"The novel that gave birth to the video games 'Metro 2033' and 'Metro: Last Light.' ... In 2013 the world was devastated by an apocalyptic event, annihilating almost all mankind and turning the earth's surface into a poisonous wasteland. A handful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground, and human civilization entered a new Dark Age. The year is 2033. An entire generation has been born and raised underground, and their besieged Metro Station-Cities struggle for survival, with each other, and the mutant horrors that await outside. Artyom was born in the last days before the fire. Having never ventured beyond his Metro Station-City limits, one fateful event sparks a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro system, to warn the remnants of mankind of a terrible impending threat. His journey takes him from the forgotten catacombs beneath the subway to the desolate wastelands above, …
"The novel that gave birth to the video games 'Metro 2033' and 'Metro: Last Light.' ... In 2013 the world was devastated by an apocalyptic event, annihilating almost all mankind and turning the earth's surface into a poisonous wasteland. A handful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground, and human civilization entered a new Dark Age. The year is 2033. An entire generation has been born and raised underground, and their besieged Metro Station-Cities struggle for survival, with each other, and the mutant horrors that await outside. Artyom was born in the last days before the fire. Having never ventured beyond his Metro Station-City limits, one fateful event sparks a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro system, to warn the remnants of mankind of a terrible impending threat. His journey takes him from the forgotten catacombs beneath the subway to the desolate wastelands above, where his actions will determine the fate of mankind"--P. [4] of Cover.
I don't know if this was an issue with the translation. But the book felt like it was trying to convey some interesting takes on post apocalyptic (and contemporary) society but fell flat i n doing so. Narratively it is Artiom through the rabbit hole where the story feels more like a series of weard and wacky encounters than a consistent story. Again this might be due to translation errors but my Russian is not good enough to compare. Not my favourite but I read worse.
I decided to read this as I was interested in the dark atmosphere and intriging world. And in that aspect the book definitely delivered. The muscovy Metro is split into different factions with internal conflicts determining the actions of their leaders thus shaping the whole Metro. Unfortunately there are regular crises demanding cooperation of conflicting factions ... what a set up!
The introduction to the mc was also grabbing my attention. However, to establish the factions the mc has to at least pass them by which leads to a drawn out story. In my opinion it sometimes feels like the author prioritised showing of this cool world instead of writing a tense story. And I thought some scenes were really weird but that might just be me. However there were moments which stayed in my head and I really appreciated. And towards the end the book feels a bit like …
I decided to read this as I was interested in the dark atmosphere and intriging world. And in that aspect the book definitely delivered. The muscovy Metro is split into different factions with internal conflicts determining the actions of their leaders thus shaping the whole Metro. Unfortunately there are regular crises demanding cooperation of conflicting factions ... what a set up!
The introduction to the mc was also grabbing my attention. However, to establish the factions the mc has to at least pass them by which leads to a drawn out story. In my opinion it sometimes feels like the author prioritised showing of this cool world instead of writing a tense story. And I thought some scenes were really weird but that might just be me. However there were moments which stayed in my head and I really appreciated. And towards the end the book feels a bit like rushing towards the finish line.
Well if you're interested in the world you should definitely think about picking this up! Especially if you want an adventure discovering a post-apocalyptic Metro.
Do you like internal indecisive monologues, philosophical ramblings, and info-dumps? Well this is the novel for you! Let’s get this across: I enjoyed the concept of the world this novel presents, but I detested everything about the execution. The world-building is explained by “author fiat” at best, and the author’s writing skill is terrible. As such, despite finishing this novel, I hated the entire experience.
Why finish something you dislike? Well - there are flashes of greatness here and there. But if this review will convince even one person to give up, then it has been worth my time to write. If you think the novel will get better, don’t. It is terrible from start to finish.
This was supposed to inspire a video game, right? Well it feels like the opposite. The main character travels from one location to the next, narrating his internal thoughts and describing the dark …
Do you like internal indecisive monologues, philosophical ramblings, and info-dumps? Well this is the novel for you! Let’s get this across: I enjoyed the concept of the world this novel presents, but I detested everything about the execution. The world-building is explained by “author fiat” at best, and the author’s writing skill is terrible. As such, despite finishing this novel, I hated the entire experience.
Why finish something you dislike? Well - there are flashes of greatness here and there. But if this review will convince even one person to give up, then it has been worth my time to write. If you think the novel will get better, don’t. It is terrible from start to finish.
This was supposed to inspire a video game, right? Well it feels like the opposite. The main character travels from one location to the next, narrating his internal thoughts and describing the dark tunnels he’s exploring. Yes, it’s that boring. And then when you get to the next station? You meet entirely new characters that will info-dump everything you need to know about the place. Then the main character will leave these characters behind, and you’ll restart this process.
Worse, every so often you’ll face mini-bosses or sidequests. A random antagonist will give the main character some challenges, and then deus ex machina will save the main character. Or he’ll meet someone that will rant about some pseudo philosophy that has zero impact on the rest of the plot. Nearly every chapter is episodic and doesn’t impact future chapters.
Brutal. I have no idea why this is so highly rated.
My favourite point is that at 75% of the way through the novel, when we’re going to deploy a missile against the botanical garden and save the whole Metro, the author chooses to spend 2 chapters on a side-quest against a brand new enemy called the Children of the Worm. Two entire chapters of bad religion, priests ranting about the great worm, and then the main character is saved by others (again, he doesn’t solve his own problems. Others always show up).
Halting the plot? Check. Utterly irrelevant sideplot? Check. Deus ex machina solution? Check.
що сказати... «такоє». особливо дивне відчуття... дискомфорту викликає останній розділ: літературно найсильніший, можливо, але водночас найпафосніший і наче «пришитий» до зовсім іншого твору; як сідло на корові. гра за мотивами — краща за сам твір, нмсд.
