Heritage of the Ancestors (Novel)

"Moscow and Kaliningrad. Great capital city and bunkers along with secret bases built by fascists in the undergrounds of Königsberg. An intriguing combination. But those of us who know everything about the Moscow Metro remain silent due to signed agreements. Meanwhile, the secrets of underground König were taken to the grave by its builders. And what if they rise from that grave? This is a book that you definitely won't forget."

- Dmitry Glukhovsky

Heritage of the Ancestors (Russian: Наследие предков) is a novel 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. Heritage of the Ancestors, written by Russian author (of Armenian origin) Suren Tsormudian, was originally published in July of 2012. Although there is currently no English version of the book, Heritage of the Ancestors has been translated into a two other European languages - Polish and German. The novel was translated to Polish by Paweł Podmiotko and published in Poland on the 19th of February, 2014.

Like many other books in the series, Heritage of the Ancestors is set in Russia. Unlike most of them, however, it takes place outside of what remains of the mainland federation. Instead, it takes the reader to a detached Russian exclave on the Baltic coast. A major part of this setting is the underground network of shelters, as well as the mysteries that Nazi Germany hid within their deepest reaches prior to losing this territory many years ago to the Soviet Union, during World War II.

Synopsis
Set in the post-apocalyptic Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation, much of the story takes place within a series of underground bunkers built by the Germans during the Second World War. Once the Nazis occupying Eastern Europe were defeated by the Red Army and the Soviet Union took control over the area, these bunkers were partially modernized and used as shelters during the Cold War era. Naturally, when the Great War of 2013 came, citizens of the Kaliningrad Oblast who found themselves nearby when the bombs started falling retreated into these structures to survive. Now, 20 years after the nuclear conflict, various factions continue to fight for survival in the hazardous area that used to be their home.

The few organizations that have persevered remain suspicious of each other at best, but will they put their differences aside when unexpected visitors "return" to reclaim the heritage of their ancestors? The Nazi bunkers (now inhabited by what remains of Kaliningrad's Russian population) are still very enigmatic to their tenants, with countless hidden tunnels and a rumoured subway system containing the scientific secrets of the Third Reich. Heritage of the Ancestors stars a varied cast of characters who are connected to this tale; among them are the protagonists Aleksandr Zagorski, Major Stechkin, Tigran Bagramian (an Armenian), and Rita Gzel.

Gallery
Наследие предков