Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "millennium"

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"...It was the same fire that burns inside everyone who is being trampled on."

Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo, returns for the second in David Lagercrantz's sequels to Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium' trilogy. At the beginning of the novel, we find Salander in prison and, following a visit from her former guardian Holger Palmgrem, determined to delve deeper into her own past. She enlists the help of Mikael Blomkvist to investigate what she cannot while behind bars.

Lisbeth finds herself in further trouble while attempting to protect a young prisoner from a brutal gang leader, and strives to right the wrongs that have been committed against the young woman, while Blomkvist delves deeper into the story of a man who may have connections to the same past that touched Lisbeth and her sister, Camilla.

'The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye' is an intricately plotted and layered story, with Lisbeth's unorthodox methods and Blomkvist's investigative journalism unravelling the truth of the multiple injustices, all leading to a tense finale.

I enjoyed the previous book, 'The Girl in the Spider's Web', immensely (see below) - and 'The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye' more than lives up to expectations. Both have proved to be a superb continuation of Stieg Larsson's legacy. I have read that David Lagercrantz has signed to write a third novel, which I shall eagerly await.




The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


'The Girl in the Spider's Web' immerses you once more in the intense world of Lisbeth Salander, complete with criminal activity, dramatic action, and burning emotion at the heart of characters' motivation. David Lagercrantz has crafted an addictive addition to Stieg Larsson's legacy - you find yourself unwilling to stop reading in a race to the end, an ending which you do not wish to arrive in equal measure, and when it is over you are left wanting more. Let's hope this won't be the last we see of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.




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The Girl in the Eagle's Talons by Karin Smirnoff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The woman with the dragon tattoo returns!

Gasskas, a small town in northern Sweden, is poised to become the location of a controversial wind farm.

The town has become mired in crime and corruption, while women and girls have been disappearing in the surrounding area, somewhat unnoticed.

Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist find themselves entangled in the fallout, confronting avarice, betrayal and depravity.

'The Girl in the Eagle's Talons' is the seventh book in the 'Millennium' series, which began with Stieg Larsson's original trilogy. Karin Smirnoff now takes up the pen to begin a third trilogy, following the first sequel trilogy by David Lagercrantz. Larsson’s original novel, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo', was one of those books which sticks in your mind and it is always a pleasure to return to this world and its characters. Smirnoff presents a captivating novel, sewn with the series' core themes of abuse and misogyny; criminal conspiracy; corporate and political corruption, also exploring contemporary environmental issues; and a quest for moral, social and legal justice, crafting her own distinctive yet faithful continuation of Larsson's legacy through a tightly-woven, multi-layered and sharply-focussed narrative, driven by flawed, compelling characters.

We are reacquainted with Salander and Blomkvist when both are at a point in their lives where they are beginning to experience the complex process of healing. 'Millennium' magazine is now a ghost of its former self, having printed its final edition, surviving only as a podcast. The magazine was Blomkvist's life, and without it he is lost. Meanwhile, Salander, who one would imagine slayed all her demons in the previous six novels, now a part-owner of Milton Security, is undergoing therapy. Journeying with them into the sub-zero wilderness, both brought to Gasskas for personal reasons - Mikael to attend the marriage of his daughter to a local politician; Lisbeth to meet and, reluctantly, take temporary responsibility for her brother's daughter - their lives are already complicated enough before the added complexities that arise whenever they come into contact. Both characters have always thrived through their drive and intensity; now, we also experience the tragic loneliness and despair they have both collided with.

Lisbeth's family history has been at the core of the series from the very beginning. The introduction of her niece Svala is a masterstroke; she is immediately intriguing and endearing, already so much like her aunt - damaged, independent, and resourceful. Her intellect and circumstances have aged her beyond her years, proving her more than a match for the gang of villains surrounding her. Svala and Lisbeth's relationship is superbly developed, diverting between contentious, amusing and moving, quickly becoming the novel's beating heart.

Another significant character introduction is the chief antagonist, Marcus Branco. With his vicious sadism and immense wealth and power, he makes for a formidable, relentless villain, often reminiscent of Thomas Harris' Mason Verger (of 'Hannibal') and the most twisted of Bond villains, his business empire built upon organised crime, his perversions and megalomania ensnaring all who surround him. As Lisbeth and Mikael separately approach the truth of the evil lurking beneath the surface of Gasskas, the novel builds to a gripping and satisfying conclusion. I’m greatly anticipating book eight, hoping to see a return to the plot threads left dangling and more of Svala, plus Lisbeth and Mikael properly reunited.

Slow-burning and immersive, ‘The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons’ is a riveting return to the series and fantastic opening chapter in this third trilogy.



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