Rating: 
Summary: Hard boiled boredom
Review: Maybe I have not played enough video games, have not read enough cheap fantasy novels to really be able to appreciate Murakamis Hard Boiled Wonderland. I just find it tiresome and void of anything what makes life and literature exciting. I hope his original Japanese writing does not sound as flat and pubescent as it does in the English translation. "Only where there is disillusionment and depression and sorrow does happiness arise, without the despair of loss, there is no hope"(pp 334) - Wow, how deep! Everybody who was as disappointed as me, should read Tanizakis "The Key" to get a kick out of Japanese literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Experimental and Traditional
Review: At some point along the way on your journey through "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World"--in my case, not until I had read the last page and closed the book--it may occur to you, Why, this isn't a modernistic, subversive, radical treatise on the ravages of contemporary society and the havoc that technology has wreaked on us, it's just an old-fashioned book about aging! The two halves of the book--"Hard-Boiled Wonderland" and "The End of the World"--represent, to my mind, youth and adulthood, respectively, and the protagonist--as well as the author--appear to find themselves poised in thirtysomething limbo, trying to decide what they want their lives to be like from hereon out. "Hard-Boiled Wonderland" certainly seems to be the more fun of the two worlds--exotic women, delicious food, cool cars, high-paced city living, and infinite possibilities for what career to choose, which woman to settle down with, and what town to live in. But Wonderland is certainly more dangerous--all that high-tech mafia business, gruesome violence, flesh-eating monsters, broken-into apartments, splitting headaches, and hangovers from those crazy nights drowning your confusion in whiskey. It's enough to make a thirtysomething guy long for a little peace and comfort. That's where "The End of the World" comes in. End of the World is everything Wonderland is not: one monogamous partner, gruel for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, no mode of transportation other than your own two feet, and nothing more exciting to do than stare off at the mountains or the smoke stack from the Power Plant or wait for the herd of beasts to come trampling through the town every evening. Your career is decided for you--you will "read dreams" from unicorn skulls in a musty old library--and you will settle down with such-and-such woman, who's the only available woman around, and you can never leave the high-walled town or even find out what's outside it. You can't even go outside in the daytime to see the light without your special dark glasses on. All this comfort starts to seem a little dreary to the narrator (who has no idea how he arrived there and can't remember his life beforehand), and he has to make a choice near the end of the novel whether to follow his Shadow (i.e., his soul) back into the exciting but treacherous spirit of his youth or to continue on forever in the calm but melancholy End of the World he has "created." I won't spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that it's a little surprising, makes more sense the more you think about it, and ultimately feels utterly natural. And despite the surface experimentalism of the novel--witty and inventive as it is--this theme of living in one's youth forever or accepting the idea of old age is probably one of the oldest themes in literature.In such an experimental novel, the author is taking a risk that the unique style in which he writes to convey the message he has to give may affect our enjoyment of the book. Unfortunately, the two worlds are so polarized--for good thematic reasons--that they're difficult to read about: Wonderland is just a little too chaotic, the End of the World is just a little too dull. It's the type of book that's easier to appreciate than to enjoy, or more enjoyable to reflect on than to actually read. That said, this was still a wonderful book, my favorite book by Murakami only next to "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle," and it haunted me for a long time afterward.
Rating: 
Summary: Another wonderful novel from murakami
Review: This is the third Murakami novel I have read. Each one is unique and yet they have a common thread. I love the way he writes, his language is simple and clear, yet conveys complex thoughts and ideas. He has a strong voice which can be heard even through various translators. Humorous and provocative, he is a joy to read. Always gets me hooked with the first page. This one is two stories that are resolved in one climax. The hero is a computer whiz who is hired by a scientist to "shuffle" data and gets caught up in a mysterious chase. This alternates with a man who comes to a village to read dreams and become separated from his shadow. You just have to read it for yourself. Any descriptions don't do it justice.
Rating:
Summary: A new look at old questions
Review: Reading this book was a really wonderful experience. It was so vivid that I was able to visualize every scene. I felt the author was speaking to me. He delved into questions of existence in a very different way. I'm also happy to see that I wasn't the only one who got pleasure from this book.
Rating:
Summary: A truly wonderful experience
Review: If you are looking at this page, do yourself a favour and purchase this book immediately! Your thoughts and dreams will alter while reading this book and most likely -- each time you think back on it!
Rating:
Summary: A Quiet Masterpiece
Review: Quite simply, one of the best books I have ever read. Very special, indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Slick, tight, and very classy
Review: Murakami, in so many ways, represents a true oasis in a wasteland of modern fiction. "Hard Boiled..." encapsulates the distilled nature of reality in a way that makes it frighteningly present to a citizen of the late twentieth century. His irreverant attitude towards classical prose (and most things in general) makes this novel a delight to read. He tantalizes the mind without making you brood and tickles your fancy without being totally whimsical. Indeed, he keeps the story moving well as he dares to venture seemingly wherever his unique mind takes him. Truly a masterpiece of modern fiction. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite novel--no reason it shouldn't be yours!
Review: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is the most fantastically written, intriguing, meaningful, exciting, page-turner of a book that I have read in my eighteen years on this planet. It combines two stories (which are, in fact, one), both so intriguing that I couldn't put the book down. (Neither could my mother or older brother.) Murakami's prose is incredibly vivid and action-packed, like a well-filmed movie or a fantastic dream. This may sound artificial, but his writing, in content and style, completely sucked me in and immediately had me hooked and craving more. The characters are fascinating, from the brilliant, American pop-culture-oriented protagonist who also happens to be an extremely "hard-boiled," split-brained, logical thinker, to the young woman who smells of watermelon and whose specialty is a cucumber sandwich. This story has something for everyone. It has futuristic theories on the power of computers; mysterious men who smash pr! ivate property, make threats, and disappear; unicorns; spirituality; creepy underground scenes with creatures reminiscent of Gremlins or Golum; and discussion of American and Japanese popular cultures. There's something for the mystery-lover, the sci-fi- and fantasy-lover, the romantic, the thrill-seeker, and the anthropologist in everyone. More than that, it offers beauty and hope. I recommend it to all.
Rating:
Summary: The best novel among his novels.
Review: I read all of his novels from his first novel:"Listen to the song of wind!"(I just interpreate title from Japanese to English.) to his latest novel. He used to write fantastic fiction and a kind of fairy tale. This is one of his typical fantasy fiction. It consist of 2 different story, actually. He had 2 stories, and then mixed them together. Consequently, he could make a eccentric story. I think it is new way of writing novel. He dislikes fixed thing, a kind of dogma, like religions, political games, the Olympic games, and so on. Any way, he wrote a fundamental new novel.
Rating:
Summary: postmodern mood meld
Review: This is art; postmodernism on paper. Murakami 's novel melds the hip and the mundane with ephemeral epoxy. If William S. Burroughs collaborated with Phillip K. Dick and John Irving, I think the result would be similar to this.
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