The depictions of some of the governing bodies within the various stations tend towards extreme simplicity politically. The range of stations Artyom encounters are interesting and diverse, from semi abandoned barrel fire camps where the desperate cling to life to a modern Hanseatic League of stations that protect one another in the name of commerce. The book presents an enjoyable if somewhat superficial adventure narrative. Unable to find their entrance point, the station begins to crumble and a young man name Artyom sets off through the tunnels into the heart of Moscow to seek help. At the North end of the tunnel network, a small “provincial” station begins to experience an influx of harmful animals from above ground. Individual stations become small towns and the tunnels between them dark, dangerous and difficult to travel through for the most part. Metro 2033 is set in Moscow, in the old subway network after the city above is rendered too radioactive to support human life. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure read from the start but I did think elements of it were worthwhile, particularly the slightly different perspective that an author from another culture (translated from original Russian text) provides. It has since been adapted into an Xbox 360 game (which I haven’t tried) and a sequel has recently been released. Metro 2033 bears more in common with the imaginative and action oriented end of that spectrum than slower paced reason based more introspective pole.
As anyone has an English or Language Arts class containing the likes of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Chrysalids or 1984 in their past knows, it’s a genre that calls out to many writers and it is easy to find material to compare. Metro 2033 is my third dip into the realm of post apocalyptic fiction in three weeks.
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