The Meter

Metro 2033: The Meter is the debut novel by Igor Osipov, written as part of the Metro 2033 Universe. The forty-fifth book in the series, this novel serves as the first half of the Smolensk Paradise duology and was released in 2014. The novel is set in Smolensk.

Synopsis
How do the ruins of post-nuclear Smolensk differ from the ruins of other cities? Stories are written on stones everywhere. However, this ancient city has always been distinguished by its people who, with the stubbornness of maniacs, time after time restored their home and raised it from the ashes. People are the main thing in the city. And people always remain people, with their virtues, but also with their vices. They are driven by different feelings, and it's these feelings which fuel the actions that lead not to always well-intentioned results. Evil begets evil. There is no recipe for how to measure it.

Interesting Facts

 * The name was given in honor of the factory located in the city, but later acquired a deeper meaning.
 * The image of Alina and Irina on the cover was embodied by an acquaintance of Igor Osipov, Aliona Grom, with Alina being copied from a colleague of the author at work. However, Irina is written in contrast to her.
 * The ruins of the Assumption Cathedral are made to match Igor Osipov's sketch.
 * The novel could have been Igor Osipov's debut literary work, but his short story "The First Task" came out two months earlier.
 * The first solo novel to feature two characters at once in the foreground.
 * Third novel after The Right to Power and The Right to Life with major flashbacks.
 * Included in the box set Justice of Force, along with The Witness by Konstantin Benev and Irina Baranova and The Right to Life by Denis Shabalov.