Metro 2033 - Review

Metro 2033 - Review

Metro 2033 - Dmitry Glukhovsky

Published first in 2005 by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, 'Metro 2033' is set in the aftermath of a world wide nuclear apocalypse. A few thousand still live on in the Moscow Metro (their equivalent of the London Tube), but have divided into the separate train stations.

The different groups that are represented in these different stations are astonishing, from farmers to fishers, Communists to Nazis or cannibals to Satanists there is sure a wide 'variety of cultures' the main protagonist encounters throughout the 458 pages. Personally, my favourite part was when it explained the history of all the wars that had been waged in the metro. Learning about the feuds these stations had was wrote so well I found myself thinking I was reading an actual, non-fiction history book. Every part the huge train system had a story, and that was what I found the most unique about this book.

Another one of the strong points in this book is the insanely scary suspense. I had to just put the book down at times because it was late and I was near having a heart attack in the dark. The main villains in the book are called the 'Dark Ones'. 8ft humanoid creatures with completely black skin, extended limbs and dead eyes. Believed to be 'Homo Novus' (the next step in evolution) the dark ones don't fight with guns or fists, they telepathically instil horror into the minds of humans, haunting them in their dreams, until they go mad and die one way or another. The way the author describes these encounters with the dark ones is what makes it one of the most horrifying things to read. Although the dark ones are the main threat, the nuclear radiation created a range of monsters that are much more physical in their violence which gives the book it's bit of action.

In the case of the protagonist (Artyom), I really wasn't a huge fan of him at the beginning so it was more the actual metro history that kept me reading. I found several side characters much more interesting at the start, but towards the half way mark of his expedition across the metro, Artyom becomes less of a cocky 19 year old, and a bit more professional when it came to dealing with the different groups and monsters.

The book has spawned a very underrated, survival-horror video game of the same name. that roughly follows the events of the novel but is more focused on the action than the actual story of the metro.

I found Metro 2033 completely engulfing, I could read a whole book just about the way the stations interacted and their cultures. There is a sequel (Metro 2034) that I have not bought yet but I want to so I can once again enter post-apocalyptic Moscow.

Ryan O'Mara