The Electric State

The Electric State is a 2018 dystopian science fiction illustrated novel by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. Set in an alternate technologically ravaged 1990s, it follows a teenage girl and her robot on a journey to the West Coast of the United States in search of her long-lost brother.
In 2017, the Russo brothers acquired film rights to the book. They directed and produced a film adaptation for Netflix, released in 2025. Tabletop game publisher Free League Publishing ran a successful Kickstarter for a game version of the book in 2023, releasing the game in 2025.

Premise

The book is told through a series of paragraphs, linked to large illustrations. The main story follows Michelle, a teenage orphan traveling to the West Coast with a robot companion, Skip, to find her long-lost brother. Flashbacks gradually reveal Michelle's past and the reason for her separation.
Intertwined with Michelle's journey are details of the novel's setting, Pacifica is portrayed as a hyper-consumerist society in decline, with the vast majority of the population using brain-computer interfaces called Neurocasters to escape the trauma of a second civil war. Technological addiction has become a widespread issue, leading to a widespread breakdown of law and order through which Michelle must travel.

Reception

Critics at NPR and New York Journal of Books gave positive reviews.
It received starred reviews from both Booklist and Publishers Weekly, where it was praised for the illustrations, writing, and structure of the graphic novel.
NPR named it one of the best books of 2018.