Metro 2035

Metro 2035

Original Russian cover
Author	Dmitry Glukhovsky
Country	Russia
Language	Russian (original) Polish Hungarian Slovak Czech Bulgarian German Georgian Serbian Italian English Turkish French
Series	Metro
Genre	Post-apocalyptic
Publisher	Издательская группа «АСТ»
Publication date	12 June 2015[1]
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback) E-book Audiobook
Pages	384 (Russian edition)[2] 540 (Polish edition)[3] 488 (Hungarian edition)[4] 416 (Slovak edition)[5] 488 (Czech edition)[6] 536 (Bulgarian edition)[7] 784 (German edition)[8] 632 (Georgian edition)[9] 412 (Serbian edition)[10] 560 (Italian edition)[11] 502 (English edition)[12] 608 (Turkish edition)[13] 601 (French edition)[14]
ISBN	978-5-17-090538-6
Preceded by	Metro 2034

Metro 2035 (Russian: Метро 2035) is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky.^[15] It is a direct sequel to Metro 2033, set after the events of Metro 2034, and is partially inspired by Metro: Last Light.^[16][17] On the day of the book's premiere in Russia, it was divulged that a Polish translation was already in the works and scheduled to be published in autumn of 2015;^[1] the novel arrived in Poland on 4 November of the same year,^[18] followed by a Hungarian edition several weeks later.^[4] An English version was expected to be released by Christmas 2016,^[19][20] finally arriving in early December of 2016.

Synopsis

It is the year 2035 and the various societies of Moscow's post-apocalyptic metro system have seen many changes. Its neo-Nazi faction, the Fourth Reich, has been reformed with the aim of creating a less harsh image, but the confidential matters it conceals from the public eye have never been so horrifying. The Stalinist underground empire of the Red Line is faced with its largest famine thus far due to an outbreak that renders their food stocks inedible. Meanwhile, the Hanza trading alliance and the Ranger Order become suspiciously close after the former supplied the latter with new recruits following heavy losses suffered at a battle against the Red Line for control of an important bunker.

One year has passed since protagonist Artyom willingly left the Ranger Order, marrying Anna even though his CO (and now father in law) Miller was opposed to the idea. The couple move to lead a quiet life on the young man's home station of VDNKh. But Artyom is unwilling to continue like this. Returning in his thoughts back to the time when he stood on top of the Ostankino Tower, he is certain that he managed to barely hear a transmission from another city. Fuelled by an undying hope, Artyom leaves the metro several times a week to ascend a nearby building, attempting to establish radio contact with anyone who might have survived the nuclear war in other parts of the Russian Federation and beyond. Although he was vaunted as a hero for destroying the Dark Ones - an error that only he is truly aware of - Artyom is now shunned by fellow inhabitants of VDNKh and perceived as insane for clinging onto his seemingly unrealistic vision. His risky trips outside of the subway frequently expose him to unsafe doses of radiation. His marriage is endangered also, as Anna wishes nothing more than for her husband to start functioning normally again; she dreams of one day giving birth to a healthy child.

In spite of this, Artyom obstinately carries on with his apparently irrational routine. It seems as though his devotion is answered by the arrival of Homer (one of Metro 2034's main characters) on his home station. The two soon become involved in affairs that transcend their knowledge. They embark on a quest across the Moscow Metro in pursuit of answers and are joined by faces new and old along the way, including personas that have already appeared in Glukhovsky's earlier books from the franchise. Artyom's lengthy and dangerous journey culminates in the discovery of the metro's darkest secrets.

Announcement

Joystiq first mentioned the name of the book in an article posted on 1 March 2013.^[15] The article claimed that the book will be written by Glukhovsky and will also be available outside of Russia.^[15] On 23 March 2013, during PAX East 2013, Glukhovsky himself detailed some of the story aspects of Metro: Last Light. He also revealed that he was writing a new book set in the Metro universe, titled Metro 2035, confirming the earlier announcement at Joystiq. The novel was described as telling the same story as Metro: Last Light – thus once again casting Artyom as the protagonist^[21] – but in greater detail and length than the game itself. The writer stated that while writing the plot and dialogues for the game, the story outgrew the framework of a video game so he decided to write a book about it.^[17]

In April 2014 Glukhovsky stated via Twitter: "The time has come to admit: Metro 2035 is in works and could be released in Russian later this year", however the book was not published in 2014 and the final release date was only to be revealed the following year.^[22]

Starting in March 2015, chapters of Metro 2035 were published daily in the free newspaper Metro distributed in subways of the 7 biggest Russian cities – starting with Saint Petersburg.^[23] Shortly thereafter, the author stated that an English language version of the book will not be out until 2016 at the earliest^[19] (this was later confirmed on 27 August 2016 by an English cover reveal and announcement of plans to publish the translation by Christmas of the same year).^[20] On 24 March 2015 Glukhovsky posted an image on Instagram of working cover art for Metro 2035 and told his followers that the full print version of the novel was going to arrive in June 2015.^[24] Two months later, Glukhovsky posted the final version of the cover art on Instagram and announced that the novel is finally complete.^[25]

On 12 June 2015 (when the book was finally published in Russia), the official website for Polish readers of Uniwersum Metro 2033 revealed that work on the Polish translation of the book was already at a very advanced stage. Insignis, the Polish publisher, aimed to release the translated version in autumn of 2015^[1] and made good on its promise when Metro 2035 hit the shelves of Polish bookshops on 4 November 2015^[18] – like Piter, the novel was translated from Russian to Polish by Paweł Podmiotko.^[3] By the end of the same month, a Hungarian translation by József Goretity was printed by Európa Könyvkiadó.^[4]

References

See also

• 2015 in science fiction