Two nameless voices narrate alternate chapters one from the hard-boiled, dangerous Wonderland of Tokyo above and below ground and one from the peaceful End of the World. The first gets a job from a very eccentric old scientist in his underground lab, where he’s experimenting with removing sound from the world and using a tuning fork to gather information from animal skulls. Meanwhile in the End of the World, where the coming of autumn means that the coats of the unicorns turn to a thick silky gold color, the narrator must go the library to begin his new work: reading the old dreams from the beast skulls kept in the library. As they rush rapidly forward the stories begin to converge.

Intricately plotted, reflective, suspenseful, and compelling this is what a few decades ago would be described as mind-blowing. Once I started it, I found it impossible to put down. This is a masterwork of literary imagination. ( )

You know what to expect of Murakami's novels but the bizarre-ness of Hard-Boiled Wonderland still takes the cake. Nevertheless, you have to applaud the audacity of Murakami. Imagine a world in your brain and you have the choice whether to leave or to stay, with the latter option meaning that you end your life on earth. In this alternative universe, you don't have your memories but you at peace with yourself. What will you choose? ( )

Murakami crafts a spellbinding narrative that merges the gritty underbelly of Tokyo with a surreal, dreamlike world. Through parallel storylines, the book explores profound questions about memory, identity, and the boundaries of reality. Murakami’s vivid imagination and philosophical insights make this a transformative reading experience that challenges perceptions while captivating the senses.

Većina ljudskih aktivnosti počiva na pretpostavci da život teče dalje. Ako uklonimo tu premisu, što ostaje? ( )

An odd and wonderfully appealing parallel tale delving into the neurosciences, literature, music, and 'the self'. ( )