Reading Log, January 2025

Part 2

Today's date: 29.01.2025

Books I have finished reading since last log:

Metro 2033
  by Dmitry Glukhovsky

Tao Te Ching
  by Lao Zi

Bonus short story: Mika Model
  by Paolo Bacigapuli

Metro 2033

My edition of the book: Heyne, 2012. Translated into German by M. David Drevs.

“And then, after five minutes of silence, almost inaudibly, the old man sighed and said, more to himself than to Artyom: 'Lord, what a splendid world we ruined...'”

The year is 2033, and the world as we know it has ended. The chance of things ever returning back to normality is close to zero. After the breakout of the third World War in 2013, most of humanity seems to have been wiped out by nuclear warfare. The outside is inaccessible to humans, as radiation and dangers such as mutated life forms inhabit it.
In Moscow, some survivors have made the metro systems their new home. Our story follows a young man called Artyom. He lives in VDNKh alongside his adoptive father, Sukhoi. Life seems pretty normal -as normal as it can be when all the light around you is artificial and your nourishment stems from mostly mushrooms and occasionally pork.
Though VDNKh has a problem. A problem that could mean the end for the rest of the Metro: The Dark Ones, as the people call them. These are mutant, humanoid creatures, described to look like a human whose skin got turned inside out. They have long arms and legs and pitch-black skin. The worst part: Everyone who comes into contact with them dies or is driven to insanity.
And Artyom is offered an opportunity to do something about it. While returning from guard duty, he meets Hunter, a friend of Sukhoi's. His name is Hunter, and he introduces himself as a "Stalker," also known as someone who ventures to the surface for different types of resources.
Hunter asks Artyom to talk privately, the day after the Stalker's arrival they exchange secrets by the young man's tent. Artyom confesses that the reason the Dark Ones have been attacking the station is because during his childhood, he was the one to open the gateway to the surface- ultimately inviting the mutants inside the Metro. Hunter wants to go out and close the barrier. He tells Artyom that if he is not to return, he would want him to deliver a message to the Polis -the Metro's heart.
Thus begins Artyom's journey throughout the underground railway system. On his way, he meets many different kinds of groups, anything from fascists to left-leaning revolutionaries who idolize Che Guevara to inbred cannibal tribes.
Along his journey, he has memories of encounters with the Dark Ones; from his childhood, but also possibly from the future? [insert dramatic sound here]

Final verdict?

So. Goddamn. Slow. Don't get me wrong. I love this novel, and it might be making itself at home in my heart. How could it not, after it made me care for its world and characters for 800 pages? It can be so captivating. And it can also drag itself on and be just the purest form of a snooze-fest. The beginning is difficult to get into; the worldbuilding makes little to no sense to someone who isn't familiar with the Moscow metro system -or like... Moscow itself. I really cannot tell you how many times I had to look at the metro map that was printed in my edition of the book. If you enjoy slow-paced stories, don't hesitate to pick this up!
And in utter shame, I have to admit: It took me almost an entire year (!) to finish this book. I started it around this time in January of 2024. And I finished it last week. What more can I say?

Credit to: thire on DeviantArt, 14.04.2011

Tao Te Ching

My edition of the book: Ancient Renewal, 2021. Translated into English by Sam Torode.

“The way of the Tao is simple-
stop striving, defeat desire.
In the absence of striving, there is peace;
In the absence of desire, there is satisfaction.”

The legend goes like this: Lao Zi (Chinese for "Old Master"), tired with his life in the increasingly corrupt Zhou Dynasty, wanted to go westward and live the rest of his days as a hermit. At the gates, the guard recognized him. He had one condition for the great thinker: If he wanted to leave, he would have to write down all his wisdoms for them to be documented and not eventually lost to time.
And so, at least according to this myth that no one can prove anymore, we got the Tao Te Ching. The main idea behind this short text is the "Tao" (Chinese for "The Way"), by which Lao Zi tries to set a standard for life and ruling over a kingdom.
The worst part about this book is that, even 2500 years after it was first seemingly written down, it is still applicable. It speaks of principles such as hiding one's virtue- alluding to the fact that virtue that awaits praise is not true and from the heart-, or how one should live a life which is not strictly material -for owning a lot invites the possibility of loss into one's life. Overall, there are many small things that this book describes. Jotting them all down in here would really defeat the purpose of the Master's words.

Final verdict?

I don't know how much I can say about an inherently religious text (having been the base of many still contemporary Chinese beliefs (I am no expert, really. I'm just a man on the internet)) without boring you with how much this book has resonated with me. If you're looking for something to try and learn more about Eastern philosophy, this is a good start. That's all I am willing to give on this one!
(And it won't get better as I start reading more philosophy this year. XOXO)
P.S.: I read the Sam Torode translation, which, no shade to Sam, isn't really that great in my opinion? It is an... adaptation? of another English version from around 1919. I really don't know what to call this myself. But it leaves more questions open than I would like. Other translations of this work convey many of the ideas better and are less of a hassle to understand. The Torode version's biggest problem is its simplicity. The back of the book says "[the] poetic language by Sam Torode [...] [makes] this ancient work accessible to today's readers." My ass. Sorry, Sam.


Credit to: Zhang Lu, 15th- or 16th century

Mika Model

Published on Slate, 2016. Link to the story.

“You can't save something that isn't there.”

Well. I'm not sure how much I can say about this story without spoiling all that makes it a fun little read. But let me try to give you a bit of context to what is happening and where we are in the story: A woman walks into the police station. To Detective Rivera, she looks familiar. It doesn't take long for him to realize why: She's one of the AI-powered bots, made entirely for their owner's pleasures and fantasies. And she tells him she needs a lawyer.

Final verdict?

Take 10 minutes out of your day; it's interesting. That's all I will say.

Credit to: Lisa Larson-Walker, 2016

This is the end of this blog for now! Thank you for reading!

Stay tuned; there will be more coming in February! Planning to finish around two or three books next month!