This epic comic-book diary of the mission of two highly intelligent machines to post-apocalyptic Earth deals with the same subject matter we know from Pierre Boulle or Cormac McCarthy’s dystopias.
Children’s and Young Adult, Comics | English sample translation available
With The Remarkable Robot Expedition, a promising young authorial duo enters the field of (children’s) literature: Jindřich Janíček and Taťána Rubášová. They are not unknown names in the world of culture: the illustrator Jindřich Janíček also runs the studio and publishing house Take Take Take, while Taťána Rubášová is a scriptwriter, journalist and film-maker whose short films have repeatedly met with success in competitions. This epic book, based on the juxtaposition of text in the form of diary entries and full-page illustrations, tells the story of the adventurous expedition of two robots with opposite personalities: sometime in the 22nd century, the shy and idealistic scientist William and the practical and fearless explorer Meriwether set out into the unknown to discover life and the remains of an extinct human civilization. The naivety of the robots, who misinterpret the remnants of civilization in a post-apocalyptic world, fills the book with tragicomic humour, while another source of entertaining clashes is the different “human” personalities of the two explorers, whose names refer to famous conquerors of the Wild West. However, questions of existence and the potential for learning surface from beneath the jokes, and the theme of the end of civilization rears its head in a disturbing way. Because of that, the book offers something for readers of all age categories.
The book was selected as one of 2016’s best books for children.
