Tales From The Loop

Soh Kam Yung reviewed Tales From The Loop by Simon Stålenhag

Interesting stories featuring a childhood playground in the midst of the Loop

3 stars

An interesting book, set as a series of stories as 'retold' by the author of his childhood in a small Swedish town that was host to a powerful underground particle accelerator known to the locals as the Loop. In the alternative past, powerful magnetic based technology has given rise to levitating transporters, walking robots and other sources of energy. But it has also given rise to various myths, like wormholes created by the Loop that let rumoured creatures like dinosaurs roam the present.

But all is not well. The stresses of living just above a machine that might twist reality causes social and communal problems (like divorce and family violence). The author's tales talk about these problems, as well as the times the author and his friends played among the debris that littered the landscape from the building and, later, decommissioning of the Loop.

The illustrations and sketches in the …

An interesting book, set as a series of stories as 'retold' by the author of his childhood in a small Swedish town that was host to a powerful underground particle accelerator known to the locals as the Loop. In the alternative past, powerful magnetic based technology has given rise to levitating transporters, walking robots and other sources of energy. But it has also given rise to various myths, like wormholes created by the Loop that let rumoured creatures like dinosaurs roam the present.

But all is not well. The stresses of living just above a machine that might twist reality causes social and communal problems (like divorce and family violence). The author's tales talk about these problems, as well as the times the author and his friends played among the debris that littered the landscape from the building and, later, decommissioning of the Loop.

The illustrations and sketches in the book give a good impression of the landscape the author imagines playing in, full of life and the unusual machines that make up the author's 'childhood'.

Martin reviewed Tales From The Loop by Simon Stålenhag

None

5 stars

This was fantastic. The writing, what little of it there was, were little vignettes, prose poems almost, like a still life painting set in a weird sci-fi world that defies subgenre. It’s not dystopia, nor utopia, but some of both. It’s not steampunk, but it is alternate history with more tech sooner.

Super interesting. I “read” it very slowly, leaving it on my currently-reading pile, usually only moving my bookmark forward a few pages at a time.

I think if I hadn’t watched the tv series before consuming this, I might have been even more intrigued, but I regret nothing.

essteeyou reviewed Tales From The Loop by Simon Stålenhag

Review of 'Tales From The Loop' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I bought this after seeing that it was being made into an Amazon Original series. I found the entire concept very interesting, and really enjoyed the art.

I'll probably pick up the sequel in the next few days.

It's a nice bit of escapism.

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Tales From The Loop by Simon Stålenhag

Review of 'Tales From The Loop' on 'LibraryThing'

5 stars

I got this on the strength of StÃ¥lenhag's paintings, which I'd seen online and made up a completely different backstory for (standard dystopian scifi). What he actually does is much more interesting: it's very much a young boy's fantasy but told well enough to be an engaging read as an adult. And of course the paintings are gorgeous: a very familiar 80s European suburbia made strange and unsettling.

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Tales From The Loop by Simon Stålenhag

Review of 'Tales From The Loop' on 'LibraryThing'

5 stars

I got this on the strength of StÃ¥lenhag's paintings, which I'd seen online and made up a completely different backstory for (standard dystopian scifi). What he actually does is much more interesting: it's very much a young boy's fantasy but told well enough to be an engaging read as an adult. And of course the paintings are gorgeous: a very familiar 80s European suburbia made strange and unsettling.

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Tales From The Loop by Simon Stålenhag

Review of 'Tales From The Loop' on 'GoodReads'

5 stars

I got this on the strength of Stålenhag's paintings, which I'd seen online and made up a completely different backstory for (standard dystopian scifi). What he actually does is much more interesting: it's very much a young boy's fantasy but told well enough to be an engaging read as an adult. And of course the paintings are gorgeous: a very familiar 80s European suburbia made strange and unsettling.

Fulminata reviewed Tales From The Loop by Simon Stålenhag

Review of 'Tales From The Loop' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

A nice artbook with good flavor text describing the authors childhood growing up in the 80s near the Loop. Of course, it's all fictionalized set in an alternate reality with robots, dinosaurs, and fantastic machinery existing alongside mundane 80s sedans and station wagons.

I got this after reading the RPG based on it, and there's really nothing major new here that's not in the RPG book. The background is the same as presented in the book, but personalized to be from the authors point of view. A lot of the art is in the RPG book, but it's presented in a larger format here. I'm not disappointed that I got it, but I don't think it's necessary to have to enjoy the RPG.