Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel | A Media Review

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a book about survival in a world devastated by a viral pandemic which was converted into a mini series on HBO in late 2021 It explores a group of people connected through a central figure who passes away in the opening scenes.

This leaves them to reconnect their individual narratives over the course of the subsequent 20 years as they make their way primarily around the Great Lakes region, predominantly in Michigan. There are a few variations between the book and show that work better in each format.

The one particular change is the relationship of Jeevan and Kirsten, which is mostly nonexistent in the book but becomes a central narrative arc in the show which ties it together in a way that isn’t executed as well as the book’s divergent paths of her and the Prophet.

All that said, I’m glad I’ve done both versions of this story and recommend each for their own reasons if you’re looking for a unique effort that spins together various threads into a solid yarn.

Fans will be happy to get a better look at some panels from the in-world comics books that are passed around a number of the characters and was created for the television show.