When reading a Murakami novel, you can expect a few consistencies. There will always be a female character that the male protagonist finds intriguing and abnormal. There will always be a host of unexplainable phenomenon that border on supernatural without ever coming right out and claiming to be. And the protagonist himself will always be a crude reflection of his creator, complete with quirky habits and a fondness for some type of alcohol. These are like old friends to any Murakami reader, and Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World proves no exception to the above rules. But I don't want to make the mistake of saying every novel is the same. They are all different, if similar, and every time I read one I marvel at Murakami's ability to take me out of this world while leaving me on planet Earth (even if it's in a very different country from my own).

This particular tale has, per usual, an unnamed male protagonist who suddenly finds his life upturned by a series of suspicious and confusing events. Unlike most of Murakami's novels, Hard-boiled Wonderland is a bit more violent, has a bit more action, and tells an almost hero-epic style journey, replete with archetypes to assist him along the way. It can be confusing at first because there are more references to obscure math and science than in any of the novels I've read yet, but like Neal Stephenson, somehow Murakami manages to infuse an understanding in even the densest reader (me).

And if that's not enough to whet the appetite for good Japanese fiction, there exist not one, but two female librarian characters with integral roles to play in the story. What more could one ask for?