''The Electric State'' is a 2018 dystopian science fiction illustrated novel by

Simon Stålenhag Simon Stålenhag (born 20 January 1984) is a Swedish artist, musician, and designer specialising in retro-futuristic digital images focused on nostalgic Swedish countryside alternate history environments. The settings of his artwork have formed ...

depicting an alternate reality of the year 1997, in which a teenaged girl and her toy robot journey through a technologically ravaged Southwestern United States. In 2017, the

Russo brothers Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970) and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971), collectively known as the Russo brothers (), are American directors, producers, and screenwriters. They direct most of their work together. They are best known for dir ...

acquired the film rights to the book. They are producing a Netflix film of the same title, starring

Millie Bobby Brown Millie Bobby Brown (born 19 February 2004) is a British actress and producer. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Prim ...

Plot

The story is presented in the first person and utilizes flashbacks that add context to the environment. It is set in the apocalyptic aftermath of a war. In an alternate reality in the year 1997, in which the protagonist, a runaway teenaged girl named Michelle, and her toy robot travel west through a dystopian American landscape where the ruins of gigantic battle robots, called "drones" litter the countryside.

Reception

''The Electric State'' was well-received by critics with a "Rave" rating from the book review aggregator

Book Marks Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter. Conten ...

based on five independent reviews. Critics at ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

'' and ''New York Journal of Books'' gave positive reviews. It received starred reviews from both ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'' and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', where it was praised for the illustrations, writing, and structure of the graphic novel.

Accolades

named it one of the best books of 2018.

References

2018 graphic novels Post-apocalyptic novels Graphic novels set in the 1990s Graphic novels set in the United States {{Graphic-novel-stub