The Metro 2033 books have swept the world by storm since 2009 when the original Metro 2033 was written by Dmitry Glukhovsky, who created the original trilogy (Metro 2033, Metro 2034, and Metro 2035).
Ever since then, a whole host of other books, including short stories, novellas, and full-length novels have been written by authors from all over the world in a variety of genres.
The Metro books are based on a post apocalyptic world that was destroyed during WWIII, and the original story is set in Moscow, particularly in the underground Moscow metro stations which were some of the biggest nuclear bomb shelters back in the day. Among the survivors, we have our main character, Artyom.
While not all books have been translated into English, they have been translated into languages such as German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, and Spanish. They are especially popular in Russia and in Eastern Europe. Of course, the Metro trilogy of games has been popular everywhere, including the US and the UK, and many gamers have first heard about the books after playing the games.
Especially with the latest video game, Metro Exodus, that came out in February 15, 2019, the interest in the Metro books has been renewed around the world once again.
So here are the Metro 2033 books by Dmitry Glukhovsky, as well as the books written by other authors for the Metro Universe. The books are listed in order of publication. While some newer stories take place in Moscow, other take place in other Russian cities (Leningrad, Saint Petersburg, etc.) while others are set in various cities in what is left of Europe.
Original Metro Series by Dmitry Glukhovsky
- Metro 2033, published 2005 in Russian and 2010 in English
- Metro 2034, published 2009 in Russian and 2014 in English
- Metro 2035, published 2015 in several languages and 2016 in English
Metro 2033 Book Series
There are over 90 books published by various authors since the Metro series, however, there is not a lot of information about most of them. Below are the books that have officially been recognized by Dmitry Glukhovsky as well.
- Road Signs by Vladimir Berezin, 2009
- Dark Tunnels by Sergey Antonov, 2010
- Piter by Shimun Vrochek, 2010
- Towards the Light by Andrey Dyakov, 2010
- The Yield by Force by Andrey Erpylev, 2010
- The Marble Paradise by Sergey Kuznetsov, 2010
- The Wanderer by Suren Tsormudian, 2010
- The North by Andrey Butorin, 2010
- In the Interests of the Revolution by Sergey Antonov, 2010
- The War of Moles by Alexandr Shakilov, 2010
- Murancha by Ruslan Melnikov, 2011
- The Nameless by Sergey Paliy, 2011
- To See the Sun by Sergey Moskvin, 2011
- Beneath the Hell by Andrey Grebenschikov, 2011
- Ghost Station by Anna Kalinkina, 2011
- Into the Darkness by Andrey Dyakov, 2011
- Corpsmen by Sergey Zaytsev, 2011
- Britaniia by Grant McMaster, 2011
- Ice Prison by Igor Vardunas, 2011
- The Siege of the Paradise by Andrey Butorin, 2011
- The Last Refuge by Residents of Metro 2033 website, 2011
- Unburied by Sergey Antonov, 2012
- Blinding Emptiness by Andrey Chernetsov and Valentin Lezhenda, 2012
- Le Radici del Cielo (Roots of Heaven) by Tullio Avoledo, 2012
- The Kingdom of Rats by Anna Kalinkina, 2012
- MRLs by Zahar Petrov, 2012
- Ancestral Heritage by Suren Tsormudyan, 2012
- The Right to Force by Denis Shabalov, 2012
- The Right to Light by Denis Shabalov, 2012
- Hunger by Sergey Moskvin, 2012
- Witness by Irina Baranova and Constantine Benev, 2012
- The Daughter of the Heavenly Spirit by Andrey Butorin, 2012
- Over the Horizon by Andrey Dyakov, 2013
- The Right to Life by Denis Shabolov, 2013
- La Crociata dei Bambini (The Children’s Crusade) by Tullio Avoledo, 2014
- Dzielnica Obiecana (The Promised District) by Paweł Majka, 2014
- Otchłań (Abyss) by Robert J. Szmidt, 2015
- Aliens Eyes by Robert J. Szmidt, 2016
- Człowiek Obiecany (The Promised Man) by Paweł Majka, 2016
- Achromatopsja by Artur Chmielewski, 2017
- The Right to Revenge by Denis Shabalov, 2017
About the Metro Universe
The original Metro books have been written by the Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. His first novel was published in 2005, and his last one in the trilogy in 2015, which was the release year in several languages, including English.
The book series became so popular that it sparked the creation of the Metro horror FPS game series, which includes Metro 2033 released in 2010, Metro Last Light released in 2013, and Metro Exodus released early 2019.
Following this, an entire Metro franchise has been established with additional books written by Russian and other European authors, with a post-apocalyptic setting centering around various cities in Europe.
In addition, there was also a Metro 2033 movie in the works produced by Michael De Luca, rights aquired by MGM. Unfortunately, production for the movie has been halted due to a clash of the two worlds: Eastern European and American. In the US, a movie with Nazis, Communists, and Russians – especially in the current climate, will not work. So, right now, the project has been put on hold.
About the Original Metro Books
The original Metro 2033, and Metro 2034, and 2035 books written by Dmitry Glukhovsky in Russian language feature Artyom, a 20-year-old young man, among the survivors, who is living at a metro subway station inside the bowels of Moscow underground. As a very young child, his mother gave him to some people who were running to the metro when she was chased by oversized mutant rats. She knew she was dying, but she wanted her small son to live.
So he ended up at the VDNKh station and lived there until his late teen years when he met Hunter, a ranger who gave him a very important mission to carried out, one who took him across several dangerous roads both within the metro lines and up on the contaminated surface.
The first book, Metro 2033, tells the story of his adventures, where he meets several people who will help him, including Bourbon, Hunter, Khan, Mark, Melnik, and several others. He also finds a lot of enemies, including various mutant animals and The Dark Ones, a new species of humans called Homo Novus.
The next book, Metro 2034, doesn’t feature Artyom anymore, as it brings in several different characters. Chronologically, it does take place one year after the previous book ended.
There is one character who does return, however, Hunter, the very ranger who gave Artyom his original mission that started the entire chain of events.
The last book in the original Metro series, Metro 2035, we meet Artyom once again, as this book is the direct sequel to Artyom’s story. He now lives a quiet life in his old station (I won’t spoil it with whom and how, as all this is revealed in Metro 2033), however, he does remember that just before the Dark One’s base was blown up, he heard a transmission that came from outside of Moscow, or at least that’s what he believes.
So he is now itching to go out in the world and investigate, to leave Moscow behind. He is searching for answers that might just be revealed once he meets Homer, an old man who visits the VDNKh station.
The 2019 video game, Metro Exodus, is be based on the Metro 2035 book.
Dmitry Glukhovsky Biography
Dmitry Glukhovsky is the Russian author of the original Metro book series. He was born in 1979 in Moscow where he also grew up.
At an early age, he decided that he wanted to become a writer, and the idea for Metro 2033 came to him in his teens, at the age of 15. When he was 17 he moved to Israel to study. He learned Hebrew, and he remained there for over four years. He attended the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, from where he got a degree in journalism and international relations.
Between 2002 and 2005, he worked in France at EuroNews TV channel in Lyon. Next, he returned to Russia, where he began working at Russia Today (RT), a Russian TV network.
He wrote Metro 2033 by 2002, and he released it as part of an interactive experiment on his website online. In 2005, the book was picked by a publisher and was released in paperback. The book became an instant nationwide bestseller. Currently, Metro 2033 is translated into near 40 languages.
His novel, It’s Getting Darker, was published in 2007, and Metro 2034, which followed it, was published in 2009. The third book in the Metro trilogy, Metro 2035 was published in 2015 in Russia. Additional books that the author has written are Dusk (2007), Tales About the Motherland (2010), Futu.re (2013), Outpost (2013 – set in the Metro universe). Currently, only the Metro trilogy and Outpost are available in English edition.
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