Reviews

The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag

wiltonoid's review

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4.5

Amazing and truly haunting. No discussion or homage to this book has really done it justice the way that taking an afternoon with it can. I fear for the coming movie adaptation because it seems like the writers for it have completely missed the tone and message of the source material. Please check this one out before its reputation is ruined by its holywood knockoff.

I saw it half a decade ago in a bookstore and scanning through just a few of the pages was enough for it to stick out in my mind for years until I finally got a copy of my own. It's worth the price of entry in my opinion.

zhugie's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

tqloudly's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

adalana's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.0

emptymask's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

mrbootle's review against another edition

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5.0

This was one of my favourite books of 2019 and I had to read it again - I'm glad I did as I had forgotten some of the other story arcs that were part of the story. If you can take your eyes of the amazing realist artwork of Simon you'll realise there is an intricate story of addiction, child neglect, citizen neglect and a future we could be sleepwalking into.

joshiedooz's review against another edition

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3.0

It ends rather abruptly.

allan4neilston's review against another edition

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5.0

This is an incredible work: exotic pictures and a smashing sci-fi tale. Touching.

jbrandmd's review against another edition

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4.0

It's hard to say with a book like this whether the art is there to illustrate the story, or the story is just there to elaborate on the images. Either way, this is a gorgeous, hallucinatory book. Stalenhag's images are beautiful, surreal, and utterly original. The story is darker than his previous work, but quite emotionally resonant and satisfying. All in all, my main criticism is that quite a bit of background (and even some of the climax) is not really fleshed out, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

marija_m95's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0