The Metro trilogy is dark, messy, unforgiving dystopian science fiction and I really enjoyed all of it. In total, I spent 51 hours in the Moscow MetroThe Metro trilogy is dark, messy, unforgiving dystopian science fiction and I really enjoyed all of it. In total, I spent 51 hours in the Moscow Metro (subway) plus time reading the electronic versions of the short prologue and epilogue to 2033! Why aren't these books in major bookstores in the US?
Summarizing from my prior Metro reviews: the series is set in the Moscow subway system after a nuclear war. The system consists of 223 stations on 12 lines and were designed as nuclear shelters with sealed gates, generators, filtered air intakes, weapons, medicine and other and life-sustaining systems. When the war starts the people lucky (?) enough to be in the Metro or get in from the surface before the hermetically sealed doors are closed are saved, and people left on the surface are presumed dead. Eventually, the stations become their own city-states and form alliances amongst themselves.
Returning to 2035 as the main character and protagonist is Artyom. He sat out most of 2034 as the story focused on Homer, Sasha, and Hunter (supporting character in 2033). The plot of 2035 focuses again on a quest taken by Artyom, with Homer and Sasha also making appearances. As the novel opens Artyom has returned to normal life in his home station two years after the events of 2033. Having heard rumors of radio contact made with the outside world he dons a radiation suit, surfaces, and climbs to a high building with radio gear in hopes pick up a radio signal. After having no luck after many days of attempts he decides to set out to the station where the supposed signal was received. The plot of this 20-hour book picks up quickly and progresses at a furious pace to the end. Artyom finds himself in hair-raising situation after hair-raising situation as he tries to uncover the truth of what is really going on on the surface. Is it habitable outside of Moscow? Did other countries survive the war?
I liked 2035 a little bit more than 2033 with the shorter 2034 third in preference. I find it hard to compare these books with any others I've read. There are some similarities with the great Wool series by Hugh Howey in that human life has gone subterranean to survive a calamity, and not all is what it appears to be. There were times where 2035 got a bit raunchy for my tastes and there was a scene that didn't work for me in audio but overall I thought it was excellent. The mystery that Artyom was attempting to solve in this book captivated me from the beginning and I barely had time to relax during the entire 20 hours.
I'll give this 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 as this series was absolutely epic and this was my favorite installment....more
This epilogue to the excellent Metro 2033 was released only on Kindle for some reason. It picks up Artyom's story very shortly after the conclusion ofThis epilogue to the excellent Metro 2033 was released only on Kindle for some reason. It picks up Artyom's story very shortly after the conclusion of Metro 2033 and also fills in a bit of Artyom's back story. It was worth the small investment. I only wish it was longer. ...more
This is an excellent albeit too short, introduction to the Metro Trilogy. I wish I would've read this prior to reading Metro 2033. It is a nice summarThis is an excellent albeit too short, introduction to the Metro Trilogy. I wish I would've read this prior to reading Metro 2033. It is a nice summary of what happened leading up to the events of the first Metro book and a description of how the Russian Metro was actually designed to support a population of people in the event of a war. I had no idea.
It was originally provided as free content for Kindle but has since disappeared and is hard to obtain. Thanks, MonumentToDecency for providing me with the content!...more
I returned to the Moscow Underground. Ironically, Metro 2034 is the sequel to Metro 2033! When I listened to the first book in the trilogy my setting I returned to the Moscow Underground. Ironically, Metro 2034 is the sequel to Metro 2033! When I listened to the first book in the trilogy my setting was perfect - it was November and the dark, cold, commutes and dog walks were the perfect environment to experience the dystopian nightmare playing out in the post-war subway stations and tunnels of Moscow. I listened to the sequel on some of the longest, brightest days of the year, which didn't match the book's setting but the writer so perfectly depicts the settings of these books that it didn't matter. You feel like you are there.
Metro 2034 is more of a standalone book than a sequel. Only two characters from Metro 2033 returned for this book- Artyom, the protagonist of the first book in a very limited role, and the militant madman, Hunter. The sequel has three main characters: the aforementioned Hunter, who is on a mission to find out what caused his home station, Sevastopolskaya Station, to lose contact with some of the central stations it traded with; Homer, an old man writing a history of the Underground and who decides to join Hunter on his quest; and Sasha, and orphaned teenage girl fleeing the station she and her father were banished from. Along the way they meet a plethora of interesting characters, experience a gamut of post-nuclear horrors, and discover the reason for the loss of communication.
When I read Metro 2033 I printed out a map of the Moscow Underground to follow the path of Artyom's quest, there were so many stations visited and I became disoriented. In the sequel, the plot moved slower and less stations were visited so I was able to keep my bearings without my map. The author is particularly good at character development and world building. I've read a lot of dystopian novels but nothing like these two.
I listened to both books on Audible and the narrator, Rupert Degas, was great. All of the characters had variations of Russian accents and I was able to follow along easily. I hope he narrates the finale, Metro 2035 which I am looking forward to using my next Audible credit on.
I didn't like this as much as Metro 2033 but I'm rounding my 3.5 star rating to 4 stars because of the great writing. and compelling mystery....more
Metro 2033 is post-apocalyptic goodness! I listened to the audio book and narrator Rupert Degas did a fantastic job with all the different voices and Metro 2033 is post-apocalyptic goodness! I listened to the audio book and narrator Rupert Degas did a fantastic job with all the different voices and varying Russian accents. He perfectly sets the mood and differentiates the characters.
The setting of the book is the Moscow Metro (subway system). The earth, or at least Russia, has been ravaged by war leaving the surface radioactive and pretty much destroyed, and seemingly unlivable for human beings. The surviving humans have retreated to the Metro and are eking out livings by growing mushrooms and breeding and maintaining populations of chickens and pigs which they scavenged from the surface. Oh yeah, there are plenty of rats to eat also. The stations have become their own little fiefdoms, with passports required for travel to some. There are odd ideological factions controlling some of the stations - the Reds, the Fourth Reich, Polis (an advanced knowledge preserving group), and a number of others. Every station has different levels of resources, some have very little, and most have armed guards keeping undesirables or hostiles out.
The plot follows the trials and tribulations of protagonist Artyom, who in the beginning of the book is involved in a breech of his station's security which results in him going on a quest to another Metro station which lasts the balance of this twenty-hour long book. During his journey he visits numerous other stations and meets a number of interesting characters. He also encounters some of the odd life forms which have sprung up as a result of the radiation and chemical warfare. The most interesting of these are the librarians, some sort of sub-human mutants who roam the stacks of the Moscow library. They are creepy and bizarre.
After Artyom's journey began I got confused about the stations he was visiting as I am not familiar with the Moscow Metro. I printed out a map of the Metro so I could keep track of the stations he visited and determine his direction of travel. Later, I found an image someone created showing his path and the groups which controlled the stations he visited which made the book easy to follow.
The narrative moves along nicely and the setting is always claustrophobic and sometimes dark and terrifying. I listened to some of this walking my dogs through the woods at night which creeped me out and had me double-checking suspicious looking shadows. Probably not the optimal choice of media for walking through dark woods.
Overall, a really good post-apocalyptic book that moves along and is never boring. The complaint I read most about before starting the book was that the ending was weak. I rather liked it. I'm looking forward to eventually continuing on to Metro 2034 and Metro 2035. ...more
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