In this hyperkinetic and relentlessly inventive novel, Japan’s most popular (and controversial) fiction writer hurtles into the consciousness of the West. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the Worlddraws readers into a narrative particle accelerator in which a split-brained data processor, a deranged scientist, his shockingly undemure granddaughter, Lauren Bacall, Bob Dylan, and various thugs, librarians, and subterranean monsters collide to dazzling effect. What emerges is simultaneously cooler than zero and unaffectedly affecting, a hilariously funny and deeply serious meditation on the nature and uses of the mind. Goodreads Amazon
Knocked out the first 6 chapters today (thanks hangover). Pretty quick read, but too early to have any clue wtf is going on.
Through Chapter 10 The Wall Spoiler We finally got something that links the two stories. Unicorns.... cool. The shadow being separated from the person reminds me of the Disney Peter Pan cartoon where the shadow dances around behind their backs. Anyway - way too early prediction sure to be wrong: The guy in current time goes back in time/dimensions or w/e to the walled city to infiltrate them or investigate the unicorns. They wipe his memory somehow, but the shadow remembers everything. Eventually the shadow jogs h is memory and we go from there. If that actually happens, Im going to be super proud of myself
Through Chapter 24 Shadow Grounds Spoiler Starting to look like I was right Dont really have much to add after that. Been kind of bored the past few chapters. Just want to get to wherever we're going with the story.
I'm at the part after Spoiler the bad guys just trashed his place and nearly gut him like a fish and to me it seems really obvious that Spoiler the two characters are the same person and there's some Inception type shit going on. The dreamreader is obviously his mind, so the question for me is, are he and his shadow trying to escape representing the shuffled data trying to be stolen by the bad guys?
Finished today. 5.5/10 Spoiler I just couldnt get into it. Once you got to the twist/merging of the two stories, I just wanted to know how it ended, not really caring about how we get there. The ending as aight. I suppose it makes you wonder if him deciding to stay was of his own choosing or construct of not being able to bring him back. Im just wasnt invested enough to care
I feel like it's a love it or hate it type of book. Either the concept really intrigues you or just doesnt hit home. Wasn't for me, but I could see how some would dig this.
Was surprised to see that, goodreads is a 4.15. I'm maybe 6% in and confused as fuck but I like the writing style
Through Chapter 13 Spoiler I have no idea whats going on. I'm interested though. Enjoying the parts with the guy who loves fat chicks more than the guy with no shadow. That's about all that I have right now
I'm through Ch 6 now. Weird fucking book so far (and it sounds like it stays that way) but I enjoy the way he writes. I also liked the tangent on sofas.
I'm late on the party here. I'd normally have read this by now but I'm in the middle of a series that I am really enjoying. Is this book worth interrupting a series I'm liking? Or should I just pass until next month?
I didnt care for it, but seems like others are as they're reading it. I say read it. Its a pretty short, and a quick read. Even if you hate it, the worst case scenario is you get to discuss it with us, and lose a little time
Probably a pretty obvious thing but I'm through Ch 14 Spoiler I'm assuming shadow-guy is fat chicks-guy, right? Repeated references to the End of the World by fat-chicks guy, the person who's helping shadow-guy in The Town is called "The Librarian," which would be similar to the library worker fat-chicks guy met who eats a ton of food. Has to be the same protagonist. Still trying to figure out what the significance of unicorns is outside of just another commonality between the two story lines. I'm assuming the unicorns will somehow be the link between shadow guy and jogging his memory. Or maybe his shadow will remember. But why unicorns?
Finally finished. 2/5, which is probably high. The only part I actually cared about was whether or not he was going to fuck the pink dress chubber. That probably says enough about this book. BRB while I post that on Goodreads.
I'm maybe a third through. I'm intrigued and somewhat entertained, but it's not a must read so far. The benefit of reading it would be to join in on the confused discussion.
I was moving pretty good but about two thirds in it's starting to drag. Lots of explanation in a short span.
I guess I'll be the guy that liked it. 7.5/10 Spoiler So I'll call the chapters in reality the Hard Boiled Chapters and the chapters in his mind the EOTW chapters. I really enjoyed the Hard Boiled Chapters. The narrator was interesting, parts were funny, parts were somewhat exciting/intense. I too wanted him to pork miss piggy, but at least he got the Librarian 3 times in one night. I also enjoyed the existentialism aspect of the whole thing, how much control do we have over our own lives. Are the decisions we make our own or are they pre programmed in. How much do our memories and experiences shape who we are? What would we be like if we were a sample of just one moment in our lives for the rest of our lives (a la the EOTW chapters.) It was interesting to me that the whole feel of the narrator in those chapters was completely different than the feel of the narrator in the Hard Boiled Chapters, despite them being the same person. The narrator had the brain of just one sample moment in his life thanks to the prof and was stripped of all of his memories and experiences. Also enjoyed the ending. Can he piece back together his mind? What would have happened if he jumped in the pool with his shadow? Can he ever come back and fuck miss piggy using all available technologies? I usually don't love open ended books, but I was okay with it here. 7.5/10 not the best book in the world but I was drawn in and enjoyed it, which is why I think I liked it more than others
Finished this morning. I thought the final fifty pages were the best of the book. Bumped my score up, though I would still keep it as a 3* on Goodreads. My thoughts are similar to The Blackfish so I won't type out a long review. I would have liked more information on Spoiler The System, symiotecs (probably mispelling that), the inkLINGS, why the creatures happened to be unicorns, etc. I'm assuming those things were intentionally vague. But I thought it kept me a bit removed from the story just because they seemed to be placed there for no real reason other than to be odd and interesting.