On Finishing Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Seeking magic in my life and, at present, not finding it, I allowed myself to drift into a fictional derive. I use this word derive a lot because I like the idea of wandering and discovering as a form of incantation that develops insights and connections, hopefully, providing some sense of the greater scheme of things (the underlying story, not the one we are told to believe). The Situationists and their precursors used it to map the unconscious essence of built environments, but likewise we can use it in a radical gesture of exploring our imagined environments--in both cases, in ways not designated and legitimated, the power is in developing your own roadmap.

So, a week or so ago, I was heading out the door of my office and a publishing rep approached me to discuss their newest books, I stated that I had to go eat and he offered to buy, skeptical as always, but very hungry and reluctant to turn down a free lunch, I said yes, and, to my delight, KK turned out to be a writer and an intelligent, thoughtful reader. We had an amazing discussion about books, films and culture over lunch and as we walked out we noticed a used bookstore next door... hey we both said lets investigate.

I picked up Haruki Marukami's book Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Pure chance ... I have always wanted to read one of his books, but this was the moment that I needed to read it. A data-stream operative immersed in the intrigues of information warfare seeks meaning and understanding... gestated in the hard-boiled tradition, sifted through a cyberpunk awareness, looking forward to the explosion of our information society and the continuing genetic alterations that may shift us to a posthuman state. What does it mean to lose your shadow? What unseen forces operate in our world? What is the significance of losing one's mind (literally and figuratively)? I don't want to say anything more... in case you might decide to read it (I'll loan it to you--good books should be shared).