Metro 2033: Serie Metro, 1

Metro #1

by Dmitry Glukhovsky, Joan Josep Mussarra Roca (Translator)

Año 2033. Tras una guerra nuclear devastadora, amplias zonas del mundo han quedado sepultadas bajo escombros y cenizas debido a la radiación. También Moscú se ha transformado en una ciudad fantasma. Los supervivientes se han refugiado bajo tierra, en la red del metro. En cada una de las estaciones, convertidas en pequeñas ciudades Estado, sus habitantes se agrupan en torno a las más diversas ideologías, religiones o movidos por un único impedir una invasión de las criaturas mutantes del exterior. Artyom, un joven soldado, será elegido para penetrar en el corazón del Metro hasta la legendaria Polis y alertar a todos del peligro que acecha a la estación de la que procede, la VDNKh, y a toda la red metropolitana. De él dependerá el futuro de su hogar, del Metro y puede que de toda la humanidad.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia, Fantasy, Audiobook

544 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Dmitry Glukhovsky (Russian: Дмитрий Глуховский) is a professional Russian author and journalist. Glukhovsky started in 2002 by publishing his first novel, Metro 2033, on his own website to be viewed for free. The novel has later become an interactive experiment, drawing in many readers, and has since been made into a video game for the Xbox 360 console and PC. Glukhovsky is known in Russia for his novels Metro 2033 and "It's Getting Darker". He is also an author of a series of satirical "Stories of Motherland" criticizing today's Russia.
As a journalist, Dmitry Glukhovsky has worked for EuroNews TV in France, Deutsche Welle, and RT. In 2008-2009 he worked as a radio host of a Mayak Radio Station. He writes columns for Harper’s Bazaar, l’Officiel and Playboy.
He has lived in Israel, Germany and France and speaks English, French, German, Hebrew and Spanish as well as his native Russian.

Reviews

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Russians have a skill in writing apocalyptic, nightmarish stories. You only have to read the Strugatsky Brothers' "Roadside Picnic" (or watch the film version, "Stalker"), Gansovsky's "A Day of Wrath" or watch Lopushansky's amazing "Letters From A Dead Man" to realise that they understand what it is to live on the edge of the abyss.
Claustrophobic, dark cul-de-sacs of danger and terror, "Metro 2033" is a world of uncertainties and fear, hung on the fringes between survival and death. Criminals and refugees, traders and mystics... bullets used as currency... fear, and always uncertainty.
Artyom, our hero, is asked to deliver an important message that could affect the survival of humankind in the subways. On his way to the centre he is aided, and hindered, by a motley crew of individuals who reflect the chaos that reigns below. The voyage is full of menace (though moments of almost calm menace and surreality are not uncommon).
There is one brief sortie to the surface that becomes an adrenalyn-packed nightmare. I never realised that you can read a book through your fingers as you wait for the horrors to leap out from the ruins and the dark.
This is, of course, an Odyssey and our brave Ulysses has to strive through his labours as he comes face-to-face with the demons that litter his nightmare world distorted and turned inside out by humanity. His is a noble task and he is aided by heroic figures, heroes that could have stepped out of the ancient myths... Yet questions and doubts are raised constantly... what sort of humanity is it that Artyom wants to save?... and what nightmares come flowing down the dark tunnels of the Metro.

[Mario the lone bookwolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a strange and disturbing hero´s journey with interesting fractions, what a fresh look at a good old underground post apocalypse where one better shouldn´t miss the last subway train.

Take an underground ride to some of the weirdest alternative societies that grow like mushrooms as soon as the rest of humankind is left to rot in the darkness and cultivated behavior goes down the sewer and whatever creepy caves might lie beneath. A combination of horror, sci-fi, and dark fantasy elements makes the journey an outstanding and kind of underrated piece of literature, it makes one ask why there aren´t more underground cave or tunnel terror novels, except for Howey´s
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
amazing Silo series that is much more successful, because it´s focused on the character development readers love and not mainly on walking through the wastelands.

The suspense options are immense, the space is limited, everyone needs to fight to survive, there is social dynamic inside and outside groups, political fractions, anarchists, diplomacy, potential for magic, aliens, or monster intervention, much to rant against with innuendos, backstory, social criticisms, etc. and play around with potential future perspective, humankind splitting into different fractions regarding the construction of the one real right utopia, big conspiracies, resident evil style underground hive terror,… the potential is endless.

Ok, the ending isn´t everyone's favorite, because it´s a bit unconventional, but that doesn´t explain the one thing I am having more problems with. In most cases, the first part isn´t as good the following ones, because exposition takes it´s price, although I don´t know if this one was ever considered to be a series; I don´t know it´s development and creation story. However, it seems to go extremely down with the second part and up again with the third, so I am absolutely not sure what to do with this series, just read the third part or stay with just this one, tricky.

What I´ve read so far from Eastern European and Russian authors was always filled with a melancholic, kind of depressing undertone, desperation and resignation radiating from characters, setting, even the author´s voice, and I don´t want to discriminate or something, but I am really wondering why Lukyanenko, Sapkowksi, Glukhovsky, and, I assume, the ones I haven´t read so far, are all such cool, badass, desperate downers.

I deem this piece a bit unfairly underrated, it´s so different from our Western fantasy genres and conventions which might explain why it´s still an underdog, but definitively try to give it a chance, it might surprise you with the charm of the fatalistic future it plays in.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

[Lilla Smee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. Everything about it promised so much! The setting is the Moscow metro system in the year 2033. Above ground, it appears that humanity has been wiped out by nuclear war. The survivors live entirely in the underground tunnel system; stations have evolved into microcosms of the old social and political systems of Russia. The inhabitants are now into the second generation, and Glukhovsky touches on some of the adaptive changes humans have undergone as a result of living in a lightless world, believing themselves the last representatives of humanity. Strange mutations have resulted from the nuclear devastation, and frightening creatures are taking over the world above; some of them threaten life in the tunnel systems. The premise is simply fascinating, and begs for more attention by the author. But one of the main flaws of the book as I see it is that Glukhovsky simply does not pay enough attention to building a cohesive, believable world, and the promise in the premise is not fulfilled. Glukhovsky's primary concern is with relating the adventures of his 'hero' Artyom, a young man drawn ostensibly by chance into a strange quest to save the metro system. The structure of the quest is aimless and ultimately lacks satisfcatory closure. I struggled to remain engaged with Artyom and indeed the fate of the metro system. About a quarter of the way through I simply stopped caring about what would happen to any of them.
The novel rushes to a close in the last ten pages (after a build up of nearly 450 pages) and these last few pages throw the whole book into a new light - suddenly, I saw how the novel could have been a rich critique of modern humanity, an exploration of the madness and futility of war, and the destructiveness of anthropocentrism. I am so disappointed it failed!

A factor that served only to exacerbate any issues I had with plot and character development was exacerbated by what is almost certainly a poor translation (I am giving Glukhovsky himself the benefit of the doubt, as I cannot read Russian and verify the quality of the original) , and some awful copy-editing.

The [only:] good news is that this novel has been adapted into a PC game – and I think the story material is eminently suited to it! I actually bought the game, and I am looking forward to exploring it.

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of Metro 2033 is excellent, and the ultimate conclusion of the story (the last 10 pages), though treading on an overused SF trope, could have added an excellent undercurrent to the plot. Yet, in-between the opening and the ending, there is over 400 pages of, well, nothing. After introducing the setting, the main character, Artyom, is sent on a quest by someone he just met, for reasons which are not elaborated upon, to the ultimate purpose of doing...something. That's a great way to start a journey, isn't it?

For the rest of the book, Artyom simply wanders around the metro system tunnels and stations, trying to get to his goal. Every now and then, he goes on rambling, nearly incoherent philosophical rants about the nature of humanity--presented with incredibly juvenile thinking, as though it were written by a moody high-schooler. He meets people, then they leave after a few pages. And there doesn't seem to be any overall plot that ties it together, other than his loosely defined "quest." To quote the book, "it just went on and on."

This, as a finished novel, reads like a rough draft. He rambles on for ages about Artyom's travels through the metro, yet the motivation for his doing so seems sketchy, at best, until the last 10 pages. Characters are barely developed, and are then tossed aside, as soon as they have any personality. Locations have only minimal descriptions, likely assuming that you're already familiar with what the Russian subway system looks like--I shouldn't have to look things up on Google Images to understand what an author is talking about. None of it manages to come together and form a cohesive world. It's a large jumble of fragmented good ideas; and it seems the author had to include every single one of his good ideas, without thinking about whether or not they were appropriate or useful to the narrative. I also have a tough time buying into the idea of everything on the surface mutating into super monsters within a single generation after nuclear war. This may be fantasy, but COME ON! At least give us a believable timeline.

I could have probably given this 2-stars, expect for the fact that all of the good ideas the book presents are utterly wasted. I've mentioned a few times how it quickly wraps up in about 10 pages, and that's the problem: the ideas in those 10 pages should have been everywhere else in the novel. You can't have a compelling conclusion when there is no build up to it. Simply stating, "This is what it was all about," is the worst kind of lazy writing. I was appalled at how wasteful this book was of its ideas, characters, setting and, most importantly, my time.

All this is without even mentioning the massive amount of typos, grammatical errors, wrong names, and general sloppiness of the English translation. Perhaps I should have played the video game version, instead. At least then I would have been able to kill things, which is what I wanted to do upon finishing this novel.

[Iztok · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprisingly monotonous novel. Reading it it becomes obvious that postapocalyptic setting, strange events and bizarre creatures are not enough for a good novel. The structure is repetitive, there is no overall development of main character's psyche, except at the very end, too late, I'm afraid. Events are arbitrary, there are too many unnecessary descriptions of metro stations and reader looses himself in all the mentioned tunnels. Women play no important role, there is none, except for some hysterical mother here and there. Apparently in the future they can't carry weapons, fight, protect or be a community leader. I take it for granted it is a SF novel, but still there are many inconsistencies which could be easily avoided with a careful editing.

[Atlas · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOD....I can`t believe I`ve just finished this book....The best last stand for humanity I`ve ever read

Now...Imagine this with me...A guy walking in the streets of a post apocalyptic dead city when no one and (nothing) should be on the surface, And then he notices these dark things walking slowly behind him, He can`t turn around and shot any of them, If he starts runing he`s dead, and above his head in the sky he can hear this winged thing circling around, looking for a prey...Now what should he do?

Some fascist bastards imprison him, torture him, And set him to hang in the next day...The floor`d already slipped out from under him and the loop tightened from the weight of his body...What should he do?

That was just a small taste of what`s in that book....The guy was literally creeping all the way of his journey.
But I admit it...It turned out that I`m not a bad & slow reader as I thought...but take my advice...Don`t ever play a video game that has a novel you`re planing to read...trust me...You`ll live a lot longer :D
Can`t wait to read the next part of the series.
My greetings from my post apocalyptic cairo ^_^

[Kenchiin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you tired of stupid Young Adult books with stupid protagonists who are worried about who they should kiss rather than how to survive? Then this is for you.
Real survival, real struggle, and a very elaborated setting take Metro 2033 to new levels of "things went wrong here".

This book won't try to babysit you, so don't expect an easy read.

[آبتین گلکار · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب خوب و جالبی از ادبیات معاصر روسیه‌ست که اگه یه مقدار کار فنی بیشتری روش انجام می‌شد می‌تونست حسابی سروصدا کنه. اولین کتابی بود که از این مترجم می‌خوندم و معلومه مترجم بدی هم نیست، ولی اگه فقط یک نفر دیگه، مثلاً یه ویراستار خوب یا حتی یک کتابخون نیمه‌حرفه‌ای، این کتاب رو قبل از چاپ می‌خوند، می‌تونست خیلی بهترش کنه و مثلاً توضیحات مترجم رو از وسط متن منتقل کنه به پانویس یا «اسچیلر» و «رد اسکوئر» رو بکنه «شیلر» و «میدان سرخ» و یه ساختارهای نحوی ناجوری رو که خیلی توی چشم میان درست کنه، ولی متأسفانه مشخصه که تا قبل از چاپ کتاب، غیر از خود مترجم هیچ کس دیگه‌ای کتاب رو نخونده و هیچ کاری روش انجام نداده، علت سه ستاره هم همینه، وگرنه به محتوای کتاب چهار می‌دادم. با همه‌ی اینها و به‌رغم همه‌ی حرص‌هایی که موقع خوندن کتاب باید بابت مسائل فنی بخورید، به نظرم ارزش خوندن داره. اگه موقع خوندن یه نقشه‌ی مترو مسکو رو هم کنارتون بذارید فکر می‌کنم خیلی کمک بکنه

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to the post apocalyptic world of Metro 2033. It’s a grim and depressing existence, this. This novel conveys a claustrophobic atmosphere rarely felt. Everything in this underworld has a dreamy (nightmarish) quality about it. Consider: perpetual darkness except for signal fires and faint red emergency lighting at some stations. And if you’re travelling, don’t forget your pocket flashlight.

So what’s the story? Well, the apocalypse has come and gone. Somebody pushed the button, and only the few who made it to the underground metro survived. They’re still there, decades later, unable to come out (except for Stalkers, who wear gas masks and protective gear). Pockets of civilisation have formed at different stations, each with their own politics, religions and mythologies.
But there are things in the darkness, and there are things in the outside world that want in…

Metro 2033 is a good idea, and a fine example of Sci-Fi Horror. When it succeeds, it succeeds well. Unfortunately the reverse is also true: when it stumbles...

Cons

There is often a lot of dialogue that doesn’t seem relevant to the story. The plot skips around so much and takes off on random tangents so often that the whole thing at times feels like an exercise in frustration. There is a lot of political and philosophical meandering, and although it’s sometimes interesting and relevant, many times it’s not. Characters sometimes behave totally inexplicably. There are so many stations and factions that I found it difficult to separate them in my mind (the map didn’t really help) and eventually everything blurred together (it’s all just one dark tunnel with a station attached). The awkward sentence structuring and clumsy writing doesn’t help. This seems to be at least partly attributable to translation issues (but perhaps not limited to).

Pros

Now the good news. The story is filled with legends, half-truths and mythology, which will keep you on your toes. The mythical qualities reminded me of the The Gunslinger. Metro 2033 also has its fair share of genuinely spooky moments. It’s very atmospheric. And yes, it is actually pretty cool at times.
Now, the list of cons may seem longer than the list of pros, but that’s only because I made a list of things that annoyed me as they popped up. You should at least give this a try. It’s a novel experience (no pun intended).

‘I’ve died,’ [he] said. ‘There is no more me.’
And as straight as a cross-tie, he fell face down.

[podczytany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wyjątkowo nierówna książka… Momentami strasznie się dłuży, żeby potem przyspieszyć z akcją i znowu wpaść w ocean dłużenia🥲

Sam koncept bardzo ciekawy. Zobaczymy co w dalszych tomach.

Ocena: 3,0

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cult-classic dystopia that managed to catapult high despite originally being given away for free a little more than a decade ago. It's a testament of word-of-mouth.

I found myself curious even before having this recommended to me, but I'm only now getting around to reading it. For shame, right?

This is very much a Russian tale with everything that implies. Post-nuclear survival tale within the metro tunnels, humanity becoming Morlocks and strange flying creatures preventing any egress. (Along with the heavy radiation, but who's really counting that?) ;)

The novel was very interesting in how the novel was nearly a traditional coming-of-age tale, but more than that, I nearly had to stop at a regular basis because of how episodic it seemed, too. Maybe I should have. I might have enjoyed it more.

As it was, we followed the main character from one part of the metro tunnel to another, discovering strange belief systems that happen to be pretty much everything that we moderns know now. Christians, fascists, satanists, worm-worshiping cannibals and of course capitalists were discovered with fresh, unpolluted eyes. The novel had a lot to say. It was very ideal-and-idealism oriented. Maybe it was just the utter feel of being disillusioned by all the lies that we humans keep telling ourselves, and maybe it was that old Russian pragmatism at work, but I thought this was both the novel's main strength and main weakness.

Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it. And maybe I've already had my fill of such classic translated Russian novels. :) Either way, I appreciated this novel while not entirely getting into it.

That's not to say it wasn't full of great parts. It refers to and pays homage to Roadside Picnic, Stalkers and all. The ending made up for almost all the slow parts that felt like kind-of a slog.

All told, I'd recommend this for fans of extremely well-developed post-apocalypse literature with a huge serving of what classic Russian literature is known for: shovels and ideas. :)

[William Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro 2033, I felt compelled to offer a review. Frankly it is the best post-apocalyptic sci-fi I have ever read. While some things may get lost in translation, and it has a lot of typos, for me it did not detract from Artyom's epic struggle to reach Polis from the subway station of VDNKh and deliver the message that the dark ones are invading the station and the future of the entire metro population is at risk.

Set in the year 2033, it depicts mankind's struggle to survive in a Moscow subway system after nuclear bombs have destroyed the surface and contaminated the air, resulting in the birth of a multitude of mutant monsters, creating a life of constant fear and terror for the metro human pupulation. There is a new species, more adapted to the radiation filled atmosphere, intent on replacing mankind.

The story operates on a number of different levels, is tightly plotted, very descriptive and real. Lead protagonist Artyom is very believable as he analyzes the politics at work during his journey to try and save the future of mankind.

Glukhovsky criticizes Communism, institutionalized religion, cult worship, man's inabilty to get along with his neighbours, the futility of capitalism and the hopelessness of war (I'm sure I'm missing a few). Inside the small states organized at different metro stations, the different control groups become a microcosm of our society, almost an allegory of how, as George Orwell put it, "absolute power corrupts absolutely."

The ending is a twist and a shocker that left me feeling empty and hollow for a few days afterwards.

This is a well-written, poignant and riveting work destined to become a timeless piece of literature that will be studied, admired and critiqued for many years to come.

[Mb · Rating 3 out of 5]

در سال ٢٠١٣،دنيا،در جنگ جهاني سوم و اتمي نابود شده است.پس از ٢٠ سال،اكنون در سال ٢٠٣٣ زندگي بر روي سطح زمين غير ممكن و كشنده است.هوا پر از تشعشعات راديو اكتيو است كه در صورت تنفس و يا تماس با پوست باعث مرگ ميشود.خورشيد ويرانگر تر از هميشه اشعه هايش را بر زمين ميتاباند.در اين شرايط بازمانده هاي شهر مسكو به تونلهاي زيرزميني و تو در توي متروي مسكو پناه اورده اند.حال ايستگاههاي مترو تبديل به شهرهايي با قانون و مرزهاي خودشان شده اند.ايستگاههايي كه فرمانده خودشان را دارند،عبور و مرور از انها گذرنامه ميخواهد و اگر قصد بازرگاني داشته باشيد بايد حق عبور بپردازيد.بنابراين هر ايستگاهي ايست بازرسي دارد تا ضمن كنترل اين موارد بتوانند در مقابل حمله احتمالي جهش يافته ها واكنش نشان دهند.مردم بوسيله پرورش نوعي قارچ و خوك ارتزاق ميكنند كه البته هميشه با كمبود منابع روبرو هستند.اما حتي اين زير هم كاملا در امان نيستند.موجودات جهش يافته بر اثر تشعشعات،بطور مداوم از سطح به تونلها حمله ميكنند و اين تنها بدبختي مردم نيست..ايستگاهها به دلايل مختلف از جمله دسترسي به منابع و راههاي بهتر،يا به دلايل سياسي،ايدئولوژيك هميشه در جنگ هستند.
در اين ميان افراد شجاعي هستندكه مردم انها را خرامنده مينامند.وظيفه انها اين است كه با پوشيدن لباس محافظ،ماسك اكسيژن و همراه داشتن بهترين اسلحه ها براي مقابله با موجودات تاريكي به سطح زمين بروند و هم تحقيقات انجام دهند و هم وسايل مورد نياز ايستگاهها را تامين كنند.خرامنده ها تنها شبها به سطح ميروند،زيرا پس از بيست سال زندگي در تونلهاي تاريك و كم نور مترو چشمانشان قادر به تحمل نور خورشيد نيست و نابينا ميشوند.
بازمانده ها در شرايطي بد،در چادرهايي قديمي در ايستگاهها زندگي ميكنند.انها تنها به ارامي در حال مردن هستند،زيرا كمترين اميدي به اينده ندارند،زيرا بر خلاف تصور تشعشعات راديواكتيو در اين ٢٠ سال كم نشده است..ارز رايج در مترو فشنگهاي كلاشينكوف است.بطوريكه مثلا يك ليوان چاي ٥ فشنگ قيمت دارد.
در اين ميان پسري بيست ساله به نام ارتيوم توسط خرامنده اي كه دوست پدرخوانده اش است ماموريتي پيدا ميكند.چنانچه خرامنده پس از ماموريتش برنگشت او بايد بدون اينكه به كسي چيزي بگويد به ايستگاهي دور به نام پوليس برود و پيغام او را براي فردي به نام ملنيك ببرد.
گلوخوفسكي با نوشتن اين رمان ديستوپيايي بطور غير مستقيم انتقادي به سياستها و حزب بنديهاي كشور متبوعش روسيه داشته.جايي كه انسانها در پايان دنيا به سر ميبرند و دشمن مشترك بزرگي دارند ولي باز هم بجاي اتحاد دست به تشكيل حزبها و گروه هاي مختلف (فاشيستها،قرمزها،كمونيستها،هانزا،ازادي خواهان،رايش ها) ميزنند و با يكديگر ميجنگند و جان يكديگر را ميگيرند.
او همچنين نقدي به ذات انسان و انسانيت داشته،حتي در اين دنيا هم مردم به دو گروه غني و فقير تقسيم ميشوند.بطوريكه جايي در داستان زني حاضر است پسرش را براي نيم ساعت به اين و ان و به مبلغ ١٥ فشنگ بفروشد تا از گرسنگي نميرند.
مترو ٢٠٣٣ را فربد اذسن ترجمه كرده كه قبلا كتاب پرتقال كوكي را ترجمه كرده بود و به دليل عدم امكان چاپ كتاب انرا بصورت رايگان در نت قرار داده بود.متن گوياي اين است كه اذسن ان را به صورت لغت به لغت و كاملا ماشيني ترجمه كرده.هيچ روح و انعطافي در ترجمه به چشم نميخورد.به غير از اين ايرادات ديگري مانند تغيير زمان افعال در يك جمله و نيز ويراستاري نه چندان خوب را هم به ان اضافه كنيد.

با همه توصيفات كتاب غير قابل خوانش نيست (خواندن ترجمه اذسن سخت نيست و شما را گيج نميكند ولي شايد ان حسي را كه بايد،منتقل نكند) و ايضا بايد از اذسن بابت ترجمه تقدير كرد.زيرا اگر او اينكار را انجام نميداد هيچ مترجم ديگري به سراغ ان نميرفت و اين اثر براي هميشه از دسترس خواننده فارسي زبان دور ميماند.
مترو ٢٠٣٣ رمان متوسط رو به خوبي ست.ميتوانست بسيار بهتر ازين باشد.البته توجه داشته باشيد كه گلوخوفسكي رمان را در ١٨ سالگي شروع كرده و در٢٢ سالگي انرا بصورت انلاين منتشر كرد ولي پس از استقبال بينظير و ميليوني مردم از كتاب نسخه چاپي انرا نيز منتشر كرد.
طرح اوليه و طراحي لوكيشن و فضا سازي ايده ي بسيار بكري بوده است كه از تمام پتانسيلش استفاده نميشود.
مترو ٢٠٣٣ در بعضي جاها بسيار طولاني ميشود و خواننده را از نفس مي اندازد.راوي داناي كل محدود است و مدام افكار درون سر ارتيوم را كه بعضا به پاراگرافهاي ٢-٣ صفحه اي ميرسند براي ما شرح ميدهد.كتاب بيش از حد طولانيست و به راحتي ميشد ٢٠٠ تا ٣٠٠ صفحه ان را كم كرد.
كتاب مشكلاتي مانند رها شدن يكي دو كاراكتر مهم (شكارچي و خان) در داستان و عدم مشخص شدن سرنوشت انها،و بي سرانجام و بي هدف بودن بعضي از خرده داستانها مانند كتاب نجات بخش در كتابخانه مركزي را دارد.بعضي شخصيتها رفتار و سكنات عجيبي دارند كه البته انرا ميتوان با منطق ٢٠ سال زندگي كردن در ان شرايط و در تونلهاي مترو توجيه كرد.
ضمن اينكه نميدانم مترجم يا خود نويسنده،خواننده را بسيار دست كم گرفته و هر زمان كه ارتيوم در حال خواب ديدن است را با علامت (***) مشخص ميكند.
نقطه قوت كتاب،پايان بندي ان بود كه به نظر من از تمام موارد در دسترس بهترين انتخاب بوده است و خواننده را نيز شوكه ميكند.
به دليل موفقيت بالاي كتاب،گلوخوفسكي دو دنباله به نامهاي مترو ٢٠٣٤ و مترو ٢٠٣٥ بر ان نوشت.
در حال خواندن كتاب به اين فكر ميكردم كه اين رمان پنانسيل بالايي براي تبديل شدن به فيلم و بازي كامپيوتري دارد ولي بعد متوجه شدم كه اتفاقا يك بازي سطح بالاي چند قسمتي از روي ان ساخته شده و نيز امتياز ساخت فيلم بر اساس ان هم فروخته شده.

از متن كتاب:
ارز رايج اينجا فشنگهاي تيره و براق كلاشينكوف بود.صد گرم چاي حكم پنج فشنگ،يك قطعه سوسيس حكم پانزده فشنگ و يك بطري جوشانده ي خانگي حكم بيست فشنگ را داشتند.يك فشنگ،يك مرگ.زندگي كسي به اتمام ميرسيد.صد گرم چاي مساوي ست با جان پنج نفر.يك قطعه سوسيس؟اگر مايل به خريد باشيد،خيلي ارزونه،فقط جان پانزده نفر.


همه اينجا يه زمان بندي دارن كه با مال بقيه فرق ميكنه و مختص خودشونه.هركس به زمانبندي خودش اعتقاد داره و برنامش رو با توجه به اون تنظيم ميكنه.براي من الان عصره،براي تو صبح.فكر ميكني الان صبحه؟احتمال زيادي وجود داره كه درست ميگي،حداقل ٢٥ درصد احتمال وجود داره.با وجود اين،اين صبحي كه ميگي به هـيچ دردي نميخوره،چون اون بالا روي سطحه و اون جام زندگي جريان نداره.پس وقتي بهت ميگم عصر بخير،اگه دوست داشته باشي ميتوني در جواب بگي صبح بخير..


زندگي كسي كه به مرگ محكوم شده با زندگي يك انسان معمولي تنها در يك چيز تفاوت دارد:اولي دقيقا ميداند كي مي ميرد و دومي نه.در نتيجه به نظر ميرسد ميتواند تا ابد زندگي كند،گرچه كه ممكن است طي يك حادثه مصيبت بار همان روز كشته شود.مرگ به خودي خود ترسناك نيست؛به انتظار نشستنش ترسناك است.

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

نمی‌دانم چرا بعد از اتمام این کتاب، بیشتر از هرچیزی به احساس رهایی‌م حین خواندن آخرین صفحه‌اش فکر می‌کنم. انگار بعد از سفری طولانی و پرپیچ‌وخم در تونل‌های تاریک متروی مسکو، بالاخره به ایستگاهی رسیده‌ام که در خروجی‌اش باز می‌شود و هوای تازه بیرون منتظرم است. مترو ۲۰۳۳، بیشتر از اینکه داستانی آخرالزمانی پر از هیولاها و تیراندازی باشد، تجربه‌ای به‌یادماندنی درباره خستگی است؛ خستگی از حرف‌ها، از فکرها، از ایده‌ها و ایدئولوژی‌های تکراری، و از تلاش بی‌ثمر برای نجات دادن جهانی که اصلاً نمی‌خواهد نجات پیدا کند.

این کتاب قول یک ماجراجویی نفس‌گیر می‌دهد (با تصویری از مردی با ماسک گاز در تونلی مه‌آلود، پر از جهش‌یافتگان رادیواکتیو و آدم‌خوارهای وحشتناک) اما در نهایت، تو را به جای اکشن، درگیر یک سمینار فلسفی زیرزمینی می‌کند که انگار هیچ‌وقت تمام نمی‌شود. جهان داستان، پس از حمله هسته‌ای به مسکو، به اعماق مترو محدود شده که بازماندگان در ایستگاه‌هاش پناه گرفته‌اند و هر ایستگاه به یک جامعه کوچک و خودکفا تبدیل شده، با قوانین، باورها و تعصبات خودش.
این فضا، که گلوخوفسکی با جزئیات حسی توصیف می‌کند (از بوی نم و فلز زنگ‌زده تونل‌ها گرفته تا صدای قطره‌های آب که در سکوت مطلق می‌چکد) پتانسیل بی‌نظیری برای ایجاد جو ترس و بقا دارد، اما اغلب زیر لایه‌های ضخیم تأملات ایدئوفلسفی دفن می‌شود.
من کتاب را با اشتیاقی دیوانه‌وار برداشتم. آن تصویر جلد، با سایه‌ای مرموز در تاریکی، من را به یاد بازی‌های ویدیویی‌اش انداخت Metro 2033 Redux که پر از جو تیره، صداهای ترسناک و لحظات تنش‌زاست. فکر می‌کردم قرار است همراه آرتیوم، قهرمان داستان، در اعماق مترو بجنگم، ماسک اکسیژنم را چک کنم و از تله‌های جهش‌یافتگان فرار کنم. اما خیلی زود، در همان فصل‌های ابتدایی، فهمیدم هیولایی که با آن دست‌به‌گریبان می‌شوم، وحشتناک‌تر از هر موجود جهش‌یافته‌ای است: مونولوگ‌های فلسفی بی‌پایان!
بله، هیولایی بی‌شکل و سیال از جنس فلسفیدن، که مدام حرف می‌زند، فرضیه می‌بافد و سعید می‌کند چیزی عمیق را به تو حقنه کند، تا مبادا واقعاً چیزی احساس کنی یا هیجان‌زده شوی.
آرتیوم، کاراکتر اصلی داستان، مسافر سرگردانی است که بلیط اشتباهی خریده و سوار قطار اشتباه شده. او نه قهرمان است و نه حتی ضدقهرمان؛ او فقط سایه‌ای خسته است که در ایستگاه‌های مترو پرسه می‌زند، با هر فرقه‌ای بحث می‌کند و در جستجوی معنای گمشده زندگی می‌گردد. در جهانی که باید بوی خون، ترس، عرق و ادرار بدهد، آرتیوم فقط سوال می‌پرسد که زندگی چیست؟ بشریت کجاست؟ ایدئولوژی‌ها ما را کجا برده‌اند؟
و من، در حالی که صفحات را ورق می‌زدم، با خودم میگفتم: "آرتیوم جان، نمی‌دونی چقدر دلم می‌خواد یه هیولا واقعاً بهت حمله کنه! حداقل یه صحنه تعقیب‌وگریز، یه تیراندازی ناگهانی، یذره اسمات یا حتی یه لحظه دراماتیک که ضربان قلبم بالا بره!"

این فلسفیدن، که مدام داستان را خفه می‌کند، ریشه در سبک نوشتاری گلوخوفسکی دارد؛ او که خود یک ژورنالیست و فیلسوف آماتور است، انگار نمی‌تواند جلوی خودش را بگیرد و هر صحنه‌ای را به فرصتی برای کاوش تم‌های بزرگ تبدیل نکند (از مذهب در برابر علم مثل ایستگاه‌های مذهبی که علم را شیطانی می‌دانند تا بقا در برابر آرمان‌ها جایی که گروه‌های مسلح برای ایدئولوژی‌های پوچ می‌جنگند). جهان‌سازی کتاب، با جزئیاتش (مثل سیستم تهویه هوا که با فیلترهای دست‌ساز کار می‌کند، یا جهش‌یافتگانی که شایعات در موردشان بیشتر از واقعیت ترسناک است مثل "موجودات تاریکی" که ذهن خواننده را می‌خوانند)، واقعاً نفس‌گیر است. اما این عناصر، به جای اینکه داستان را پیش ببرند، اغلب به عنوان پس‌زمینه‌ای برای دیالوگ‌های طولانی استفاده می‌شوند و شخصیت‌ها ساعت‌ها در مورد معنای تاریکی یا سرنوشت بشریت بحث می‌کنند، بدون اینکه اقدامی عملی انجام دهند.

گلوخوفسکی مترو را به یک جهان مینیاتوری فوق‌العاده از زیست بشریت تبدیل کرده، با تمام ایدئولوژی‌ها و تعصباتش. این ایده درخشان است که ایستگاه‌هایی جداافتاده مثل جزیره‌های کوچک، هر کدام با قوانین و باورهای خودشان، که یادآور تاریخ روسیه و حتی جهان است (از انقلاب‌ها تا جنگ‌های سرد، و چگونگی تکرار چرخه‌های قدرت و نابودی در مقیاس کوچک) تصویر شوند. مثلاً ایستگاه‌های فاشیستی با شعارهای نژادپرستانه‌شان، یا جوامع کمونیستی که هنوز پرچم‌های سرخ را برافراشته‌اند، تصویری تلخ از این است که فاجعه هسته‌ای هم نمی‌تواند بشر را از خودش نجات دهد.
اما نور این ایده، مثل شعله کبریت در وسط طوفان، فقط سوسو می‌زند و بلافاصله خاموش می‌شود. هر ایستگاه فقط در حد یک ایده باقی می‌ماند، و هر دیالوگ به یک تمرین صبر بی‌پایان برای خواننده تبدیل می‌شود. تصاویری که نویسنده از جهان داستان می‌کشد (تونل‌های تاریک پر از سایه‌های مجهول، ایستگاه‌های شلوغ با بازارهای سیاه، یا لحظات نادر برخورد با جهش‌یافتگان مثل پرندگان غول‌پیکر یا سگ‌های جهش‌یافته) شبیه فریم‌های سریع یک پاورپوینت هستند که از جلوی چشم عبور می‌کنند و محو می‌شوند، بدون اینکه فرصت کنی در آن‌ها غرق شوی. عجیب‌تر اینکه، هر بار که فکر می‌کنی داستان دارد نفس می‌کشد و جان می‌گیرد (مثلاً در صحنه‌های کوتاه اکشن، مثل عبور از تونل‌های آلوده به گاز سمی یا مواجهه با گروه‌های مسلح در ایستگاه‌های دشمن) گلوخوفسکی دوباره با یک خطابه فلسفی دست روی خرخره‌اش می‌گذارد و خفه‌اش می‌کند. آرتیوم، که در کتاب بیشتر یک ناظر منفعل است تا یک مبارز (برخلاف نسخه بازی که او را به یک ماشین کشتار تبدیل کرده)، مدام درگیر بحث‌های فلسفی می‌شود: مذهب در برابر علم، بقا در برابر آرمان‌ها، انسان در برابر هیولا. این عمق فلسفی، که سعی دارد کتاب را از یک تریلر ساده به کاوشی در روان انسان تبدیل کند، گاهی جذاب است (مثلاً در توصیف "موجودات تاریکی" که نمادی از ترس‌های ناخودآگاه بشر هستند) اما اغلب به یک بار اضافی تبدیل می‌شود، چون داستان را از ریتم طبیعی‌اش دور می‌کند و خواننده را در لیمبو ایدئولوژیک نگه می‌دارد.

و اما پایان! آه، پایان... در پایان داستان، حس کردم گلوخوفسکی بالاخره خودش هم از این همه پرگویی خسته شده و انگار یادش افتاده که باید پیامی بدهد، پس با عجله فریاد می‌زند: "هیچ هیولایی در کار نیست، هیولای واقعی خود انسان‌ها هستند!"
بله، من این را می‌دانستم. همه ما می‌دانستیم (از اورول تا کامو، این تم تکراری است)، اما در زمینه مترو، می‌توانست ضربه‌ای عمیق‌تر بزند. آرتیوم در نهایت به پولیس می‌رسد، و پایان با یک توییست تلخ تمام می‌شود که بشریت را به تکرار چرخه‌ای پوچ محکوم می‌کند. اما بعد از هفتصد صفحه تأملات فلسفی، نقل‌قول‌های بی‌پایان و بحث‌های ایدئولوژیک، دلم فقط می‌خواست کسی آن را نشانم دهد، نه اینکه برایم درموردش سخنرانی کند. خواندن این کتاب برایم کند و ملال‌انگیز بود؛ صفحاتش مثل تونل‌های مترو کش می‌آمدند، و من مدام ساعت را چک می‌کردم. به همین خاطر، وقتی تمام شد، آن‌قدر حس تهی‌بودن داشتم و خسته بودم که حتی دلم برای همان چندتا هیولای کلیشه‌ای هم تنگ شده بود.

مترو ۲۰۳۳ می‌توانست ضربان داشته باشد، می‌توانست ترکیبی عالی از بقا، ترس و فلسفه باشد، مثل لایه‌های چندگانه‌ای که جهان مترو وعده می‌دهد از لایه اکشن با جهش‌یافتگان و درگیری‌های مسلحانه، لایه جوی با تاریکی و کمبود اکسیژن، و لایه فلسفی با کاوش ایدئولوژی‌ها. اما ترجیح داد روی منبر برود و سخنرانی کند، در حالی که خواننده در تاریکی منتظر یک نور واقعی است. جهان‌سازی‌اش نفس‌گیر است، جو تیره و فضای افسرده کننده‌اش منحصربه‌فرد، و ایده مینیاتوری جامعه انسانی‌اش درخشان است. اما حجم فلسفه و کمبود اکشن، آن را به یک تجربه دوگانه تبدیل کرده؛ این کتاب برای عاشقان تأملات عمیق، یک گنج و برای بقیه، یک آزمون دشوار صبر و تحمل است.
در نهایت، من از این چالش با حسی دوگانه بیرون آمدم؛ قدردان ایده‌هایش، اما درحسرت هیجانی که هرگز رخ نداد.


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الحاقی
در باب ترجمه:
ترجمه فارسی این کتاب نمیدونم چقدر با متن روسی مطابقت داره، و حدس میزنم از ترجمه واسطه انگلیسی ترجمه شده باشه. من مطابقت ندادم. اما بعنوان مصرف کننده به نظرم ترجمه فارسی با وجود قابل فهم و دردسترس بودن، ایرادات اساسی ویراستاری و نگارشی داره. در فصل های ابتدایی که بطور کلی زمان فعل‌ها خیلی بهم ریخته و ناهماهنگ هستن و یکدفعه از ماضی به مضارع شیفت میکنن بدون دلیل؛ و اسامی مکان ها هم یکی درمیون ترجمه شده و نشده هستن. من توی اینترنت که سرچ می‌کردم از لحن فلسفی گلوخوفسکی در داستان تمجید شده بود، اما توی ترجمه که همچین لحنی رو دریافت نکردم و خیلی گزارشگونه و ساده بود. حتی دیالوگ های فلسفی هم لحن مشابه سایر اتفاقات رو داشتن.
امیدوارم درآینده کتابسرای تندیس دستی به سروگوش کتاب بکشه و حالا که برای هر کتاب پول خون پدرشونو میگیرن، به مصرف کننده احترام بگذارن و کتاب تمیز و ویراستاری شده تحویلش بدن.

[Hanneke · Rating 2 out of 5]

The hype for this post-apocalyptic novel was quite remarkable, so I thought I’ll give it a try, seeing for myself why people were so taken with this SF story.

It turned out that I experienced conflicting feelings about the novel. While reading along, I even have often contemplated to abandon the book. On the one hand, I very much admired the setting of the novel which was quite innovative, as the story is played out in a very special environment, i.e. the Moscow metro system, where the last humans are surviving in little settlements on the metro platforms after a devastasting disaster occured that supposedly destroyed the world above. On the other hand, however, if you assume that this special setting would have guaranteed a very exciting story, you will get disappointed. The book is written in a boring and non-committed language which often induced me to skip half pages. There is a lot of rambling about nothing important, even when the dark tunnels and metro stations with each their own sort of atmosphere and people could have provided very interesting tales.

Artyom, the protagonist, is sent on a mission of which he does not actually have a clue what it entailed, but it must have to do with the deformed creatures from the world above that are trying to enter the metro system. Strangely enough, the exact purpose of his mission is never revealed. So we as readers have no idea either. Even after some 400 pages, it irked me that you still had no idea what sort of person Artyom is, how he looked or developed as a result of his adventures and that also applies to his occasional fellow travellers. I found Artyom a boring character so, consequently, you are not really interested in what happens to him. I did not understand what the last pages were meant to be about and I see that more readers had the same trouble. A pity, because the story had such potential. I read that a popular video game adaptation was made of the story and I can see that this would really work.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good dystopia, and Metro 2033 delivers a particularly interesting example of the type. Glukhovsky's vision of the remnants of human society huddling in the damp and eerie darkness of the Moscow metro while surviving on rats and carefully cultivated mushrooms is a fascinating scenario (Although I kept wondering how we would fare here in Melbourne where our subway consists of only four stations- we don't have much space for a post-apocalyptic microcosm of society down there!).

After the surface has been rendered uninhabitable the last of humanity has taken shelter in Moscow's vast metro system. Typically, humanity has split into rival clans and political groups and an uneasy tension reigns between them as the balance of resources teeters towards the extinction of our race. While the rival groups compete strange things are happening in the darkest, most distant tunnels. Odd creatures have been seen. People are disappearing. Amongst the fear and growing chaos a young man, Artyom, begins a journey to the center of the metro network, to warn the people there of the dangers that are coming.

I love this setup. it's grim, moody, and at times quite scary. Yet while there's a lot going for the story in Metro 2033 it feels a tad episodic- the hero bounces from group to group in the new underground society in a way that feels more like a guided tour for the reader (See the crazy socialists! Visit the fearsome fascists! Marvel at the mad religious cults!) than a plausible journey. The end also comes up very rapidly, almost as though the author was rushing to draw the narrative to a big finish. As a result, the finale feels a little undercooked. I also got the feeling sometimes that the text may have lost some of its grace in translation, leading to some clunky bits that I'm sure flowed better in the original Russian.

Overall though this book is an enjoyable read, and the long, dark tunnels of the Moscow metro have stayed with me. Whenever my train passes through the Melbourne Metro I now find myself casting around for a patch of ground that would make a good mushroom farm.

[Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am unfortunately forced to put this book on hold.

I'm not quite sure why. There was a point where I just lost interest entirely. It's not bad, far from it. The opening chapters were very interesting, and made the promise of a fascinating postapocalyptic setting in the Moscow metro. However, I just lost the thread at some point. I started reading other books on the side, and eventually I was no longer interested in picking this one back up. I tried a few times, but could never find the desire to read more in it.

Maybe another time.

[Viktor Stoyanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

И все пак те оцеляват. Хората.

От перспективата на 2022, 2033 изглежда близко, като току зад ъгъла. Не знам дали точно ядрен апокалипсис, но свикнахме през последните години апокалиптичните сценарии да ги гледаме и четем с по други очи. По-скоро като екшън план - какво да се прави в една или друга ситуация.

Както беше коментирал един четящ, тук няма да връхлетим на най-гениалния, невиждан досега сюжет на света, но пък има доволно и предоволно от всичко останало. Странни герои срещаме (какви да са, след години под земята), а главният герой носи чувството на предопределеност.

Вероятно най ми харесаха размишленията за войната, за оцеляването, философията и религията. Все вечни, неизтъркващи се литературни теми. Те идваха естествено чрез героите, не изкуствено натрапени.

Създадена е уникална атмосфера - книжното преживяване печели много от това и за мен е причината да вдигна от 4 на 5 звезди. Отделно, ядреният постапокалипсис винаги ми е интересен като експеримент, защото представя много концентрирано (в малка или не токова малка, но все пак ограничена група хора) всички изкривявания на обществото. Това, ако е в ръцете на умел психолог или поне в писател с достатъчно достоверно въображение откъм поведенческата наука.

Хареса ми колкото и "Бъдеще" на Глуховски и това май му остават най-силните творби за момента.

[Caro the Helmet Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was seriously going to give it 4 stars, because yeah, I really liked it, and that was it, but last chapter changed everything. You broke my heart, Glukhovsky, you bastard.

Hmm, but I still have some questions. Need to think about it all one more time.

[Juliet Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. I was not familiar with the video game (which came after the book) so had no preconceived notions about the story before I began. It reads like true Russian literature, taking time to build the story and the characters, not getting caught up in quick satisfaction at the sacrifice of the story. Each leg of Artyom's journey develops and defines him from a boy to a man, who is destined to become the mediator between the human world in the metro and what resides above on earth. The world building is intense and puts the reader down in the tunnels with the characters. It is unforgiving and harsh at times, yet retains the delicate nature of hope at others. Not everyone will get it, but this is a work of art!

[Lucia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you read the synopsis? What an unique and compelling premise, right? However its executions did not work for me at all. Let's look at all the things that ruined the book for me.

WRITING STYLE
There was too much telling-not-showing. I read english version (originally written in russian) so it may have been caused by inproper stylistic translation, who knows. Either way, it lead to story lacking true emotions.

ROAD TRIP FEEL
Metro 2033 had a road trip feel to it. Hero goes from station to station, meeting various people and talking with them about everything and nothing. Those side characters are never present for too long. Road-tripy feel simply does not work for dystopian novel. It was boring with minimum action and what good is dystopian novel if it does not keep you on the edge of your seat?

PROPAGANDA
The story was too "in your face" philosophical, touching all subjects from politics to religion and meaning of life. It felt as if author wanted to present his views on given matters in forcefull way using long monologues and left no space for discussion. It took bigger part of the book and it was seriously annoying.

Metro 2033 is a story with plenty of potential that was not met. So sadly, I won't continue reading this trilogy.

[Choco Con Churros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pues con lo que tardó en arrancar, no esperaba yo que me acabara gustando tanto. El giro final hace que veas a los humanos tan constreñidos físicamente en ese subsuelo y mentalmente por una especie de miseria moral que en lugar de llevarles a unirse contra la adversidad, les lleva a dividirse en multitud de subgrupos hostiles entre ellos (a lo Partido de liberación judío versus Partido judío de liberación en La vida de Brian) que casi comprendas mejor a los otros, verdadero paso siguiente en la evolución.
Sobre el momento "iluminación final" del protagonista se cierne la sombra de la duda, ya que hubo otros momentos iluminados de diferentes tipos y orígenes a lo largo de la obra, y su explicación real acabó siendo más bien desalentadora, cuando no abiertamente terrorífica. Así que dudo.
Así todo, hubo momentos exasperantemente lentos, con estaciones y personajes que iban y venían y no aportaban gran cosa (o nada de nada) y casi me hacen dejarlo. Creo estos momentos desbarataron su ritmo.
Con ganas de seguir.
Conjunta GL Sagas. Enero 2023

[محمد فرد · Rating 5 out of 5]

«این من یه ریوو حرفه‌ای نیست. بیشتر یه سری نوشته و استدلال حسیه»


راستش بهترین توصیفی که برای این کتاب به ذهنم می رسه، یه دریای عمیق و تاریکه
نمی‌خوام در مورد این صحبت کنم که چطور می‌شه چنین عمق و غقنایی به یه داستان داد. اینکه وقتی کتاب تموم می‌شه می‌تونی دقیقا توی اون مترو زندگی کنی و بدونی هر تونل چه خطری ممکنه پیش روت بذاره.
واقعا نمی‌خوام از اینا بگم، هر چند کمیش رو گفتم.
بذارید از پایان کتاب بگم.
(خبری از اسپویل نیست)

اینکه یه نویسنده بتونه کاری کنه که به قسمت سفید آخرین صفحه ی کتاب زل بزنید و هیچ چیزی به فکرتون نیاد، یعنی اون نویسنده عمیقا تونسته شما رو وارد یه دنیای دیگه کنه.
شاید داستان هم مواد مخدر باشن. اینکه داستان‌های بد سیگارای کم کیفیتی‌ان که فقط دود می‌کنن و داستان‌های خوب یه ماده‌ی توهم‌زای بی‌نقصن.
این کتاب یکی از اون جنسای خیلی خوبه.
ولی خب متاسفانه قرار نیست به یه رویا راهنماییتون کنه، قراره توی یه کابوس بیفتید و توش دست‌وپا بزنید.
خبری از تموم شدن این کابوس هم نیست.
اما ازش لذت خواهید برد.

یه نکته رو هم اضافه کنم.
با اینکه توصیف‌های توی کتاب به شدت استادانه و زیبا هستن، اما حجم زیادی از کتاب رو اشغال کردن. پس شاید یه وقتایی اذیتتون کنه. ولی جدا ارزش این رو داره که خونده بشه.
شاید الان چون تازه کتاب رو تموم کردم و پایان کتاب مجذوبم کرده زیادی دارم ازش خوب می‌گم. منتها چیزی که بتونه 175 صفحه، توی یک خوانش من رو دنبال خودش بکشه خیلی پیدا نمی‌شه.
هر چند کتاب روی یک سوم انتهایی اون اصالت و غنای عجیب و غریبش رو از دست می‌ده اما می تونم بهتون اطمینان بدم که توی یک پنجم پایانی باز با اثر قدرتمندی روبه‌رو می‌شید.

دیگه اینکه کتاب عمیقا وجود داره. حالا شاید این کلمه ی وجودی که به کار بردم کمی گنگ باشه؛ پس توضیحش می‌دم. منظورم از وجود همون بودنه، کن فیکون، اینکه بعضی کتاب‌ها هستن اما یه وجود و حضور شفاف آخر کارشونه. اون قدر وجود ندارن که بتونن به‌اندازه‌ای که باید اون فضایی از خلقت رو که اشغال کردن، پر کنن. اما این کتاب کاملا موجوده و جسم داره. یه وجود غلیظ که بعد از خونده شدن توی وجودتون ته‌نشین می‌شه.

+ زیاد نوشتم اما راضی نیستم. دوست دارم تا ساعت ها در موردش تایپ کنم ولی می‌دونم که صرفا یه متن هیجان‌انگیر برای خودم و ملال‌آور برای شما می‌شه. شاید یه روزی یه متن به‌دردبخور در موردش نوشتم.

+++ به نویسنده‌ی کار حسودیم شد.

[Γιώργος Δάμτσιος · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10
Πρώτο βιβλίο της χρονιάς (αν και κανονικά σχεδόν όλο διαβάστηκε πέρσι).
Σε γενικές γραμμές μου άρεσε, αυτά που το κράτησαν λιγάκι πιο κάτω στη βαθμολογία, σχεδόν δεν έχουν να κάνουν καν μ' αυτό, αφού:

-Ήξερα αρκετά για την πλοκή εκ των προτέρων, τόσο από το βιντεοπαιχνίδι όσο και από ένα φόρουμ που είχα περιηγηθεί παλιότερα.
-Διάβασα πολλούς σύγχρονους Αμερικανούς σερί το τελευταίο δίμηνο και λίγο επηρεάστηκα από τη Δυτική λογοτεχνία, με αποτέλεσμα ο Ρώσος να μου φανεί λίγο πιο εκτός των συνηθισμένων (μου). Μια χαρά γράφει ο άνθρωπος όμως,
-Λίγο κουράστηκα με την εμφάνιση χαρακτήρων, που... εμφανίστηκαν απλά για να προχωρήσουν τον Άρτυομ ένα βήμα πιο μπροστά στην ιστορία του. (Ήταν ωστόσο αναγκαίο).

Από εκεί και πέρα, απόλαυσα ένα ωραίο βιβλίο, που ήταν ξεκάθαρα στα γούστα μου. Νομίζω ότι οι φίλοι του μεταποκαλυπτικού τρόμου θα βρουν κάτι ωραίο εδώ.

[Mahnaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب یه سفر تاریک و نفس‌گیره توی دنیای بعد از آخرالزمان. تصور کن آدم‌ها بعد از نابودی زمین، توی تونل‌های مترو زندگی می‌کنن و هر ایستگاه مثل یه کشور کوچیک با قوانین و ترس‌های خودش اداره می‌شه.
. هر قدمش پر از خطر، موجودات عجیب و آدم‌هایی که بعضی وقتا از هیولاها هم ترسناک‌ترن. و «آرتیوم» شخصیت اصلی این کتاب هست که قدم در مسیر وحشتناکی میذاره به امید یافتن راهی برای نجات .
البته باید حوصله داشته باشی چون بعضی جاهاش کند می‌شه و واقعا حوصله سربر میشه ولی در کل تجربه‌ش مثل یه بازی ماجراجویی پر از ترس و امید بودم.
من کتاب و صوتی گوش دادم با صدای «مهدی صفری» که صداشو دوست دارم
——————
ش ۵۳

[Kathryn Ford · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.bookrantorrave.com/blog/me...

I will begin with a bit of background for you, since the blurb on this book is pretty useless in explaining what this book is about. In 2013, there was a massive nuclear war. I read the entire book, and am still not 100% sure why or what exactly happened, but never mind that. So the world has gone to hell in a handcart. Everything was blasted with nuclear weapons and biological weapons. This caused evil radiation to spread all over and kill the people and everything else. We are in Moscow, Russia. The people there were pretty clever and ran for the underground Metro Stations to get away from all the crap happening on the surface. And this is where we are, twenty years later, 2033, in the Moscow Underground.

Artyom, a twenty year old young man, is our protagonist and we follow him via 3rd person throughout the novel. I am slightly confused here because Artyom has some memories of living on the surface with his mother, but he is 20, meaning the nuclear war destroyed Moscow when he was born. I suppose it made it more interesting to have him remember some vague memories than stick to simple number counting. When Artyom and his Mother did move into the Metro, they chose a bad station to stay at. Because when he was 7, a mob of carnivorous rats invaded the station killing everyone! Accept for Artyom and a few military soldiers. Artyom was rescued by one of these soldiers, Sukhoi, who took him as his adopted son. They now live in VDNKH, which is the northern most inhabited metro station of the Moscow underground. The story begins with our 20 year old Artyom who is doing watch duty in the northern tunnel. All stations have watch guards, because there are apparently mutants in the tunnels or sometimes monsters from the surface get in. He is talking to his partners about this new threat that the station is facing, The Dark Ones. They are humanoid, but all black. These Dark Ones are believed to come from the surface and VDNKH has had to fight them off. These bad ass creatures just approach the station carrying no weapons; they just march forward until they are blasted apart by gunfire. Oh and they give off a feeling of horror...aaaah scary! Not really, especially because you never experience Artyom fighting them, it is simply a watered down memory that he reflects on. Artyom does a ton of this, reflecting that is. Often we could have experienced something really cool with him, but instead the event happens, then we just have Artyom thinking back on it. This was frustrating!

A man named Hunter comes to VDNKH; he is seemingly a friend of Artyom’s adoptive Father. He has come to investigate this threat of the Dark Ones. Hunter sees that Artyom is a bit of a lost soul and takes advantage of that. He tells Artyom that he is going to go to the Botanical Garden’s where he thinks the Dark Ones have their base. If he does not return soon, then Artyom is to take a message to a friend in Polis and warn him of the threat. Polis is a long, long way away. From what I could understand it was about in the middle of the Metro and it is like the Utopia of the Metro. So off Hunter goes, doesn’t return, so off Artyom goes on his journey to Polis. He tells no one and simply disappears. I was like, oh, okay not a bad beginning I can get behind this. Go Artyom, you go fight those monsters in the tunnels and get to Polis before it is all too late!

But then I was put through torture, pure agonising torture! Artyom goes from station to station on his journey to Polis. His trips through the dark tunnels were normally quick with no monsters!!! No bloody monsters! Yes, there was psychological fear and some unexplained deaths and stuff, but I repeat no monsters! My husband is having a ton of fun fighting mutants in the video game version of the book, and me? Well, I get bogged down at each station where Artyom meets people who always help him a bit on his journey. Each station has developed into its own little nation with its own ideology and way of living. Some stations are Communist, some have free rule, some are Fascist bastards who have developed a fourth Reich and hunt down Caucasians, some have cast systems, some are religious sects, etc. Some stations are wealthy, like the Hansae controlled federation stations. But, some are really poor and are more like stations for beggars and dodgy trade. The station names also confused me, they all sounded the same. But, this isn’t the book’s fault. I am sure that if you are Russian or if you have visited Moscow, then it must be really interesting to see what happens to the metro stations you know.

Artyom meets a bunch of people who are all on their own agenda, from a man who believes he is the reincarnation of Genghis Khan, to a Jehovah’s Witness who tries to convert him, to a Braman who believes in written knowledge only. It gets extremely tiring after a while, just sitting at these stations listening to various theories on what controls the Metro and people and things in general. Where was the action I was promised! I did get a bit of it... all of two chapters, when Artyom went to the surface. The surface is a mess with real monsters, but then he just goes back into the metro and it is the same old same old again. This book is more of Artyom’s search to discover what he believes in a spiritual manner, rather than his mission to save the Metro from the Dark ones.

For my full review which includes quite a bit of additional info please click:
http://www.bookrantorrave.com/blog/me...

[Maciek · Rating 3 out of 5]

People, you say? No, my friend, they are beasts. They are a pack of jackals. They were preparing to tear us apart. And they would have. But they forgot one thing. They are jackals but I am a wolf.

Most people who come to Metro 2033 probably do so after playing the excellent video game adaptation (you can see the trailer here). The game is an immersive first person shooter with great atmosphere, and has received very favorable reviews. I completed it once, and would like to do so again one day. The game's success brought much interest in the source material - Dmitry Glukhovsky's eponymous novel. Glukhovsky started writing the book when he was just 18 years old, and first published it on the internet for free in 2002 (complete Russian text is still available on his personal website). Although a print version was eventually published in Russia in 2005, the novel was translated into foreign languages only in 2010, to coincide with the game's release date. It has since spawned a sequel and started a book franchise, allowing other writers to experiment in its universe.

It's an interesting spin on an old premise. The novel is set in Moscow, and the year is 2033 - two decades after a nuclear war, when civilization like we know it has literally disappeared from the face of the planet. To escape radiation and nuclear winter most of the surviving population was forced to flee underground and settle in the city's vast metro system, which became the world's largest nuclear bunker. Soon, a new order was established within the metro - with each station becoming an independent state, with its own security and border controls. Stations formed alliances and confederations with one another, and broke them through war. People organized themselves into fractions, with two biggest ones - the communist Red Line and the fascist Fourth Reich - engaging in a full and permanent war with one another over the metro and its resources. Not all stations are inhabited - some have been abandoned because of floods and fires, or cut off from other stations because connecting tunnels have collapsed. Some stations have been lost to the Dark Ones - mythical, paranormal creatures who are said to have come from the ravaged surface.

People of the metro have never seen natural light - even Stalkers, who venture to the surface to explore the ruined city for supplies, do so only at night. Although some stations breed pigs and other animals, people mostly eat mushrooms as they do not require natural light to flourish. Stations are on constant alert, as they come under constant attack from either of the two major fractions, ordinary bandits or mutated creatures - and on one of such stations, VDNKh, lives our protagonist, Artyom. Artyom is 21, and was born before the nuclear holocaust destroyed the planet - but has spent his entire life at the VDNKh, where he eventually joined the security guard. One day at the closing of his shift the border outpost is approached by a strange man named Hunter, who is bent on fighting and destroying the Dark Ones; he makes Artyom promise that if he does not return, he'll travel to Polis, a far-away station, and seek its assistance in his name. Can you guess what happens?

Where Glukhovsky really succeeds is the building of the metro's lore - the atmosphere of the decaying, ruined network of tunnels and railways, where people live in constant half-shadows and where a tent is the most one can hope for privacy. The fact that the population is not only literally cut off from the world, but often also from other human settlements created significant social degradation through delearning: people forgot their past and gave in to primitive beliefs and superstition, and formed totalitarian and oppressive regimes in a situation when human unity is most necessary. On his journey to Polis Artyom will encounter many characters, each of which will give him a tour of a different philosophy - from simple and ordinary thugs, through revolutionary communists and cruel fascists, to spiritual mystics and religious extremists. Every encounter will have an influence on Artyom, and shape his character throughout his journey.

Unlike the game, however, Metro 2033 is a lot less action oriented and linear. The novel focuses much more on Artyom's internal existential dilemma whereas the game focuses mostly on simple survival in hostile conditions; there are plenty of action sequences but they are a background to the narrative, and not the focus. Glukhovsky was inspired by the Strugatsky brothers, Stanisław Lem and Ray Bradbury among others, and his ideas are many - along with histories, myths, legends and secrets, philosophy and social commentary. This is a very sprawling and expansive book which covers a lot of ground, but might leave the reader desiring that it had done so on a bit clearer path. But this would be against its nature, which is like the metro - branching out in many directions, and to see all that it has to offer you have to take every line.

The novel is offered in translation, which might sometimes make the prose sound stilted and unnatural to readers unaccustomed to the natural rhythm and melody of the Russian language. Still, it's a ride worth taking and I believe it will satisfy most readers looking for interesting - and mature! - dystopian fiction. Very dark and atmospheric book, and a good game to boot - I can't wait to read the sequel.

It's now or never!

[Mika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lese-Empfehlung

Durch die vielen Informationen bezüglich russischer (und teils deutscher) Geschichts-, Politik- und Gesellschaftsphilosophie würde ich diese Buchreihe nur denen empfehlen die darüber bereits viel wissen oder gerne neues darüber lernen möchten. Die Metro-Reihe ist kein einfacher Science Fiction Horror; es analysiert die Gesellschaft in Krisensituationen. Wo sich die Geschichte wiederholt, obwohl sie nicht in Vergessenheit geraten ist und man sich gegenseitig bekämpft weil man andere Ideologien oder Weltanschauungen hat. Manche verzweifeln vollkommen während andere sich durch Religion oder Kulturen Hoffnungen verschaffen. Dieser Roman zeigt wie neue Gesellschaften gebildet und Macht verteilt wird. Jede Station im komplexen Tunnelsystem der Moskauer Metro hat ihre eigenen Fraktionen und Kulturen. Der Horror in dieser Buchreihe liegt nicht im Übernatürlichen aber darin, dass es in der echten Welt mit echten Orten und Historischen Figuren spielt. Wenn man wissen möchte inwiefern verschiedene Ideologien zu Kriege führen und wie Missverständnisse den letzten Funken Hoffnung rauben, dann ist dieses Buch eine faszinierende Studie wie Menschen in Krisensituationen unterschiedlich reagieren.

Einleitung

Ich habe mir das Leseerlebnis anders vorgestellt. Obwohl ich die russische (aber auch deutsche) Geschichts- und Gesellschaftsphilosophie in diesem Buch bewundere, fand ich die Reise durch die Metro mühsam. Teils, weil ich manche religiösen sowie kulturellen Aspekte nicht komplett verstanden habe. Zum anderen Teil, weil es lustlos dargestellt wurde.

Schreibstil

Wiederholungen
Was mir bei der deutschen Übersetzung stark aufgefallen ist, waren die Wiederholungen von einzelnen Aspekten. Oftmals der Handlung oder bestimmten geschichtlichen oder politischen Anhaltspunkten. Vereinzelt hat es mir geholfen, es besser zu verstehen und auch nicht zu vergessen, jedoch waren die Wiederholungen oftmals nicht notwendig. Zumal die meisten Leser, die wissen, worauf sie sich einlassen, sich mit den meisten bereits vertraut gemacht haben.

Informationsüberlastung
Das Hauptproblem war die lange Reise durch die Metro die bei circa 100 Seiten anfing und erst bei circa Seite 400 eine Wendung nahm. In den circa 300 Seiten wird viel erzählt durch die verschiedenen Stationen im Tunnelsystem und die Menschen die dort leben. Politisch, geschichtlich, gesellschaftlich, religiös und kulturell. Es gab keine gute Abwechslung zwischen Erzählungen und tatsächlichen Geschehnissen. Dem Leser wird viel erzählt was in der Vergangenheit geschehen war aber zu selten was gerade geschieht. Statt diese Hintergrundinformationen organisch in die Handlung einzubauen wird der Leser mit allen möglichen Informationen aufeinmal überflutet.

Themen

Hauptthemen
Das größte Hauptthema in der gesamten Metro-Reihe ist die Gesellschaftsphilosophie. Sie sagt aus, wie Menschen miteinander umgehen und auf Krisensituationen reagieren. Die Metro hat nicht nur ein detailliertes Tunnelsystem; sie ist geprägt von den Menschen, die in ihren eigenen Stationen und Fraktionen leben und ihre Umgebung bewusst oder unbewusst gestalten. Artjoms Reise durch die Metro macht dem Leser deutlich, dass die Metro kein einfaches Tunnelsystem mehr ist, nachdem sie seit zwei Jahrzehnten von Menschen bewohnt wird—es ist eine ganz eigene Zivilisation geworden.

Nicht der Tod ist schrecklich—schrecklich ist das Warten darauf.

Durch die verschiedenen Stationen und Fraktionen mit ihren eigenen Ideologien und Weltanschauungen spalten sich die Tunnelgänge, wodurch mehrere Themen entstehen. Einige Themen wie die Angst vor dem Unbekannten oder menschliches Zusammenleben prägen alle Menschen in der Metro, ganz egal woher sie stammen, was ihre Ziele sind oder an was sie glauben. Andere wiederum, wie zum Beispiel die Moral und Menschlichkeit sowie Isolation, ist individuell abhängig. Andere Hauptthemen sind Geschichte, Politik, Ideologien, Kulturen und die Wichtigkeit von offener Kommunikation.

Wenn der vernunftbegabte Mensch, der hochgebildete und zivilisierte Homo sapiens die Kapitulation wählt, so verzichte ich gerne auf diesen Ehrentitel und werde lieber zum Tier. Und wie ein Tier werde ich mich an das Leben klammern und jedem anderen an die Kehle springen, um zu überleben. Und ich werde überleben. Hast du das verstanden? Ich werde überleben!

Andere Themen
Andere Themen, welche nicht als Hauptthemen gelten, dennoch wichtig sind, sind Religion und Spiritualität sowie die Erhaltung von Erinnerungen und Wahrheiten.

Charaktere

Artjom Alexejewitsch Tschorny
An ihm mochte ich seine Neugier zu anderen Stationen, die geprägt sind von ihren Kulturen und Ideologien. Er versuchte die Welt um sich herum zu verstehen. Dadurch war Artjom verblüfft wieviel er noch nicht wusste, weil er bis vor kurzem noch nur ein Tunnelwächter von der Station WDNCh war. Die Reise durch die Metro zeigte ihn die verschiedensten Lebens- und Denkweisen der Menschen und wie so manche Phänomene die er als ‘Quatsch’ abstempelte doch real waren. Seine Neugier brachte ihn dazu sich zu verändern. Je mehr er verstand desto mehr entwickelte er sich als Figur. In vielen Situationen zeigt er aber auch Angst vor dem Unbekannten. Dadurch macht er Fehler und fühlt sich in seinen Entscheidungen oft unsicher. Immer wieder denkt der Leser und Artjom selber durch andere Figuren dass er etwas besonderes sei. Letzendlich stellte sich heraus, dass Artjom garnicht besonders ist und jeder Mensch für seine eigenen Entscheidungen verantwortlich ist. Ich fand es gut, dass er nicht der Auserwählte ist welcher die gesamte Metro retten wird sondern jeder sich selber retten muss.

Ich bin ein Feigling. Und deswegen bin ich ein Held.

Fazit

An sich ist das erste Buch in der Metro-Reihe nicht schlecht. Obwohl ich ziemlich oft zur Karte greifen musste, um zu verstehen, wo sich Artjom und die anderen momentan befanden, gefielen mir die meisten Themen und Figuren. Ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass einige Hintergrundinformationen im ersten Buch später keine Relevanz mehr haben, jedoch fand ich es faszinierend, wie vieles neues man lernen kann von diesem Buch—Sachen, die im echten Leben existiert haben oder sogar noch existieren.

Mein Gott, welch wunderschöne Welt wir zerstört haben!

Ebenfalls gefiel mir, dass der Roman trotz seiner düsteren Seite immer einen Weg zur Hoffnung bahnen konnte—man musste ihn nur rechtzeitig ergreifen. Wobei sich die Geschichte trotzdem zu wiederholen scheint. Man kann noch so viel zerstört haben und dennoch werden die Menschen nie daraus lernen.

StoryGraph Rezension (Analytischer Ansatz)

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't lie, this book hovered at around 3 stars until halfway through, then to 3.5 stars three quarters of the way through. The ending though...the ending completely hammered me in the gut and this into 5 star range.

The beginning is a bit slow, the dialogue is some thick writing most of the time, it's not light or airy. It's substantial and dare I say real. The way people would actually talk.

About halfway through the book it dawned on me what I, at least, realized it was. For me it is a futuristic dystopian horror Pilgrim's Progress. Not so much on the Christian overtones but still with substantial moralistic punch. I personally loved Pilgrim's Progress growing up and suddenly seeing this book in that light helped me see and grasp it more easily.

The creatures, the world, the Metro, the people, are very well thought out and built. By the end you truly feel like you were there through the whole thing, walking just off of Artyom's right, struggling when he struggled, elating in his victories, confused when he was confused, hopeless and helpful as he was. And I think this is 100% what author was going for, it's why it's a slog at times, it's confusing at times, it's exciting, and a breeze at times. We are Artyom and he is we.

The ending hit me out of no where, completely unexpected on my part. Just. What a twist. I am very excited to read the following books. At this point I have purchased all 3 of the video games and plan to finish the first video game now that I have finished the first book. Then read the 2nd book and then the 2nd video game and so on.

This is not a book for a break, this is not a book for an escape. This is a book for those wanting a journey, not a ride, a step by step walk into the depths of all that is humanity, the good, the bad, the blessed, and the diseased.

Until we meet again Artyom.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Otra forma de hacer género, en lo estilístico y en el fondo, que no será del agrado de todos.-

Género. Ciencia ficción.

Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Metro 2033 (publicación original: Метро 2033, 2005) nos traslada al futuro, veinte años después de la guerra total que, al parecer, arrasó el mundo. Hay supervivientes que viven en los túneles y estaciones subterráneas de la red del metro de Moscú. Uno de ellos, Artyom, es un muchacho rescatado de la invasión de ratas que arrasó la estación Timiryasevskaya y acogido por su salvador, tío Sasha, en la estación VDNKh. Debido a una serie de circunstancias, Artyom tendrá que emprender un viaje por la red que le mostrará las sociedades de las que sólo ha oído hablar, otros asentamientos que son poco más que rumores e incluso alguno desconocido, y descubrirá que además de la maldad y la ignorancia humana hay amenazas con un origien distinto. Primer libro de la saga Metro.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...