I found The Strange Library to be a very enjoyable reading experience. The story itself had the classic Murakami magic, and I appreciated Chip Kidd's interpretation for the cover and design of the book. The book format (with the top opening cover and the huge text split up by illustrations) served the story really well. I thought the illustrations were unique and effective—especially the series with the starling at the end of the story. Having the dog's eye looming above each page also added an ominous tone to the whole book.
Looking at Ted Goossen's translation style compared to Birnbaum, Rubin, and Gabriel, I can definitely say I prefer the other three to Ted. There's nothing inherently incorrect about the way Goossen translates, and perhaps I'm biased because I read the other three first, but something felt like something was missing from Goossen's interpretation. I know that having the Sheep Man speak in rambling sentences without spaces was just Birnbaum's creative interpretation, but I found it weird to see the Sheep Man speaking more normally in The Strange Library. The inconsistencies around the capitalization of the Sheep Man's name/title also confused me at some points. It's not a bad translation, but I think I prefer the style of the other three translators.
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