1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
1 out of 5

It has become apparent Murakami has lost steam. His stories and style of writing are forced and repetitive, almost to the point of being a symptom of dementia. As with After Dark, 1Q84 has been lackluster and surmounted to nothing more than a waste of time.

I do not recommend 1Q84. Save your money and time (this book is about a thousand pages on poor quality paper and binding... all which way about 30 pounds). The only reason I didn't sell the book to a used book store halfway through was my respect for Murakami... Sadly, the book only worsened to a point of being a vile droll non-story, degrading my almost idolistic worship for the author.

Having finished the book, I have nothing but sympathy for the Japanese readers who read the first release that ended with the 2nd book. Murakami probably felt "compelled" to write more and produce the 3rd book because of the resulting backlash from the critics and readers. Knowing this, the 3rd book is an even more trite supplication that reads like hydrochoric acid sprayed as a fine mist onto your corneas.

In all, 1Q84 appears to be a social experiment in testing the will of his readers. In this work, Murakami has played the role of a literary torturer imposing benevolence on his fanbase. If Murakami doesn't have the desire to write, he should hang up his hat and gracefully bow out instead of creating constipated byproducts like 1Q84.

Still, Murakami has produced some amazing works and I apologize for my overly critical review of 1Q84. His short stories are spectacular and A Wild Sheep Chase is unmatched.

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I'm not sure why you would want to, but you can get 1Q84 from Amazon.