Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

I've only read one Murakami novel but I loved it. Hard-Boiled Wonderland.

Fiction, yes. I've recently read and recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (which in a way is a blend of sci fi and fantasy), Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. On Deck, I have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.

"Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World" (by Haruki Murakami). I love every book I've read by Haruki Murakami, but I think this may be my favorite. I suspect that, for a work of literary surrealist/magical realism fiction, it will appeal to the HN crowd.

I discovered him from the old puzzle site thisisnotporn and loved "Dance Dance Dance" and "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World".

Nice! Recommend 'Hard Boiled Wonderland' as well. His most tightly plotted and laid out book, if you like that part of his work. His non-fic is great as well. IQ84 is a bit long winded and sort of a 'b-side' IMO, might want to save that for last.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami because the pace of half the book so closely resembles my life, decisions, alternative histories and the limited time we have in the world. not sure how much more I can say without spoilers.

This will be an unlikely HN entry, but as there was not pre-requirement, I thoroughly enjoyed a French book named "Peste et Cholera" by Patrick Deville, about Alexandre Yersin [1]. Yersin is mostly known for identified the bacillus responsible for the plague [2]. Not that it relates to our field, but the guy's dedication and hard-work was inspiring (similarly, Pasteur's life is quite interesting to read about). Also out of our usual targets here, though somewhat more related, I enjoyed "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" [3] by Haruki Murakami. I found the universes interesting and enjoyed the setting of a world were programmers learn to compute and encrypt things in their brains (even if it's a small part of the story). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Yersin [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yersinia_pestis [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-Boiled_Wonderland_and_the... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World)

The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson. AR plays a heavy role in it (and it is my favorite Stephenson novel). Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami. I can't say much about it without ruining it.

Murakami is great, his prose really touched me in a creative/imaginative sense. I get this surreal and whimsical sensation while reading his fiction. If you're lining up possible other books to read by him, I suggest Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

I liked 1Q84. I felt it could have been a bit shorter without much loss to the story though. 'The Wind Up Bird Chronicle' and 'Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World' remain my favorite Murakami novels.

Haruki Murakami: 1Q84 -- title's a nod to Orwellian dystopia; awesome mystery with a dash of sci-fi that takes place in a parallel universe sort of Tokyo; the English editon's 3 books in one so it's quite looong Wind Up Bird Chronicle -- another 3-books-in-one psychological thriller, but the plotline's really just a device for telling the story of the Soviet-Japan border clashes during WWII and the atrocities committed by both sides; I loved the story but it's long and really weird, even for Murakami Hardboiled Wonderland And The End Of The World -- really fun and imaginative book about a guy who can encrypt data by passing it through his subconsciousness, and ends up getting stuck there himself; I think this was the book that made Murakami famous in the US

without visible comment scores, this thread is not as useful as it could have been. For computer security fact-wrapped-up-as-fiction, the "Stealing the network' books are very entertaining, realistic depictions of 'the perfect hack'. For scifi, I enjoy collections of short stories such as the "new writings in SF" anthologies. But they're hard to get hold of, so any "best SF" collection of short stories will serve you well. For postmodern fiction, Haruki Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a great read.

Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Boiled-Wonderland-End-World-Inter... (http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Boiled-Wonderland-End-World-International/dp/0679743464/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1307677444&sr=1-1)