Haruki Murakami is an international phenomenon. When Books One and Two of
his latest masterpiece, 1Q84, were published in Japan, a million copies
were sold in one month, and the critical acclaim that ensued was reported
all over the globe. Readers were transfixed by the mesmerising story of
Aomame and Tengo and the strange parallel universe they inhabit. Then, one
year later, to the surprise and delight of his readers, Murakami published
an unexpected Book Three, bringing the story to a close. In order to
reflect the experience of 1Q84's first readers, Harvill Secker is
publishing Books One and Two in one beautifully designed volume and Book
Three in a separate edition. A long-awaited treat for his fans, 1Q84 is
also a thrilling introduction to the unique world of Murakami's
imagination. This hypnotically addictive novel is a work of startling
originality and, as the title suggests, a mind-bending ode to George
Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. (The number 9 in Japanese is pronounced like
the letter 'Q'). The year is 1984. Aomame sits in a taxi on the expressway
in Tokyo. Her work is not the kind which can be discussed in public but she
is in a hurry to carry out an assignment and, with the traffic at a stand-
still, the driver proposes a solution. She agrees, but as a result of her
actions starts to feel increasingly detached from the real world. She has
been on a top-secret mission, and her next job will lead her to encounter
the apparently superhuman founder of a religious cult. Meanwhile, Tengo is
leading a nondescript life but wishes to become a writer. He inadvertently
becomes involved in a strange affair surrounding a literary prize to which
a mysterious seventeen-year-old girl has submitted her remarkable first
novel. It seems to be based on her own experiences and moves readers in
unusual ways. Can her story really be true? Both Aomame and Tengo notice
that the world has grown strange; both realise that they are indispensable
to each other. While their stories influence one another, at times by
accident and at times intentionally, the two come closer and closer to
intertwining. ** Murakamiâe(tm)s new novel is coming ** COLORLESS TSUKURU
TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE 'The reason why death had such a hold on
Tsukuru Tazaki was clear. One day his four closest friends, the friends
heâe(tm)d known for a long time, announced that they did not want to see
him, or talk with him, ever again'