Hello Fellow Journeyers,
Taking a look at another sci-fi book, but this time in the realm of post-apocalyptic stories. Metro 2033 piqued my interest after having played the video games and wanting more. Let's get into it!
What's the story about: Metro 2033 is a journey tale of a young man making a trek across a broken underground metro system in haste to stop an impending doom.
Ironically, I've found that there aren't many good post-apocalyptic stories out there that fit the itch I constantly aim for. Everyone touts The Road or Wool, but I couldn't get into either of those when I tried. I guess my expectations are always more interested in action/adventure like the Fallout video game series or The Book of Eli, maybe even a little Mad Max, but not straight depressive slog. That being said, Metro 2033's take is refreshing because it takes on a supernatural element that in a lot of ways works.
Metro 2033 is a difficult story to accurately review because it is as good as it is bad. I think the writing style of someone from Russia obviously plays into the enjoyment level of someone who listened to it translated in English. It's structure is uncommon; this story is made up of stories within the main story. The main character Artyom goes from place to place hearing and experiencing people's experiences throughout the metro, some super fascinating and creepy, others just downright boring. But what made it hard to cling to was that people were always changing around Artyom. The side characters were good, but they never stuck around. That being said, Artyom makes for a great conduit to have the story be conducted through. He's interesting, relatable, and has his own realistic madnesses that anyone could connect with.
Part of the story goes very quickly when its good, but it goes very slowly when the writing meanders. I'm a big fan of reflective philosophy sections, but some sections push needless information or tangents that don't seem relevant even to Artyom. Sometimes I lost track of where we were, what we were doing, and what the setting even was because the writing grew very metaphysical at times, but never too much where it dropped off entirely.
★★★ 3 Stars - Metro 2033 is a highly atmospheric suspense-filled story that goes from fantastic writing, to absolutely confusing at the drop of the hat. Most of what happens is conveyed through stories by others, but the atmosphere is so intoxicating that no matter what is going on, you're drawn in. There are a lot of events happening that are seemingly random or introduced out of the blue. Instead of consistent characters, there is only Artyom who meets continually new people every chapter or so. I will read this story again because some of it was very good, but after it ended I wasn't left completely satisfied.
Recommended For: post-apocalyptic readers. Supernatural enthusiasts. People who enjoy one main character.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.
