In Ruins (Polish: W ruinie) 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. In Ruins, written by numerous Polish authors, was originally published in June of 2017. Although there is currently no English version of the book, In Ruins has been translated into one other Slavic language - Russian. The book was translated to Russian by Sergei Legeza and Leonid Dobkach, published in Russia in October of 2017.
Just like the ones that came before (In the Firelight, Whispers of the Fallen, Echo of an Extinguished World), it is a collection of short stories by Polish authors who took part in and won a competition ran by the official publisher of the series. Like with the others, both print and e-book formats are available to Polish readers, while Russian fans can download an e-book file of it for free.
Synopsis[]
Eleven of the twelve short stories in the book are set in Poland:
- Two teenagers accompany a stalker, emerging from a network of bunkers in Oleśnica to take part in negotiations with survivors from the surface for a tuberculosis cure, but the talks don't go as planned.
- A "monk" from the library community in Katowice takes part in an expedition to a mine, where Silesian miner families have taken refuge from the war, though while there he discovers a unique child who asks for his help.
- In Szczecin, the renowned stalker group of Niebuszewo Crew set out from the Jasne Błonia Republic to hunt for a powerful mutant. However, matters turn out to be much more complicated for the hunters.
- A tiny group of people survived in Sława by boarding three submarines in the town lake, yet even their small group lives not without difficulty.
- Over 160 humans hid in the mausoleum of Ostrołęka, but they are endangered by the "Samaritan" cult that operates from the underground of the Saint Francis Church.
- Near the Żar mountain, the narrative follows the steps of an experienced father and his twelve-year-old son, who encounter survivors whom they have never seen before.
- Also in Szczecin, the part of the city situated on the right bank of the river is controlled by tribes who send out a drużyna to investigate the fall of the northern stronghold.
- Just short of 100 survivors in Tychy are preparing themselves for the arrival of the ominous "pack", yet it turns out that the danger may be lurking within.
- In Poland's capital of Warsaw, the Dworzec Wileński station of the M2 metro line is home to a society of humans surviving by farming vegetables on the lower section of the station, while at the same time trying their best to stop an influx of water from the flooded Stadion Narodowy station.
- The shelter of the Varsovian Regiment is located in the outskirts of the capital city, where the legendary Captain Estera leads her expeditions to the surface.
- Efforts to settle the Warsaw Metro's unfinished Bródno station on the M2 line are underway, but internal struggles between the factions involved get in the way of further development.
The second last of the stories takes place in Chicago, giving the reader a glimpse into life after the apocalypse in the USA. The states Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah suffered from a nuclear winter for six years after the bombs fell, making it unlikely for anyone to survive. The denizens of Chicago took refuge in the subway sections of the city's rapid transit system, as well as retreating to other sheltered locations (such as hideouts built in bar cellars during the Prohibition). On Jackson Street station lives an aggressive female-only group known as the Daughters of Seth, while the Daley Center is inhabited by craftsmen and artisans. Chicago's sewers and the undeground parts of its shopping malls are home to African American communities that have developed a strong sense of unity through their religion and language.
Trivia[]
- The gas mask seen on the book's cover is a grey variant of the Polish "maska przeciwgazowa MP-4", colloquially referred to as the "buldog" mask. It's similar to the Czechoslovak M10. Both designs are based on the American M17 gas mask.
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