It's interesting to see the modern world through the eyes of someone from an earlier, less technological time. However, the way this was executed in practice resulted in somewhat vague descriptions that make it hard to follow the story sometimes, and also IMO make the reader a bit less invested. I think there's definitely some room to improve those descriptions, say, by drawing parallels or comparisons to things Karl would find in his own world. The way cars were described as horseless wagons, for example, was a good application of this technique, and was effective IMO. It would be also nice to know more about Karl as a person, and what motivated him to leave his original home in the city and look for a new place for himself; that could tie in with the ending, and with why he decided to make a living for himself in the new world he found.