Metro 2033

By: Dmitry Glukhovsky

Narrated by: Rupert Degas

Length: 20 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct and the half-destroyed cities have become uninhabitable through radiation. Beyond their boundaries, they say, lie endless burned-out deserts and the remains of splintered forests. Survivors still remember the past greatness of humankind, but the last remains of civilisation have already become a distant memory.

Man has handed over stewardship of the Earth to new life-forms. Mutated by radiation, they are better adapted to the new world. A few score thousand survivors live on, not knowing whether they are the only ones left on Earth, living in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. Stations have become mini-statelets, their people uniting around ideas, religions, water-filters, or the need to repulse enemy incursion.

VDNKh is the northernmost inhabited station on its line, one of the Metro's best stations and secure. But a new and terrible threat has appeared. Artyom, a young man living in VDNKh, is given the task of penetrating to the heart of the Metro to alert everyone to the danger and to get help. He holds the future of his station in his hands, the whole Metro - and maybe the whole of humanity.

©2007 Dmitry Glukhovsky (P)2012 Orion Publishing Group

Wow, that left me broken... 10/10

It's like people look at this book and just think to themselves "Hm, just another post-apocalyptic novel". No comrades! It's not, it's so much more than that. You know dramatic irony? Where audience knows something characters don't, well this is the complete opposite, the audience knows exactly what Artyom does and it makes the book feel so unlike anything else. Well, maybe a bit like lovecraft. Definitely reccomend 10/10, though I did not to hit me as hard as it had, so watch out for the existential weight of the cold nuclear future.

great world

The red line about the dark ones feels a bit forced and unnecessary, otherwise great!

Dark, Dreary, and Fantastic

As is the case with all audiobooks, an excellent story can be ruined by poor narration or a small spectrum of voices. Degas is incredible here. The voices are naturally distinct (not a bunch of ridiculous accents and overwrought voices), and his tone matches that of Metro universe extremely well. His delivery is solemn, which perfectly matches this dark and dreary world.

The story is fantastic. It's not your typical sci-fi experience, in my limited dabbling. It's dark. Characters are gray rather than black and white. Metro as has some mysticism-lite mixed in with the extremely convincing lore of a civilization trying to scrape by in the Metro underground. The author used both of these to give a genuine feeling of mystery in the setting, and leaves that lingering with the reader throughout the entirety of the book. I strongly recommend this recording.

Wonderful and Creepy

The scene in the library with the librarian was one of the creepiest scenes I have ever read and the ending gave me chills.

A very captivating story of life underground

This story constantly held my attention, describing a rich background of characters and lifestyles resulting from World War 3. A hearty recommendation to say the least.

Love the games but the books were....

Just so so. The reader left a lot to be desired. The story is a good idea but felt like it needed more. I can definitely see why this was made into a game. I'm going to eventually listen to the others but not in a big rush to do so.

Wonderfully Told, Certain areas drag

Towards the end chapter 16 throws a wrench in the pacing, but aside from that it is excellent. Rupert Degas is an excellent Narrator , and takes the characters above and beyond expectations.

The best audiobook I've heard so far! Excellent.

The story is fantastic, but the narration made the whole experience. Rupert Degas is incredible!

This is excellent, anthropological sci-fi!

The narrator is excellent, giving each character a unique voice so that I always knew who was speaking.
The story explores proper sci-fi themes such as what it means to be human, the relationship between the individual and the society, the limits of thinking and perception. at the same time, the author develops an epic hero storyline very subtly, so that I wasn't really conscious of it until reflecting on it after I finished the book. And there was action and suspense that made the story hard to put down.
An enormously satisfying listen!

One of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to

Great narrator along with a great story. Well worth a listen.

Having played the 2033 game, when this audiobook came up on a sale I jumped at it. I don't have a whole lot to do while I'm at work so audiobooks are a go-to for entertainment (Surveillance job, can't watch anything). Needless to say this kept me entertained and allowed my shifts to pass so much quicker.