Things From the Flood by Simon Stålenhag
In the tranquil countryside of Mälaröarna, the Swedish government commissioned the construction of the largest particle accelerator in the world in 1954. The locals dubbed this technological marvel The Loop and rejoiced in its completion. The globe and Mälaröarna, however, would never be the same. Things from the Flood is a transcendent examination of technology filled with odd devices and mysterious creatures that will stay with you long after you flip the final page.
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Stories From the Loop and Items From the Flood both follow the same format. They are merely glimpses that hint at the story’s main direction while also leaving many intriguing gaps. The Electric State, the third work, has a more thorough narrative but still leaves many things unanswered. That obviously wasn’t the author’s intention, but it left me feeling saddened.
The format is the same for Things From the Flood. They are merely pictures that show the story’s basic direction but are otherwise largely silent. The third work, The Electric State, has a more thorough story but still leaves many things unanswered. Although I am sadly unfulfilled, I believe that was the author’s intention.
Simon Stalenhag’s “Things from the Flood” is the intriguing and strangely nostalgic follow-up to “Stories from the Loop.” This book includes pictures and first-person stories from an alternate history in Sweden that never was, similar to the last one. Like the previous book, this one is also replete with incredibly eerie and realistic illustrations that blend images of the familiar countryside with scenes from science fiction movies, including robots, abandoned super-high-tech machinery, strange creatures, and abandoned robots that are frequently subtle but always completely out of place. Almost all photos would look lovely framed and on display.
Another outstanding piece that explores the undercurrent of a shadowy, enigmatic history that looms over a civilization that appears to be progressing. In some respects, it serves as an example of how, despite our best efforts to eradicate all tangible evidence of humanity, we will always be bound by the things we have created or the things we have done. This chapter continues the narrator’s coming-of-age story as he is evacuated from his house for three years due to flooding in the decommissioned Loop and continues to explore the tech-heavy terrain with new friends.
The same themes are present in the first book, but with a fresh perspective: instead of being a collection of idyllic childhood adventures, it is more of a developing understanding of the xenophobia and cruelty of people, running parallel to our narrator’s struggle with acceptance among his own age group.
“The Vagabonds,” where fear eventually determined the fate of these sentient machines that had fled a bloodbath in Russia only to be captured again by the Swedish villagers, cruelly touched me. But, the robots’ behaviour appeared, at worst, to be merely childish; they lived in abandoned homes, worshipped living things, and gathered colourful, plush objects out of curiosity. This is just another example of how the world can be cruel, crushing those who are unprepared for it or have no choice but to experience it, whether they are people or machines. This cruelty may even be inherent in human nature.
