I've never read Murakami before, but after hearing rave recommendations decided to read Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. I'm not sure whether it's the translator's fault or if the author himself is a hack. Much of the Hard-Boiled narrative is just the narrator ranting about music, how much his life sucks and ogling at every single woman he meets. The cyberpunk elements of the story are little more than window dressing, never properly addressed. For example, the rivalry between Calcutecs and Semiotecs is hinted at in the early chapters. But then the story quickly forgets them except for the two guys that trash the narrator's room, who are later revealed to be Semiotecs in a throwaway line.Also every single female character wants to fuck the narrator for some reason. I've read light novels with better writing. The End of the World narrative is slightly better but even then it never explains who the other people in the narrator's subconscious, like the Colonel were. The story isn't satisfying at all. The author introduces certain concepts and ideas such as the INKlings to grab the reader's attention but quickly abandons them without resolution. It's like putting a bunch of decorative trinkets in your house to appear more interesting, while the walls are dirty and peeling off.
it's not that bad
