Prime Video’s Stranger Things Rival Comes From the Writer Behind Tales from the Loop
As Stranger Things nears its end, Simon Stålenhag is set to drop Sunset at Zero Point on December 9, 2025 — a moody, retro-sci-fi illustrated novel that feels tailor-made for an Amazon Prime adaptation.
Stranger Things is doing its victory lap, and yes, that looming post-Hawkins hole is real. If you need a new dose of eerie kids-meet-cosmic-weirdness, Simon Stalenhag has something lined up: an illustrated novel called 'Sunset at Zero Point' dropping December 9, 2025. And yeah, the vibe definitely brushes up against Stranger Things in a way that feels intentional.
What is 'Sunset at Zero Point' actually about?
It is set in the early 2000s on a secluded Swedish island where a secret weapons lab has been off-limits for years. You can practically hear the warning sirens already. Stalenhag mixes his grounded, melancholy writing with those hyper-real images he is known for, which gives the whole thing that uncanny, otherworldly hum. Think giant futuristic machines rusting where they should not be, restricted zones no one is supposed to enter, and that creeping sense the past has not stayed buried.
The story centers on young protagonists whose lives get knocked off course after they run into a supernatural force. From there, it slides into anomalies, alternate history, and the unnerving feeling that our world is quietly fraying as something bigger presses in. Also present: the classic sleepy community with a shady government facility right under its nose. If that reminds you of Hawkins and the Upside Down, you are not imagining it.
Why this could play even better as a series
On paper, this is a layup for Prime Video. Stalenhag has already been adapted by them with Tales From The Loop, which leaned into the moody sci-fi aesthetic, human-scale emotion, and yes, an underground experimental facility. It pulled strong praise for its visuals and introspection, and it sits at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, which tells you audiences are still very into this flavor of science fiction drama.
There is a key difference, though: 'Sunset at Zero Point' sounds more mature than Stranger Things. Beyond the retro-futuristic backdrop and cosmic threat, it digs into masculinity, friendship, and sexuality, and it frames all of that through a queer science fiction lens. That gives the coming-of-age chaos a sharper edge: characters wrestling with who they are while a not-entirely-friendly universe rattles the windows.
Timing matters
With Stranger Things winding down and fans bracing for separation anxiety, this is exactly the moment for a studio to plant a new flag in that space. If I ran Prime Video, I would have called Stalenhag yesterday. He is wildly influential and still somehow underrated, and a strong screen version of 'Sunset at Zero Point' could be his biggest mainstream moment — especially after Netflix's 'The Electric State' did not really land the way people hoped.
Quick facts
- Book: 'Sunset at Zero Point'
- Author: Simon Stalenhag
- Release date: December 9, 2025
The bottom line
If you want more weird machines, forbidden zones, and kids grappling with forces way beyond the pay grade of the adults supposedly in charge, 'Sunset at Zero Point' is primed for you. The DNA overlaps with Stranger Things in all the fun ways, but the themes skew older and thornier. That is a good thing.
Would you watch a series based on 'Sunset at Zero Point'? Tell me below.