Whispers of the Fallen (Novel)

Whispers of the Fallen (Polish: Szepty zgładzonych) is a book that is part of the Universe of Metro 2033, a long-running series of short stories, novellas and novels written by different authors, all set in the world of Metro. Whispers of the Fallen, written by numerous Polish authors, was originally published in April of 2015. Although there is currently no English version of the book, Whispers of the Fallen has been translated into one other Slavic language - Russian. The book was translated to Russian by Leonid Dobkach and published in Russia on the 12th of October, 2015.

It was the third entry in the series created by Poles. Like its predecessor In the Firelight, Whispers of the Fallen is a collection of 13 short stories, which were selected for publication by a joint jury of admins and fans on the official Polish portal of the series: metro2033.pl. Unlike the previous book however, the stories here are longer and have been created by only 8 writers. In Poland, it is available in both print and e-book formats. In Russia, it was released as an e-book file available for free download.

Synopsis
Unlike its predecessor In the Firelight, Whispers of the Fallen is more adventurous with its settings - even though 5 of its stories are still set in or nearby the Moscow Metro (dealing with the themes of good and evil among mankind, the troubles of terminally-ill children in a post-apocalyptic world, Anna's secret mission to thwart Korbut, and Pavel in their plans to obtain powerful weaponry for the Red Line, and others). In contrast, the first chapter of the book takes place in Kiev, Ukraine, where people have also managed to find refuge in the city's own extensive metro system; it is a psychological thriller focused on the ways that the human mind can be affected by hallucinogenic poisons. The remaining 7 stories of Whispers of the Fallen are set in various parts of Poland, as well as some of its southern neighbours like Slovakia and Hungary:


 * In Warsaw, the Polish capital, some of the metro stations have endured nuclear bombardment, thanks to which Varsovians can continue to fight for survival beneath the surface of the planet in the year 2033. Even so, Kabaty has fallen to massive attacks of mutated wildlife from the surface, so the neighbouring stations of Imielin and Natolin must prepare for the worst. Moreover, equally fatal perils lurk within the Varsovian Metro itself.
 * At Zwonowice, in the Silesian region, several villagers continue to live a miserable existence in cellars underneath a destroyed building; to their undoing, a man they selected as their leader is unaware of his own gradual descent into vicious madness.
 * Despite Radom having a military airport and firearms factory, nuclear weaponry was never used on this city in east-central Poland. Instead, harsh winters, acid rain, toxic clouds, and such environmental consequences of World War III have brought Radom to ruin regardless. A family of survivors build a hot air balloon and attempt to fly to Africa - from above they see the devastated villages along the southern side of the Western Carpathians; the once magnificent Budapest is nowhere to be seen and the enormous Lake Balaton has dried up completely.
 * In the northwest of Poland, the existence of a rigorously organised underground society of survivors in Szczecin is threatened by the spread of strange flora from an ominous xylem-like structure. Meanwhile, a mutated boy with unique abilities is hailed as a messiah in another district.
 * Częstochowa in southern Poland continues to be highly irradiated after the war, but hundreds of souls persist in old tunnels beneath the Jasna Góra Monastery. Under the influence of a Catholic priest, the subterranean community degenerates into an autocracy, but dissent grows within.

Trivia

 * The person on the front cover of the book is wearing a GP-5, one of the most commonly produced gas masks in the world - made in the USSR and widely used across Eastern Europe.

Gallery
Шёпоты убиенных