more than two strong metaphors that you can highlight. What happens is that all the mystique is in the illustrations.
This is the first time I've seen Stalenhag's art, and now I understand why it's so highly regarded. Not only do the elements feel real within his style, but they generate that awe and anxiety of the unknown and futuristic. It feels like concept art for a video game, something out of a bestiary or Horizon: Zero Dawn concept art. It would work as a little prequel to a dystopian world, and I love that. The town feels alive with that childlike curiosity with rumors of what's going on with advanced technology, but still grounded. It's curious what it generates for being so short, and I think the magic is in the detail it has. It doesn't aspire to be something more and lets you think enough with what it has, which is already catching.
avalinda's review against another edition
5.0
A hauntingly beautiful and visceral work of art that once again reminds me what a privilege it is to walk through this artist's imagination.
The book reads like a series of vignettes interspersed with illustrations that made my heart ache for a world I never lived in. Some of the paintings have such a dreamlike quality, with hazy edges as though remembered distantly, from a childhood long ago - so that even as they depict moments of childhood against the forbidding technology of the Loop, they still remain so human and nostalgic. It made me think of my own childhood and the bleak landscape that it was set in; the stories speak to the resilience, adaptiveness, and even optimism of children in their ability to seek out things that give their lives meaning even in a dystopian environment.
In other words, this is a remarkable instance of how pictures can be worth a thousand words, but also how a few words can tell us so much about humanity and about ourselves. Stalenhag is phenomenal at depicting how small we are against our enormous, magnificent and terrifying creations, either as extensions of ourselves or manifestations of our lofty goals - and yet there are some things that, just as the description states, are instantly recognizable. The ebb and tide of human life continues in spite of the constant danger and disturbance, and we are presented with an eclectic cast of characters illustrating the different ways people react to the unknown. A touch of the macabre here and there makes it all unforgettable.
And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn't admire the science behind the science fiction. I love the interspersed snippets that read like little ads or informational blurbs, as well as the strange rumors that are never fully confirmed or discredited. The vast mystery of the Loop and its effects on space-time; aerial travel via the magnetrine effect; artificial nervous systems and sentient machines that are sometimes as lost as the humans in this alternate universe. ("The Escapee" particularly tugs at my heartstrings and I would love to see the side of the story from one of these robots.) The possibility of time travel, both for us and for creatures that came before us (the dinosaurs come to mind, along with the giant two-legged robots that look, walk and turn in ways strangely reminiscent of them). And then there is Nature slowly but surely reclaiming what is left of our abandoned forays. One of the final pieces of art accurately illustrates just that - the end of a technological age in a bleak landscape of man-made structures, broken-down humanoid robots sitting in disarray beneath gray skies.
I could probably go on for hours about the thoughts and emotions that this work invoked, but I'll simply end with some quotes that stuck with me:
An unforgettable book that will always have a place on my bookshelves.
The book reads like a series of vignettes interspersed with illustrations that made my heart ache for a world I never lived in. Some of the paintings have such a dreamlike quality, with hazy edges as though remembered distantly, from a childhood long ago - so that even as they depict moments of childhood against the forbidding technology of the Loop, they still remain so human and nostalgic. It made me think of my own childhood and the bleak landscape that it was set in; the stories speak to the resilience, adaptiveness, and even optimism of children in their ability to seek out things that give their lives meaning even in a dystopian environment.
In other words, this is a remarkable instance of how pictures can be worth a thousand words, but also how a few words can tell us so much about humanity and about ourselves. Stalenhag is phenomenal at depicting how small we are against our enormous, magnificent and terrifying creations, either as extensions of ourselves or manifestations of our lofty goals - and yet there are some things that, just as the description states, are instantly recognizable. The ebb and tide of human life continues in spite of the constant danger and disturbance, and we are presented with an eclectic cast of characters illustrating the different ways people react to the unknown. A touch of the macabre here and there makes it all unforgettable.
And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn't admire the science behind the science fiction. I love the interspersed snippets that read like little ads or informational blurbs, as well as the strange rumors that are never fully confirmed or discredited. The vast mystery of the Loop and its effects on space-time; aerial travel via the magnetrine effect; artificial nervous systems and sentient machines that are sometimes as lost as the humans in this alternate universe. ("The Escapee" particularly tugs at my heartstrings and I would love to see the side of the story from one of these robots.) The possibility of time travel, both for us and for creatures that came before us (the dinosaurs come to mind, along with the giant two-legged robots that look, walk and turn in ways strangely reminiscent of them). And then there is Nature slowly but surely reclaiming what is left of our abandoned forays. One of the final pieces of art accurately illustrates just that - the end of a technological age in a bleak landscape of man-made structures, broken-down humanoid robots sitting in disarray beneath gray skies.
I could probably go on for hours about the thoughts and emotions that this work invoked, but I'll simply end with some quotes that stuck with me:
"Small flares of light swarmed above the mounting around the tower. They danced in the cold air, emitting soft siren calls that echoed in the valley."
"Some days are like jittery, malicious clockwork -- sometimes things freeze mid-movement and we age several years in a few seconds."
"Suddenly, our machines were bestowed balance and grace previously reserved for biological organisms."
"I remember at the end of August, when the vacationers started to migrate back into the city and the guest pier was deserted, you could hear the distant breaths of the vane turbines rise and fall under the water, like monotonous whale songs in the chilly water."
"A moist mass of cardboard boxes, pillows, and mattresses had erupted from the front door, like the house was vomiting forth its stomach contents."
"If I look at my memories from the side, that weekend is a black line, like the dark boundary in the rock layers left by the disaster that killed all the dinosaurs."
"A new and dark inner landscape had opened up, and we wanted nothing more than to talk about it. We abdicated from childhood, tried to learn how to talk as adults, and shamefully glanced back at our playgrounds."
"... and then we returned to our old playgrounds like zombies around a mall. We sat wedged into the swings outside the school, or crouched in someone's old treehouse, smoking stolen cigarettes."
"We walked in long lines through winter nights, and you could see little points of light go on and off in the darkness - cigarettes smoked by teenagers who had gathered around their wrecked memories, like a requiem.
We made our nights our days, squinted at the horizon, and sighed. Way over there, the morning dawned."
An unforgettable book that will always have a place on my bookshelves.