The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson

Lisbeth Salander - the heart of Larsson's two previous novels - lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

I have waited such a long time to read this book - I had it on hold at the library since July 25, and it finally came in yesterday. Naturally, I didn't do much but read in my spare time yesterday or today, and I am absolutely delighted with this last book in the Millenium trilogy.

I was slightly worried that, after loving the first two books, I might be disappointed with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. This was definitely not the case. The plot kept my eyes glued to the page at every possible moment. Even though Salander is confined to a hospital bed or a prison cell throughout most of the story, the book manages not to feel stagnant in the slightest; the plot is always moving, though never rushed. Aside from this, all the characters are exceptionally well drawn. None of the characters are perfect, and none are completely "bad" either (some would probably disagree with me on the last bit, though). I feel Larsson had a very good insight into human nature and human behavior, and he was able to use that insight very well. The first two books, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire, were exciting, well-written, had wonderful characters and a complex and captivating plot. In my opinion, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest surpassed them both.


Today, I was looking at Stieg Larsson's website and found that the Millenium trilogy was actually intended to be ten books, and that Larsson died while writing the fourth. Though I knew that he had died after submitting the first three novels to his publisher, I had no idea that there were originally supposed to be seven more. Some have hoped that Larsson's partner, Eva Gabrielsson, could finish the fourth book, but she is positive that this would not be legal in Sweden. For my own part, while I wish that Larsson was alive today and able to finish the ten books, I am glad that there is not likely to be anyone finishing the series in his stead - I feel like this very rarely works well. What's your opinion on the matter?

The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I've had this book on hold every since I finished the first book in March (my review is here), and it finally came in last week. While I had mixed feelings about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, partly because it took me some time to figure out who all the characters were, I had no such reservations about The Girl Who Played with Fire.

After her guardian, Advokat Nils Bjurman, and two others are murdered with the same weapon within hours of each other, Lisbeth Salander is a murder suspect. While those who know her--journalist Mikael Blomkvist, among others--insist that she would not kill anyone without provocation, the police are insistent upon her guilt. However, she remains remarkably elusive, and even after three weeks, the girl with the dragon tattoo is yet to be found by the authorities. But did she really commit the murders? Though her fingerprints were on the gun, there is no evidence that Lisbeth Salander actually fired the gun at all, much less at the three victims. As more information surfaces about an unknown man named "Zala," even the police have their doubts.

The book is utterly captivating, suspenseful, terrific--I could go on. The best way I can think of to describe it is that it's one of those books where your face gradually gets closer and closer to the book until some outside thing distracts you and you realize you're nearly cross-eyed. Yes, it's that good. If you've heard of this book, it may be because the final book in the trio, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, was recently released, and the books have become more prominently displayed in stores. If this is the case, and you've been wondering whether or not to buy, I encourage you to go ahead and spend your money. In my opinion, it's well worth it.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

I don't remember where I first heard of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Several people have recommended it to me, but I only recently realized that my local library has it. Of course, I promptly checked it out.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a mystery book about Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who has just been convicted of libel; an old man, Henrik Vanger, who wants Blomkvist to investigate the disappearance of his young niece many years ago; and Lisbeth Salander, a young, asocial hacker who helps Mikael solve the mystery. I thought this book dragged on a bit at the beginning--the exposition lasted quite a while, and I wasn't entirely sure where the book was going sometimes (this is not necessarily good or bad in my opinion, but it was something I observed). I also found that since none of the characters were connected at first and because I knew they were going to be connected later, I kept wondering who the heck all these people were and how they had anything to do with each other rather than being completely absorbed in the book.

However, once the characters started coming together and it became clear what the main plot was going to be, the rest of the 480 pages zipped right by. The story was captivating, breathtaking, suspenseful, and horrifying, and Blomkvist's discovery (which I will NOT reveal, thank you) was quite unexpected. The ending was quite cathartic, and I will most definitely go on to read the rest of the millenium trilogy. Unfortunately, I am still waiting for the second book to come in (I have it on hold), and my library does not have the third--I feel another interlibrary loan coming on!