So that the Brahmins could stroll about Polis in their robes and rustle the pages of books, grasping the ancient knowledge and passing it on to subsequent generations. So that they could grow mushrooms and pigs at VDNKh in the future, and so that his stepfather and Zhenkina’s family lived there in peace, so that people unknown to him could settle at Alekseevskaya and at Rizhskaya, and so that the uneasy bustle of trade at Byelorusskaya didn’t die away.

Please subscribe to my newsletter, leave a comment and as always I’d love it if you checked out my books.“Why was he doing this? So that life could continue in the metro? Right. If you like post-apocalyptic horror-thrillers and you’re ready for a philosophical journey through a terrifying wasteland, then I highly recommend this. I’ve seen other readers question this, but if you look at it from Artyom’s perspective I think it makes perfect sense. Mind you, this was only after the fact – it wasn’t until I was done that this thought struck me, and now that I look back on it, I kind of like the symbolism in it. When I finished the book, I asked myself what the hell the point of the plot was, because I felt it didn’t go anywhere. Sometimes it sounds pointless, because Artyom’s thoughts are often left unresolved before we’re onto a next part of his journey, but at the same time, this is what Artyom’s life is. He often wonders about the world, the now, the past, what has happened, what will happen. The book is also very philosophical – or rather – Artyom is. Probably not for everyone – monotonous is something I’ve seen other readers call it – but I think it adds a layer of reality to the world it tries to create. It’s almost clinical at times, cold and horrifying. The writing paints a dark and depressive picture of future Moscow. Seeing as I’ve played the games I knew what to expect, but the book still surprised me. A radiated desert where more resilient creatures than humans have begun carving out new homes for themselves. The world above ground is gone, a toxic wasteland ruined in an apocalyptic war. The story follows our protagonist Artyom, a teeanger who lives in the metro below Moscow – the world’s largest bomb shelter. I have a thing for wanting to read the novels games are based on after I’ve played them, and Metro had me hooked from the start. As soon as I played the first video game, I knew I had to read the book.

Metro 2033 by dmitry glukhovsky