Storyline
Simon Stålenhag’s wild, alternate 1997 looks nothing like you’d expect. People are pretty much glued to their VR headsets, zoning out while the real world crumbles around them. Machines have gone haywire—think bizarre, menacing drones roaming around, almost like some tech apocalypse just smashed through everyone’s backyard. Right in the middle of this chaos, there’s Michelle, a teenager who’s not buying into the virtual escape. Her brother’s disappeared, and she’s not about to sit around waiting for answers. She teams up with a robot (not your typical sidekick, but hey, desperate times) and heads down the battered West Coast, dodging danger and hunting for her lost sibling. Every step gets weirder—crumbling cities, abandoned tech, and those freaky drones that never quit. It’s gritty and unnerving, but also totally human underneath all the wires and wreckage. Michelle’s stubborn hope cuts through the gloom, dragging the story forward with a messy, raw energy that’s hard to shake.
