it's an intense final book to end the series, I'm glad I got to read it. A story with lot more layers to its nuclear apocalyptic setting, that I will surely revisit in the future from the first to the last. I highly recommended read. ( )

Din păcate, acest roman este de necitit. Nici nu e roman, ci doar un haos de 600 de pagini, cu o nesfârșită inflație de cuvinte inutile, fără vreo noimă sau coerență. Cred că așa par visele unui drogat sau bețiv- mult prea prost chiar și pentru mine, întotdeauna exagerat de indulgent cu Gluhovski. Știam că e mult mai slab decât primele 2, din alte recenzii, dar nu mă așteptam să fie la un nivel inferior chiar si unui fan fiction. Nu mi-a plăcut nimic. Nici personajele - care personaje? - nici povestea - serios, care poveste? Efectiv nu are un fir narativ real - nici abjectul exagerat, nici fundalul care nu mai există... ( )

The final book in a banging trilogy,
Unfortunately I think it fell a bit flat.

I did enjoy the whole, the government is lying, mouse in cages vibe but, I think this book, in comparison to the other two in this series fell short of it's quite wonderful siblings.
Absolutely worth a read none the less ( )

A step up from 2034, but still lacking what I liked about 2033. Walking through the tunnels is now a mundane affair, not the dangerous endeavor where the darkness itself was a danger to travelers. The creatures of the surface are not mentioned, the only danger is the radiation. Artyom now makes frequent trips to the surface alone, without fear of being devoured by some mutated horror. Put simply, leaving a station isn't dangerous.

Taking the place of mutants and the supernatural is politics and human conflict. While I appreciate showing more of the major political factions in the Metro, the focus on this takes away the sense of adventure from 2033. There are some intense scenes here and there when Artyom is caught in the middle of their conflicts, but these don't carry the novel when Artyom returns to his meandering. All of this plus a rather anti-climactic ending left me disappointed.

The book puts a heavy focus on Artyom's optimism and desire to return humanity to the surface, and Homer's obsession with writing a heroic epic to inspire the metro citizens. Maybe Artyom's goal would have worked in the style 2033 was written in, but it's stuck in a book about conspiracies. Speaking of Artyom, he's far more confrontational and argumentative than he was 2033. I haven't played the video games yet, but what I have seen of them looks like they are different canons and don't explain the change in personality.

Homer returns from 2034, still wanting to write his book. It turns out 2034 is his work on Hunter, making most everything in that book uncertain. He admits that Hunter is not very heroic, and is in fact a heavy drinker trying to cope with his trauma. This comes around again with regards to Artyom telling a depressing truth when Homer wants an uplifting tale. He's as passive as he was in 2034, his only major contribution is telling Artyom that he too has proof of survivors outside Moscow. ( )