What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Electric State
Joe Russo · Film · 2025
If you loved The Electric State, start with Stranger Things: Tales from '85 (Eric Robles, 2026) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 1 podcast, each matched to The Electric State across media.
If you were captivated by The Electric State, you will find these stories similarly balance intimate emotional journeys against vast, crumbling technological landscapes.
Books on the same thread
The Machine Stops
E. M. Forster · Book · 2011
Explores: Technology Dependence, Social Isolation, Loss of Individuality.
Much like the mechanical isolation found in The Electric State, this story examines the profound cost of total technological dependence and the resulting loss of human connection.
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Explores: Parent-child bond, Moral ambiguity, Existential dread.
This narrative mirrors the harrowing road trip elements of The Electric State, focusing on the raw bond between companions traversing a desolate, ruined world stripped of hope.
Ready Player One: A Novel
Ernest Cline · Book · 2017
Explores: Nostalgia, Virtual Reality, Escapism.
If the retro-futuristic aesthetic of The Electric State drew you in, you will appreciate how this story uses immersive world-building to explore the escapism found within technology.
The Future
Naomi Alderman · Book · 2025
Explores: Technological surveillance, Cults and indoctrination, Wealth inequality.
This book captures the corporate dystopia present in The Electric State, highlighting how powerful entities manipulate our reality through surveillance and the promise of a better future.
Series on the same thread
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Explores: Government Experiments, Telekinesis, Monsters.
The Electric State shares this story's focus on the mysterious, coming-of-age journey of a young protagonist caught in the middle of a world-altering, science-based conspiracy.
Stranger Things: Tales from '85
Eric Robles · Series · 2026
Explores: paranormal investigation, small-town secrets, monsters among us.
Fans of the retro atmosphere in The Electric State will enjoy this return to a nostalgic era where small-town life is shattered by the intrusion of paranormal forces.
Arcane
Christian Linke · Series · 2021
Explores: Sisterhood, Dystopian Society, Technological Advancement vs. Social Decay.
The Electric State highlights the strain of sibling relationships, a theme that drives the heart of this conflict between two sisters caught in a crumbling, tech-obsessed society.
Pluribus
Vince Gilligan · Series · 2025
Explores: Existential dread, The cost of happiness, Reluctant hero.
If you appreciated the satirical edge of The Electric State, you will resonate with this dark look at how the pursuit of artificial happiness masks deep existential dread.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
Explores: survivalism, artificial consciousness, existential dread.
This audio drama echoes the central themes of The Electric State by placing artificial intelligence at the center of a survival story defined by profound love and loss.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Electric State a road trip movie?
Yes, The Electric State follows an orphaned teen who hits the road with a mysterious robot to find her long-lost brother. During this journey, she teams up with a smuggler and his wisecracking sidekick to navigate the world and complete her mission.
Who does the protagonist team up with in The Electric State?
In The Electric State, the orphaned teen protagonist teams up with a smuggler and his wisecracking sidekick. These individuals assist her while she travels with a mysterious robot to locate her long-lost brother.
What is the main goal in The Electric State?
The primary objective in The Electric State is for an orphaned teen to find her long-lost brother. To achieve this, she travels across the landscape with a mysterious robot and receives help from a smuggler and his wisecracking sidekick.
Does The Electric State feature a robot character?
Yes, a central element of The Electric State is the mysterious robot that accompanies the orphaned teen on her journey. This robot travels with her as she searches for her long-lost brother alongside a smuggler and his wisecracking sidekick.