Author:David Lagercrantz
Given the success of the first ‘sequel’ to the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, The Girl In The Spider’s Web, published in 2015, it was inevitable that a further novel would follow – and here it is.
Taking into account Larsson’s original three book series, this is now the fifth in the sequence, but note that these are new stories commissioned by Larsson’s brother and father, who control his literary estate, and are not connected to the unfinished novel and storylines supposedly on a computer now in the possession of his partner.
Despite that, the preceding novel was a huge worldwide success, and has now been commissioned as a film, and I believe this novel will follow the same route. The story, told partly in flashback, has several interconnected strands, dealing with events from the heroine Lisbeth Salander’s traumatic childhood, but coming back up to date with her incarceration in a violent Swedish prison. This is linked to the death of a noted child psychologist, leading to an investigation of the story by the editor of Millennium magazine Mikael Blomkvist. I won’t give away more of the plot, but suffice to say that although it is quite convoluted at times, it keeps your attention throughout. My only criticism would be that the translation from the original Swedish into English leads at times to some sentences not quite sounding completely ‘right’ in terms of the phrases used, but that’s a small gripe really, and maybe it’s just me.
Overall though, I did enjoy the book. Obviously, we don’t know what direction Larsson would have taken with these novels had he lived, but Lagercrantz has managed to remain faithful to the key characters and has certainly retained the feel of the original novels.
Length of Read:Medium
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Other books in this series, but they’re best read in sequence rather than jumping in with this instalment.
One thing you’ve learned
Proceeds from the book will be going to Lasrorelsen, a charity that encourages young people to read.
It’s only just been published in Swedish, so that translation must have been very rushed!
(I haven’t read any of these books BTW, making me part of a very small minority indeed…)
Presumably the translations into numerous different languages is dealt with well in advance of the official publication date, allowing simultaneous worldwide publication.
You are quite right about simultaneous publication which must be an amazing complicated process. A friend of mine was working at the publisher when the first Lagercranz book came out and there was a high level of security about it all.
He’s a good writer ( he certainly comes across well in interview) and seems to have done a good job on continuing the series.
The ‘Girl Who….’ theme of the five book titles interestingly seems just to have been developed for the English speaking market – I believe the literal translations of the Swedish titles bears no resemblence. (except for one I think?)