Book Review: The Girl in the Spider’s Web

I recently read “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” written by David Lagercrantz, the next installment in the Millennium series by the late Steig Larsson.

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” by David Lagercrantz (via Goodreads)

I loved the Millennium trilogy and thought it was brilliant and original writing. I was not happy to hear that someone else was writing a follow-up to the series which I felt was good enough to leave as it was intended by its creator Larsson. I was in two minds about reading it because I was curious as well as worried it would ruin it for me, but I eventually got around to reading it.

The blurb reads:

“She is the girl with the dragon tattoo—a genius hacker and uncompromising misfit. He is a crusading journalist whose championing of the truth often brings him to the brink of prosecution.

Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female superhacker—a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering. Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Salander for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda. The secret they are both chasing is at the center of a tangled web of spies, cybercriminals, and governments around the world, and someone is prepared to kill to protect it . . .”

The plot is OK, although it took a while for me to get into it and one of the new characters seemed kind of boring until it emerges just how important he is. Blomkvist is having more problems with keeping his role at Millennium and desperately searching for a new story. Salander has her own issues to deal with but ends up helping Blomkvist bring the truth to light.

Lagercrantz has tried to keep their characters as alive and interesting as Larsson made them, but there’s still something missing. Salander is just not as unique as she was portrayed originally and seems a little too normal. The story is interesting eventually, but the problem seems resolved too easily and quickly and there are a few loose ends, maybe they are for building on in a new novel? He also killed off 2 characters just as they were getting interesting, which kind of ruined it for me.

The book did keep me reading until the end but it wasn’t anywhere near as special as the original writing. I give it 7/10 because it is well-written and you can see what the fuss is about, but at the end of the day, it’s a poor imitation of the greatness of Stieg Larsson.

Book Review: The Girl who kicked the Hornet’s Nest

I have just finished reading the last in the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy “The Girl who kicked the Hornet’s Nest”.

It is a brilliant book and a fantastically complex but satisfying end to the trilogy, with a fair bit of information which eventually comes together. Lisbeth’s life comes under immense scrutiny all the way through the book, as do the lives of several other characters. The story is riveting and well-written and makes you eager for the whole truth to come out in the end, and is particularly satisfying with the annihilation of the many characters who try to control Salander throughout her life and the trial – seeing these twisted and malicious people get their comeuppance was long awaited and i was not disappointed!

Lisbeth is an extraordinary and unique heroine, with her amazing skills and sharp mind, and even though she has her tough exterior and seemingly tough interior, we do learn that she has a vulnerable side, but her instinct to survive and to punish those who do her wrong give her an amazing strength as a character.

I would love to read more about her, but unfortunately Larsson passed away before he could even witness the immense popularity of his books. I am grateful that his work was published, as he was clearly a good writer, as his books keep the suspense going and are so complex in places that it is difficult to see where events are headed but the end result is just brilliant.

I give this book 9/10, and the whole Millennium Trilogy a 10/10 for uniqueness, utter brilliance and fascinating characters. I definitely recommend reading these books!

Book Review: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson

I have just finished reading “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” after struggling with reading it for the last 2 months or so. I finally got into it a few days ago and once i was hooked, it pretty hard to put the book down!

I think it is a very good book, if a little dark at times, but then most crime novels are.  I can see why the Millennium series is so popular, it is definitely an interesting read!

Without spoiling the plot for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, the story follows Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who faces prison after losing a libel case, who is hired by the elderly Henrik Vanger, the rich CEO of a large international company, who has spent the last 40 years or so trying to discover what happened to his young niece Harriet who disappeared without a trace. Blomkvist investigates this case with little belief that they will ever find out what happened to her, but after a few important incidents, the dysfunctional Vanger family’s lives start to unravel and secrets come pouring out. Blomkvist, with the help of Lisbeth Salander, an expert hacker in her twenties and with her own troubled past, has to go through all the stories and lies to find out the truth.

It really keeps you guessing all the way through, and it is a little bit hard to follow at time, making you wonder what on earth is going on, but eventually the loose ends are all tied up and the ending is pretty good.

The characters are really well written, and Lisbeth Salander in particular brings a lot to the plot, with the theme of the novel being about the abuse of women by men. The original Swedish title of the novel was “Men who hate women”, and that certainly shows throughout the book.

Overall, for a crime novel, this is extremely well written, and although i found certain parts of the plot a little disturbing at times, it is still an excellent read, and i really recommend you try it, even if you don’t normally go for crime fiction. I am not a huge fan of crime fiction, but i always like the suspense of a mystery which you can’t wait to solve!

I give it 9/10 for originality, suspense, and a fantastic plot with great little twists and lots of great detail!