Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Murakami s bold willingness to go straight over the top [is] a signal indication of his genius . . . a world-class writer who has both eyes open and takes big risks. The Washington Post Book World

He has become the foremost representative of a new style of Japanese writing: hip, cynical, highly stylized, set at the juncture of cyberpunk, postmodernism, and hard-boiled detective fiction. . . . Murakami [is] adept at deadpan wit, outrageous style. Los Angeles Times Magazine

Fantastical, mysterious, and funny . . . a fantasy world that might have been penned by Franz Kafka. Philadelphia Inquirer

Rich in action, suspense, odd characters and unexpected trifles . . . [a] provocative work. The Atlantic

Murakami s gift is for ironic observations that hint at something graver. . . . He is wry, absurd, and desolate. Los Angeles Times Book Review

[A] mix of American fun and Japanese dread. Esquire

An intertwining DNA model of seemingly contrary elements . . . a combination of Kafka s castle, Borges s library, and the Prisoner s TV village. Village Voice Literary Supplement

Off the wall . . . hilariously bizarre . . . splendid . . . a remarkable book . . . Alfred Birnbaum . . . has captured the crazed, surreal feel of Murakami s Japanese. The Times (London)

His novels . . . are set on fast-forward: raucous, slangy, irreverent. Details