Book Review: Metro 2033 breathing life into a dying world.

Metro 2033 beckons readers to accompany its main character Arytom as he steps out of his home station into the mysterious world of the Moscow metro. Full of supernatural happenings and mysterious characters, the Metro filled me with curiosity and a desire to learn more about its world. While the writing may be a bit clunky at times and the translation awkward, I finished Metro 2033 feeling a mix of love towards the world Dimitry Glukhovsky created, and sadness at the bleak but impactful ending it offers.

Set in the a post nuclear apocalyptic Russia, Metro 2033 explores a world where the people of Moscow survived the impact by fleeing into the tunnels of the Moscow metro system. As life began to settle, towns and villages began to develop within the stations of the Metro, creating a new life for the people underground.

The story follows 24 year old Artyom as he is tasked by a man named Hunter to leave his station and venture into the metro in seek of help to defeat a mysterious enemy plaguing the station known only as the dark ones.

While the over arching plot of Metro 2033 is certainly interesting, it is not what kept me invested in reading the book. Instead, I found myself enthralled by the world of the metro and the characters Artyom interacts with.

In many ways Metro feels like a fantasy book filled with folklore, and mysterious supernatural happenings that each person throughout the tunnels has their own unique explanation and stories for.

Throughout his journey Artyom is faced with: ghosts, hallucinations, mysterious religions and other unexplainable creatures that the book often offers no concrete answers for. You are left with the stories told by other residence of the metro and encouraged to come to your own conclusions.

More than anything Metro is a book about faith and purpose. As Artyom travels across the metro and is faced with new trials, each more perilous than the last, he is forced to question what the purpose of his very existence is. Throughout his journey he meets a variety of people each with their own beliefs and answers to the age old question of why are we here. Artyom is scared and desperate for something to believe in, something to offer him purpose. Watching him undergo a learning process that many of us have experienced ourselves only acts to humanise him as a character.

Aside from Artyom, the metro is filled with a colourful cast characters such as Khan who believes himself to be a reincarnation of Genghis Khan, or the cannibals of the Great Worm who believe a giant worm is responsible for the creation of the Metro tunnels. Each character Artyom interacts with offers him a new piece of insight on the world around him. While the dialogue can be a little awkward at times, for me it only added to the charm

Although Metros translation issues, clunky pacing, and strange dialogue may be off putting to some, I would greatly encourage anyone who is at all interested in lovecraftian style horror, and/or a world full of supernatural mysteries to give this one a try.