Where does the path of steel and hope lead? – review of the book “The Way of Steel and Hope”

How much is the Metro in the Metro ?

The latest work in the Metro 2033 universe by Dmitry Manasypov breaks with the presentation of the actions promoted in his trilogy by Mr. Głuchowski. The events shown by the former take place on the surface, in what was then Russia. Consequently, in his Metro , there is no metro as such. It is not even mentioned. It’s a pity, because the novel is signed with it. When reading, I often had the impression that I was reading a book from the STALKER series by Noczkina or Gołkowski.

Actually, only its nucleus remains compatible with the universe, that is, the nuclear war that led to the destruction of the world we know. Manasypov had invented the rest himself. It has its characters, its anomalies, its mutants and the entire envelope. Unlike Głuchowski, he writes in a sometimes chaotic manner that requires more concentration. He often uses long sentences, rather difficult vocabulary. Nevertheless, it can be seen that he is not an amateur. However, in my opinion, many paragraphs could be completely omitted or written more synthetically and conveniently for the reader. Several times I had to go back a few lines higher when I lost the plot and didn’t know what was going on. It is not difficult to get lost while reading. If we miss a word or a small detail, we immediately lose track of what we are reading about. The matter is not made easier by the fact that the chapter titles are so camouflaged in their content,

Cliffhanger on cliffhanger

The book is divided into fifteen extensive chapters linked by a prologue and an epilogue. The work ends with a few words from the author. At first Manasypov presents a rather boring story, showing it through the eyes of the three protagonists, juggling perspectives.

Each passage ends with a powerful cliffhanger . There will be supporters of such a solution, but it effectively knocked me out of my mind and discouraged me from the current perspective. In addition, the “normal” chapters are also interspersed with smaller, titled Post mortemand in them the author describes… it is not really clear what and why. Only some of these interludes actually serve the plot or characters. The novel has a lot of threads that could be successfully avoided, which in my opinion would make the whole thing shorter, but also much more succinct. Maybe thanks to them the writer wanted to initiate the story more strongly and introduce the reader to it? It doesn’t quite work out. It makes the first half of the book a bit boring. Waiting for the moment when something turns out, we will get to know the leitmotif. Unfortunately, this moment does not come. It doesn’t help that current events are mixed up with flashbacks of the heroes. A solid start and a little explanation are missing. Unfortunately, we are not always sure whether we are reading about the past events or the actual adventures of the protagonists.

All for one

Speaking of dialogues and characters … The plot revolves around a young girl, gifted with a kind of telepathy. One of the three minor stories shows her in the company of the late stalker Morholt, and this one is most likely on the cover of a book you may be holding in your hands. A young telepath named Daria asks a man for help. Their fate overlaps with the theme of another, younger warrior, who is forced to find the protagonist and take the girl to her uncle. The third major plot concerns the main antagonist, Major Wojnowska. She represents a mysterious Order with an equally mysterious Master at its head who also needs young Daria. The major makes it a point of honor to capture Viska.

The range of main characters is neatly complemented by side characters, often more expressive and interesting. Especially when it comes to speaking out. On this level, only the coarse Morholt stands out. In addition, when creating the character, the author decided to take full freedom, introducing mutant people with several hands, three eyes or gills. Each of them is unique, which gives them character. The same applies to the fauna and flora surrounding the characters, as all the events take place on a land ravaged by war.

The chapters are provided with geographic data showing us where the events take place, although a map would be useful, showing, for example, the distances covered by the protagonists on this surface. Dry coordinates say little. The same are the names of places that are little known and not very characteristic.

The farther into the forest …

Initially, I was disappointed with the multitude and inept interweaving of threads and the difficulty of finding myself in the presented situation. Little happens in the first half of the novel, which tires the reader. There is no syndrome of one more side. However, the further you go, the more interesting it gets. About halfway through, the three stories started merge into one, and the hitherto separate threads merge together. There are many more actions, shootings, chases and fights. The plot takes on a blush and speeds up. You want to follow her. The figures themselves, so far sluggish, spread their wings and make themselves known. However, their archetypes are quite clichéd, and adventures are often unreliable coincidences. Nevertheless, the second half of the book is much better, faster and nicer to read. There are also many references to other cultural texts, reminding us that the action takes place in our own world, only after intense, bombing modifications. When we see these references, we smile and at the same time catch the irony. The heroes’ jokes are also the reason for this, but usually they are unrefined. This fact and the thoroughly described violence combined with profanity make it a novel addressed to the adult reader.

The much better second half of the work ends somewhat disappointingly, but leaves a pleasant dissatisfaction. The three stories eventually meet, and so do the protagonists, but I expected something different from the strong ending. Something that would support the appetite for more, even though it is already big.

What does it look like as a whole?

Exactly, not without flaws. The novel really has its moments. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice too many of them. You can see that the author had a well-prepared concept, he knew what he wanted to convey, but the form of the message itself is a bit disappointing. Especially at the beginning. However, considering how everything has developed, you see the potential. Additionally, Manasypov is well prepared in terms of content. It provides accurate descriptions of weapons, vehicles, devices and machines. Other descriptions, although sometimes lengthy, provide a lot of information, allowing you to easily imagine what we read about, meeting the author’s intentions. The writer presents ballistic scenes well, he can build tension. With this you can hope for a sequelcontinuing the story that is actually just beginning, while developing the themes of the protagonists, he will not repeat the mistakes of his predecessor. I am curious how it will go on.

Is it worth it?

Actually yes. The novel is not bad overall, although they are better and much better. The book itself is written in an eye-catching font. The cover, as usual for the series, shows one of the heroes in the foreground and a landscape of ruined land in the other. Occasionally, there are typos and errors such as incorrect ending of a word or missing / incorrect punctuation mark. Rarely, but a bit spoils the perception of the whole. Manasypov regales the reader with a unique but difficult style. Most of the characters are interesting, the adventures are quite interesting. The main premise needs a bit of standardization, as does driving through events. The story can be interesting, it is a pity that not the entire length of the book. Way can be a good introduction to the whole universe, because it does not require knowledge of other installments of the series.