Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

I was totally surprised by how the story and the book played out. The ending was great, but it was strange having Murakami's fantastical elements be explained by science and technology. (And made-up ones, in fact.) I like Murakami's work because the magical qualities are left for the viewers to interprete on their own, and this was a strange departure. Not bad, really. But it's not great either.