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Published first in the year 1985, Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World is a novel that revolves around the subconscious mind of Calcutec, and the happenings in a Town. Summary Of The Book Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World takes the readers through two stories that don’t seem linked in any way. However, when the readers reach the end of this book, they are able to derive the link between the two stories, which are the Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End Of The World. The Hard-Boiled Wonderland is narrated by a Calcutec. Calcutecs are human data processors that are equipped to utilize their mind as an encryption key. Semiotecs, who are their rivals, have the same ability, and work for the Factory. However, the Calcutecs work for the Quasi Governmental System. The Semiotecs are basically fallen Calcutecs, who desire to steal data from the System and sell it, whereas the Calcutecs protect the data. This part starts off with an old scientist allocating a task to the Calcutec. The scientist is working on a sound removal project. If his project is successful, he would be able to increase/decrease or completely nullify certain sounds. The scientist then hands over a skull to the Calcutecs, which was actually a unicorn’s skull that the Semiotecs desired to steal. As the plot progresses, the narrator receives a call stating that the old scientist wants to meet him. On meeting the scientist, he finds out that his end is drawing near, and he would now live in a dream-like world for eternity. The End Of The World is based on an isolated walled Town, whose wall is impenetrable. The narrator gets accepted into the Town. However, his Shadow has been cut off, and remains in a place called the Shadow Grounds. Those who dwell in the town are not allowed to have their shadow. The narrator is then assigned the job of a Dreamreader, where he has to go to the Library every evening to learn the art of understanding dreams from the skulls of unicorns. During this time, the narrator begins to fall in love with the Librarian. The narrator is now stuck between the choice to leave the Town with his Shadow, or to let his Shadow go. The book was first published in 1985. About Haruki Murakami Haruki Murakami is a well-known Japanese author. Apart from this book, Murakami has written The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka On The Shore, Norwegian Wood, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, and The Elephant Vanishes. Murakami was born on the 12th of January, 1949, in Kyoto, Japan. He completed his degree from Waseda University, Tokyo, in Drama. Before finishing his degree, Murakami started a jazz bar and a coffeehouse in Kokubunji, Tokyo. Murakami’s literary works have been highly appreciated, and he has been presented with several awards, some of which include the Jerusalem Prize, the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and the Franz Kafka Prize. The Guardian noted that Murakami was one of the greatest living novelists.