The Labyrinth

The Labyrinth

The Labyrinth is a narrative art book by renowned Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. It presents a dark, post-apocalyptic world where mysterious black spheres have ravaged Earth's atmosphere, forcing the few survivors underground. 2 The book follows three characters - Matt, Sigrid, and a boy named Charlie - who embark on an expedition from their underground enclave to study the world-ending phenomena on the surface.

The story unfolds through Stålenhag's signature retro-futuristic illustrations, depicting a barren landscape of ash and ruined buildings. As the trio journeys across the wasteland, they confront the isolation, claustrophobia, and madness of their situation, as well as dark secrets from before civilization's fall. The Labyrinth cranks up the sense of dread and decay present in Stålenhag's previous works like Tales From The Loop and The Electric State, evoking a haunting combination of awe, loneliness, and nostalgia.

Stålenhag's eerie and muted color palette, along with his hyper-realistic depictions of sci-fi elements in mundane Scandinavian settings, create a unique and chilling vision of a dystopian future. The Labyrinth has been praised for its gripping worldbuilding and unforgettable visual storytelling, appealing to fans of shows like Stranger Things and Westworld.