Wild Sheep Chase
by H. MURAKAMI · first published 2000
81% recommend19% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Absurd, funny, and accessible Murakami with his signature magical realism; suggested as a good starting point for newcomers and a high point of his earlier work, and it leads into Dance, Dance, Dance.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
Dance Dance Dance
Cun Shang Chun Shu
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 105 recommend · 10 mention5 recommend · 105 recommend
2008–2025Norwegian Wood
Cun Shang Chun Shu
Recommended by 29 · mentioned by 4729 recommend · 47 mention29 recommend · 4729 recommend
Hear the Wind Sing
CUN SHANG CHUN SHU ( CUN SHANG CHUN SHU Haruki Murakami)
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 93 recommend · 9 mention3 recommend · 93 recommend
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Cun Shang Chun Shu
Recommended by 28 · mentioned by 4328 recommend · 43 mention28 recommend · 4328 recommend
Stalingrad
Vasily Grossman, Robert Chandler, Elizabeth Chandler, Yury Bit-Yunan
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 53 recommend · 5 mention3 recommend · 53 recommend
How to Win at the Sport of Business
Mark Cuban
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 66 recommend · 6 mention6 recommend · 66 recommend
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
Cun Shang Chun Shu
Recommended by 26 · mentioned by 3626 recommend · 36 mention26 recommend · 3626 recommend
Life and fate
Vasiliĭ Semenovich Grossman
Recommended by 12 · mentioned by 1412 recommend · 14 mention12 recommend · 1412 recommend
…in 1999 and found an English translation of Pinball, 1973 in a bookshop there. It was a Kodansha imprint, for English learners I think. Anyway, I'd already read a number of Murakami books by that time (Wild Sheep Chase, Dance, Dance, Dance and Wind-up Bird Chronicle), and enjoyed them so I snapped it up. It was an ok read but far from his best (which for me, still remains Wind-up Bird Chronicle). Later, I researched…
on “Haruki Murakami: The Moment I Became a Novelist” ↗I feel Murakami's earlier work was more natural and didn't try too hard. Not all was great, but his best work for me is Wild Sheep Chase. After The Wind Up Bird, he is mostly repeating himself. I don't see much depth in his works, at least in terms of "depth" how I would define it. Murakami is about alot of ideas who are not always connected…
on “Haruki Murakami and the Scarcity of Serious Thought” ↗A wild sheep chase by Haruki Murakami
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗…Window and Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson (Love it -- hilarious, witty, a pleasure to read) "Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami (Strange good -- but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as liked "The Wild Sheep Chase") "One hundred years of solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez (Very slow, had a hard time honestly) "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn (A fast, exciting read but found the ending unsatisfying. But would recommend)…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗…of Creation by Eric Drexler, as well as the three Grant Cardone books I read: The 10x Rule, Sell or Be Sold and Be Obsessed or Be Average. Fiction: I'll go with The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz. A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami was also pretty good. You can see the entire list of what I've read lately (and further back) on my Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33942804-phillip-rhodes…
on “Ask HN: What is the best book you read on 2017?” ↗Murakami is one of my favorite writers. For "classic" Murakami style, which generally has a lot of magical realism, I recommend A Wild Sheep Chase, which is hilarious and quite accessible, and Kafka on the Shore, which is a bit more ethereal. I also really enjoyed Norwegian Wood, but be aware that this is quite different from most of his work. In…
on “The Intricate Translation Process for a Murakami Novel” ↗A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami. I really cannot summarize the plot, but it is such a good read. My favorite author.
on “Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?” ↗…read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions I have that on my list to read "sometime soon." So far I've really enjoyed all the Murakami I've read - After Dark, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and A Wild Sheep Chase. Definitely planning to read the rest of his works eventually.
on “Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?” ↗Long time Murakami fun here, have read all his books and recently re-read the Rat Trilogy (Wild Sing + Pinball, A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance Dance Dance). I agree that there is indeed repetitiveness in his most recent work but I still find a lot of his work insightful and somewhat relatable. One of the best imo ranking of his work can…
on “Haruki Murakami and the Scarcity of Serious Thought” ↗Dance, Dance, Dance which is a “sequel” to Wild Sheep Chase is my favorite, followed by WUNC and then HBW/EOW. Total aside but has anyone found good Murakami-esque movies or TV Shows? Parts of The Leftovers actually gave me the same feeling, especially “International…
on “Disappearing Act: The working life of Haruki Murakami” ↗Surprised no one mentioned any of Haruki Murakami's books. Norwegian Wood made a big impression on me as a young man in my late teens. Kafka on the shore and the Wind-up Bird Chronicle are both trips. A Wild Sheep Chase is hilarious.
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗Don't overlook the earlier books like Norwegian Wood, Wild Sheep Chase, and The Elephant Vanishes. Easier reading than the thick books and fun and beautiful.
on “Disappearing Act: The working life of Haruki Murakami” ↗…but probably have it in a bookshelf somewhere. My wife is a big Murakami fan and I've read almost all of them. I will make that the next one on my fiction reading list, thanks! I particularly enjoyed A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance Dance Dance, whereas my wife loves Kafka on the Shore (which I didn't like). Funny that...
on “Haruki Murakami: The Moment I Became a Novelist” ↗Wild Sheep Chase and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle are also quite good. His tone can vary a lot from book to book, from absurdity (Wild Sheep Chase) to straight up nostalgic, umm, romance(?) (Norwegian Wood).
on “The Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 awarded to Bob Dylan” ↗…say that. I've enjoyed every Murakami I've read with the exception of Sputnik Sweetheart. Couldn't finish it, there was just something about the style and the plot that I didn't enjoy. I started with A Wild Sheep Chase and thought that was a good start point. Also his book of short stories, The Elephant Vanishes, would be quite a nice intro if you prefer shorter stuff, I think.
on “Japanese Writing After Murakami” ↗