The Electric State

In this jaw-dropping science fiction artbook (originally crowdfunded and self-published), Stålenhag (Tales from the Loop) brings to life a technologically ravaged Southwestern United States circa 1997 to accompany a melancholic story of a teenager traveling with her kid robot. Interspersed with maps and quotes from an unseen narrator describing how the world got in this derelict state, the story is small, centering on the struggles of a lone girl, despite the epic backdrop of mountainous technology that dwarfs humans and their everyday lives. Michelle describes her journey with Skip, a yellow toy robot who behaves in a childlike but intelligent manner, as they travel slowly through a world pockmarked with deep scars from war. Stålenhag depicts the abandoned landscapes in realistic, beautiful illustrations. Michelle’s recollections of her old life in negligent foster care and her rebellious adolescence with her girlfriend are accompanied by her observations of the current world. Her birth mother was a drug addict, and her foster parents slowly gave in to the popular and widespread addiction to neurocasters, a virtual reality helmet that turns living people into shambling hordes and uses their minds to power large technological beings. This quiet, sad adventure is an excellent and visually stunning addition to any graphic novel, art, or science fiction collection. (Sept.)