Special mention to my Auntie Shirley, who gave me “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl who played with Fire”. I would not have known about this interesting book (which is gonna be a part of my favorites) without you! I really appreciate it! 

This exciting murder mystery is a thrilling mix of different storylines and narrative archetypes, some of which are: corporate corruption, serial killing, family history, and above all a captivating mystery. It dwells on themes such as love, sexual violence, and the dysfunctionality of the Vanger family, as one would see while reading the novel. Despite several horrifying descriptions distributed within its pages, the novel delivers every bit of an exciting novel that would surely linger in one’s mind. It is the kind of novel that would absorb you from the very start, and take you for a roller coaster trip to the finish. Larsson’s writing is quite unpredictable, and the unique thing about his writing style is that he is able to fully develop the characters he is describing. 


One of the characters one would surely appreciate is the eccentric Lisbeth Salander. While Blomkvist would appear to be the typical journalist who would fight for his rights, Lisbeth is a rebel in her own terms, with her own strengths and weaknesses, which were all tackled in the novel. Stieg Larsson was truly able to master her character and turn her into someone remarkable. Despite the illegal actions she had been committing, she is altogether a fascinating character–someone you wouldn’t easily forget, had you met her in person.


Overall, the book is a definite page-turner. After the lengthy introduction to all of the characters (to which I suggest you should pay close attention), the narrative takes a long dip into the different events that would eventually lead to the final conclusion. The story would take you in through the different obstacles and challenges that each character had to face, as well as the intriguing mystery that would leave you guessing at each possible moment.


Larsson proves his talent in writing through this set of novels: the Millenium Trilogy, and had he been alive to this very day, I would probably start getting the rest of his novels. Sadly, he was only able to author one series before his untimely death. I do believe that these books would gain so much recognition in the next few years, especially to the point that it is going to be adapted into its own movie version soon.


Source: http://biggzipp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo.jpg

In my previous post here I had quoted the first book in the series : The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The story surrounds a girl suffering from Aspergers syndrome, but is subjected to varying levels of mental, physical and sexual torture for all her child life. The surrounding conspiracy related to an underground spy, a fraud businessman, a new post editor and owner who is hell bent upon finding out truth, and a lot of other consipiracies that are entangled together.

First book deals with the discovery of the girl, Lisbeth Salander, when Blomkvist is on a mission to unravel the truth behind a mysterious disappearance of a girl, which in turn leads to events and findings that are truly mysterious.

The second book, The Girl who played with Fire, deals with the story of the girl, her sufferings and the major event that builts her criminal image in the media

The third and final book, The Girl who kicked the Hornet’s Nest, deals with the search for truth and confrontation by Lisbeth of all the truths. Her fight fo survival and life and justice, where the other character play a major role.

You cannot keep the book down, its not just possible. In my case I would say I couldnt keep my iPhone down.

Steig Larsson has created the masterpiece in such an eloquent manner that with every page, you are presented with so minute details that you are watching a movie getting build inside your head, the characters seem to act in front of your eyes.

Technical aspects used in the book related to hacking, business, reporting, policework and psychology are synced with care to create non-incredible effect. Very logical and very connected from start till end, the book has all the aspects viz. mystery, murder, thriller, courtroom drama, detective work, sex, psychopaths, hacking etc

One of the best reads I had in years in fiction category

The last of the millennium trilogy picks up where book 2 left off. Salander is in hospital having been shot by her father, Zalanchenko, who is also in the same hospital being treated for wounds she managed to inflict on him. Neidermann, Zalanchenko’s sidekick and, incidentally, his son, has disappeared despite Blomkvist containing him when he went to rescue Salander.

This book focuses on Salander’s slow recovery in hospital and Blomkvist’s work to prove her innocence through drawing together the resources of Millennium, Milton Security and allies within the police which he names The Knights of the Idiotic Table. It also contains a sub-plot around Berger, who, through moving to a bigger newspaper has managed to pick up a stalker who turns violent.

Given the incident that has resulted in Salander and Zalanchenko’s hospitalisation has helped clear Salander of the suspicion of being involved in the murders outlined in book 2, Blomkvist is keen to uncover the real reason behind Svensson and Johansson’s murder and ensure Salander does not, once again, become a victim of the authorities and become locked up in a psychiatric hospital. He manages to collate all the evidence that he has collected and even manages to smuggle a Palm to Salander so that she can communicate with him and bypass visiting restrictions placed on her by the authorities. Giannini, Blomkvist’s sister is also brought in to act for Salander, even though she is not a criminal lawyer.

On the other side of the fence, the SIS (The Swedish Security service) is working hard to keep the Zalanchenko story under wraps. They have kept his existence quiet ever since he defected from Soviet Russia to Sweden and only they know of his true identity, apart, that is, from Salander. The SIS, specifically a division called the Section for Special Analysis was originally set up in secret when Zalenchenko defected and was unknown even within most of the SIS. To assist with the problem they are now presented with i.e. Salander’s knowledge of Zalanchenko’s past and Blomkvist’s ownership of certain documentation that reveals they originally ensured Salander was locked away in a psychiatric hospital, they have brought back the founder of the Section for Special Analysis, Gullberg. Long since retired, he takes up the reigns once again and brings in an ailing colleague to work on operational aspects. This includes bugging Blomkvist’s telephones, his home and the Millennium office. They also managed to remove a particular report regarding the incarceration of Salander when she was younger that proved it was the work of the SIS. They even persuade the investigation leader, prosecutor Ekstrom that his career would benefit if he was to cooperate with them.  Unknown to them, Blomkvist has several copies of the aforementioned reports, has his own surveillance team and quickly picks up on the fact the phones are being tapped.

It becomes apparent to Blomkvist and Armansky, head of Milton Security, that the secret services are involved in the cover up and Armansky contacts a friend within SIS. This kicks of an investigation by SIS officer Figuerola, a tough, intelligent young female officer who soon starts to uncover important information. Eventually SIS and Blomkvist work together sharing their knowledge and it isn’t long before Figuerola has succumbed to the charms of Blomkvist and is sharing not just her work secrets but also his bed.

Berger meanwhile has moved to a new role as Editor-in-Chief of S.M.P, a major newspaper. She encounters resistance from the editorial team and directors from day one and within a short space of time she starts to receive hate email. This escalates and before long her house is attacked and her car tyres are slashed. She hires protection from Milton but Salander discovers what is going on through checking out Armansky’s PC from her hospital bed and then uses her network of hacking contacts to investigate who is responsible. They track down a member of staff at S.M.P and he is eventually captured.

Whilst all this is happening, Giannini is preparing a stunning defence for Salander and Blomkvist is rushing to finish a book that will blow the story wide open. The result of all of this is that the investigation by Figuerola, Blomkvist’s book and Giannini’s defence all come together at the last minute and The Section for Special Analysis is busted.

After the court case Salander takes stock of her life. She tracks down Mimmi and apologises for putting her in danger. She thinks she doesn’t have many friends but can’t seem to see that all the people that supported her through her case were her friends. This highlights her dysfunctional beliefs, probably the result of autism. At the end however she begins to realise that there are people who care about her and she accepts Blomkvist back into her life.

As the last book in the series, I felt this one was a little bit more like a conventional crime novel. Things were a little too easy for the goodies and the baddies missed some very obvious things. For instance, during the whole investigation, the Section for Special Analysis never discovered where Salander’s apartment was, even though they were following Blomkvist and he was using it as a bolt hole to work on the book.  It was a little predictable but, like book 2, it was fast paced and a real page turner.

It appears with this book that Larsson is really trying to get across some flaws in the Swedish legal system as he did go into quite a lot of detail about how it operates and how it is deficient in certain areas. In some respects, this was unnecessary detail, but that seems to be a characteristic of Larsson’s writing.

Larsonn also included a number short pieces about women and their role in war. Whilst these were historically interesting, I am not sure they really enhanced the book and, if anything, they were just an unwelcome distraction. He was obviously trying to emphasise the strength of women and there was some connection given the depiction of Figuerola as such an Amazonian goddess! He also continued to demonstrate how tough Salander is but, at the same time, revealed how vulnerable she was and that she was starting to realise the importance of human relationships.

The other minor criticism of the book was the stalking of Berger. I don’t think this really added anything to the story. I can only conclude that Larsson included it so that he could demonstrate the hacking skills Salander had. Since Salander was prostrate in a hospital bed for most of the book, it may have been a way of Larsson explaining more about Salander for those that haven’t perhaps read the previous two books. It was a little clunky though and solving the case was a little too easy.

Overall, this was another thrilling read. It is a shame that there will be no more stories of Salander and Blomkvist’s escapades but, in some ways I am pleased the story ends there. It is sad that Larsson didn’t have the opportunity to write more but I am glad that the Millennium trilogy is just that, a trilogy that ends on a high and cannot be diluted by never ending series of crime novels that seem to follow the same formula, as so many other crime novels do.

Recommended Reading:

If you like this book you may like:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Other Book Info:

ISBN:978-1849162746

Amazon review score: 4.5 out of 5

Lisbeth Salander is connected to the horrific triple murder of two journalists and her guardian. Blomkvist and Salander’s few friends can’t believe that she could be responsible and they begin their own investigation into the murders. But Salander isn’t as innocent as Blomkvist suspects.

Larsson’s follow up novel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is just as action-packed as the first. The second novel gives more information about Salander’s past and really ties the whole story together with a completely new plot. And because the characters are already established, it’s much easier to get into this one than the first. I will be picking up the third and final novel in the series just as soon as I have a chance!

The most interesting part of the movie is the main character, Lisbeth Salander (played by Noomi Rapace); a very strong, independent woman with a unique look. She is a employed as a professional computer hacker for a private security company, and for some reason (that is not explained in the movie) she has what is called a ‘guardian’. Apparently, in Sweden there is a system in place where people have these ‘guardians’ which seem similar to parole officers, and this person has the ability to control Lisbeth’s monetary assets and basically control her. Now, I’m not familiar with this foreign system and like I said the reason behind why she has this guardian is not well explained in the movie. I may have missed it somehow but I can only assume she committed some kind of crime. Anyway, despite the confusion these scenes with the guardian are quite compelling and are some of the most memorable in the entire movie. She hates his guts and it will not be long before you do too.

The plot of the movie revolves around a man name Mikael Blomkvist (played by Michael Nyqvist). He is a investigative journalist who has been convicted of libel and is sentenced to 3 months in prison. For some reason, he has 6 months to wait and walk around freely before serving his sentence. Again, this is not well explained and I can only chalk it up to laws being different in Sweden. He eventually meets up with Lisbeth through a series of events and together they have a nice little murder mystery/missing persons case to solve. This aspect of the plot is very well written and interesting, made all the more so by the fact that the movie has spent quite a bit of time developing the main characters by this point; you feel empathy of the characters, especially Lisbeth. The mystery plot sort of reminded me of The DaVinci Code or National Treasure, only darker.

I really liked this movie, but watching it I couldn’t help but feel that it just wasn’t made for me. I feel like the movie was meant to be watched under the assumption that you had read the book, which I haven’t. There were things that were sort of glossed over or unexplained that I have to think must be clearer in the book, especially the ending. On it’s own, however, it’s a solid movie that is made all the better by the deep characters and I am very much looking forward to learning more about Lisbeth Salander in the sequels.

That being said, Larsson weaves a story with painstaking detail to food, technology, cars and coffee, and cannot be read unless you have a family tree of the characters at your fingertips. But even though the protagonists are not the most likable people to support and cheer for, the addicting mystery will have you turning page after page, even if your stomach squirms with each graphic scene.

On a 5 level book shelf, 5 being the best/highest it goes on shelf number 2.

The sequel to the adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s book, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, comes hot on the heels of the American adaptation, which is set for release sometime next year.

The film picks up sometime after the last one left off – Mikael Blomkvist (Nyqvist) and Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) have gone their separate ways but are destined, of course, to be reunited in another twist of fate. The film kicks off with thousands of kilometres separating its protagonists. Lisbeth is in the Caribbean, while Blomkvist remains in Stockholm. This time, the Millienium journalists are investigating a female trafficking ring out of Eastern Europe, and threatening to expose the men responsible. But three mysterious murders later, the plot swings into action and Blomkvist and Salander’s stories begin to travel side by side, slowly converging as the plot reaches its climax.

Although possibly a result of Larsson’s genius, the narrative cleverly intertwines itself with the first part of the trilogy, helping to remove some of the secrets behind Lisbeth’s past, and uncovering some truths that work hand in hand with the key to the mystery of the plot. By revealing such truths, Salander is in danger of becoming too familiar to the audience, but thankfully the mask of intrigue that surrounds her character continues right to the end. The flashbacks remind us of the events the last time we met these characters, but can also act as a way of bringing newcomer audience members up to speed, helping the film to stand distinct from its predecessor.

It’s almost impossible to watch this film without some comparison to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The intensity of the film is not quite what it could have been, given the last offering from this trilogy  – nor did the characters have quite the same edge. Director Daniel Alfredson moves this film away from the darker side that has been established, but still maintains the high standard set by Oplev before him.

Once again, Noomi Rapace steals the show. Her character is made more prominent in this episode, while Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) takes more of a backseat, and so her performance is allowed to shine through. Nyqvist’s performance is far more reserved this time around, but still as charming as ever. His power lies in the fact that we want to watch him on screen.

It’s certainly refreshing to find a film (or indeed a series of films) of the thriller genre that chooses not to beat their audience over the head with the discoveries made within the plotline. Alfredson respects the intelligence of the audience enough to allow them to make their own discoveries, and this is a rare treat in any film – new or old, Hollywood or other.

Fans of the first film will be excited and thrilled by this second offering, whose enthralling, complex characters continue their fight in this gripping drama, but The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo will most like remain the favourite of the two. Newcomers to the trilogy are best to start with the first part, but the narrative of the second instalment stands on its own two feet enough that it could still be thoroughly enjoyed by itself.

The first book of the trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, sets the stage with its plot twists and character construction. The first third of the book is a little dry as there are so many Swedish names to keep up with. Once Blomkvist (the male protagonist) gets to his assignment destination, the story really picks up the pace. Lisbeth Salander, (the female protagonist) is such a bizarre personality but I was won over by her thoughts (she’s a bit of an introvert so she thinks more than she participates in dialogue). This murder mystery is different than any others that I have read because it was loaded with all sorts of dark crime. Things kept piling up like a bad car accident that you can’t turn away from. Toward the end of the book, I found myself reading faster to keep up with the action that jumps off the pages. I had never read a murder mystery quite like this. It twisted my mind. Needless to say, it whet my appetite to continue with the next round of madness between hard covers.

The second book, The Girl That Plays with Fire, is my favorite of the three. Larsson goes deeper into the psyche of Salander and you realize why she is the way she is. Also, the first murder scene took me by surprise. In fact, I was shocked. I shouldn’t have been because, well, these are books about dark-natured people and someone is bound to go down. From that point on, the action doesn’t ever subside until a few chapters into the third book.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest wrapped the trilogy up nicely - when it finally revealed the good part. There was action in the first several pages of the book but after about a quarter of the way in, it got a little stale. I have a hard time grasping law and rankings because it’s just not interesting to me, so I got a little bored. I took a Larsson break for about a month until I realized that I really did want to read what happens. My brain was ready to tackle the big, legal ideas and I was able to follow the story better. By this time I felt like I knew Salander very well and I was on her side throughout the rest of the story. I was disgusted with the antagonists in the story and I didn’t feel sorry for anyone who had anything coming to them. The break helped with my overall book satisfaction but the ending in the third book (it ends for like 60 pages) was the best of them all.

I am a big fan of the books but I didn’t really like the Swedish film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, because I was already biased to what visuals should come to life.  Naturally, there were things that were left out and it skewed from the book a little more than I anticipated. However, the Swedish actress Noomi Rapace emulates every bit of what I imagined Salander to be like. I know that I’m not the only one that  hopes Hollywood’s upcoming attempt will be true to the text and not make it, well, Hollywood.

Read the books. It will be a fun ride that comes to life in your head.

The Swedish films are well-reviewed (the first a bit more so than the second) and I’m excited to watch them now that I’ve finally finished the series.  Never one to ignore potential profit, Hollywood is, of course, adapting the trilogy for the big screen as well.  Purists and foreign cinema snobs lovers everywhere are going apeshit.  Why can’t everyone just watch the Swedish ones this and Hollywood’s gonna mess it up that.  Well, I can’t say that having two film versions of an awesome book upsets me in the least.  I’ll be just as excited to watch the Yankee version as I am to watch the Swede ones.  I mean, have a little faith, folks…at least David Fincher is directing them and not Joel Schumacher.

Anyway, one area that the new US versions have to tread carefully upon is the casting.  People are precious with these characters, especially that of the fascinating and Aspergic heroine Lisbeth Salander.  I LOVE playing casting director and have decided to use today’s great thing space to do so.  I think my choices are solid and I’ve explained why as/when necessary.  For the ones that I don’t provide rationale for, know this:  I picked them because it’s who I visualized playing the part in my head as I read it.  Still, even without explanation, I think my instincts are good.  Nay…not good…Great!

139.  The Millenium Trilogy (a ‘Kate Casts The Film’ Blog Entry) I warn you now:  some minor spoilers ahead if you haven’t read the books but intend to do so, you may just want to give this one a pass…

some minor spoilers ahead

some minor spoilers ahead

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some minor spoilers ahead

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some minor spoilers ahead

I’m casting all of the books, not just the first one.  Let’s start with some of the supporting characters, shall we?

Henrik Vanger:  Christopher Plummer…I dunno.  He looks vaguely Swedish and also like a billionaire industrialist.

Retired industrialist...looking for answers to long-time unsolved murder

Holger Palmgren: Armin Mueller-Stahl.  I even knew how to spell his name without looking it up.  Check me.

Kindly Guardian

Nils Bjurman-:  Geoffery Rush

Sadistic Pig, Pervert, and The Rest

Jan Bublanski: Richard Jenkins

Good cop.

Evert Gullberg:  Robert Duvall

Retired Sectionist

Peter Teleborian:  David Tennant.  He’s played charming lots.  I think he could also do smarmy academic if he wanted.

Highly Respected Weasel

Detective Modig:  Sonja Sohn.  The book never describes her as black, but why not cast an actress of color?  Sohn has played police well before and she also comes across as someone who wants to do the right thing in any given situation.

Reliably Moral

Detective Faste: Jack O’Halloran…yeah that’s right.  The guy who played Non in Superman 2 and Emil Muzz in Dragnet. Awesome.  Somebody give this legend a job!

Bad Cop

Ronald Niedermann: Peter Hermann.  This man isn’t really a recognizable name yet, but he’s a big fella (six-foot five) who could easily step into the shoes of the merciless German giant.  He’s been on television loads and he’s also Mariska Hargitay’s husband.

Brute

Monica Figuerola: Franka Potente–the former Run Lola Run and Bourne films star is almost five foot nine and looks like she could add muscle to her frame easily if she picked up a dumbbell and added magical powdered nonsense weight-gain shakes to her diet.

Sapo Superhero

Zalachenko: Zeljko Ivanek–And not just because he has an already Eastern Bloc sounding name.  He’s wiry, small, and can be quite a vicious actor when it calls for him to be.

Baddie Daddie

Miriam Wu: Kelly Hu…because she was smokin’ hot as Lady Deathstrike in X2.  She’s proven that she can throw some highkicks.  Also, I’d like to see her in a more dramatic role.

Part-time Lover

Annika Giannini: Lorraine Bracco

Advocate

Erika Berger: Marion Cotillard.  The character is  supposed to be blonde but that’s what hair dye is for.  Plus, along with the other Brit-actors I’ve cast, she helps to make my picks a bit more Euro-classy, diverting criticism that the production is too American. (As if anything could ever be TOO American…please.)

Blomkvist Bestie

Mikael Blomkvist: Now, rumor has it that Daniel Craig has already been cast in the role of the intrepid journalist.  I’d like to call ‘take-backsies’.  Re-cast it to Aaron Eckhart, please.  I’m tired of Daniel Craig and I think this guy is a better actor.  And more middle-aged handsome!

Lisbeth Salander: I was thinking Kelly MacDonald…or maybe Elaine Cassidy…people are speculating that it may go to Carey Mulligan, but I think this prize of a role has to go to none other than star of How to Lose a Guy in Just Ten Days, Kate Hudson!!!!!  Just kidding, I think Sally Hawkins should get it.  First of all, she’s a fantastic actress.  She’s been amazing in everything I’ve seen her in from Happy Go Lucky to Fingersmith.  Secondly, although she’s actually my age, she can get away with early twenties.  Thirdly, she’s tiny with fine bone structure (Salander is repeatedly described as waif-like).  Hawkins also has the slightly crooked smile that the book describes.  Finally, she’s also played queer before.

I repeat.  Sally Hawkins should play Lisbeth Salander.

Come on!!!

Now, if someone could just get this list over to the producers, that would be great.  Cheers thanks bye!

I’m anxious to see what other business Salander and Blomkvist get wrapped up in, and even better, how their relationship evolves even further.

'The Girl Who Played with Fire' movie poster

Synopsis for ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire:’

Mikael Blomkvist is about to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society. On the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander.

'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' movie poster

Synopsis for ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest:’

Lisbeth Salander is fighting for her life in more ways than one. In intensive care and charged with three murders, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

Both of these plots suggest more men doing cruel acts to women. They, however, sound even more engaging than the first novel which was simply about one case. It sounds like things get much more involved for the two protagonists in these coming sequels.

She had never in her life felt such a longing. She wanted Mikael Blomkvist to ring the doorbell and…what then? Lift her off the ground, hold her in his arms? Passionately take her into the bedroom and tear off her clothes? No, she really just wanted his company. She wanted to hear him say that he liked her for who she was. That she was someone special in his world and in his life. She wanted him to give her some gesture of love, not just of friendship and companionship. I’m flipping out, she thought.

Salander makes a remarkable transformation from the beginning of the novel to the end. Upon being introduced to Salander, one would never think that this is a girl capable of love. Of companionship, maybe, but nothing on the level of romantic love. And yet, here, this is what she ultimately ends up feeling toward Blomkvist.

Maybe she feels this way toward Blomkvist simply because no other man she has ever met before has ever treated her the way Blomkvist did throughout their time together. She’s used to, well, men hating women. She’s used to men talking down to women and treating them like disposable objects. She finds the opposite of this in Blomkvist, and I think it intrigues her greatly and is what made her fall in love with him. Is Salander really in love with Blomkvist? It’s an interesting thought to ponder.

And so ends the novel. On a note of love, and not love from just anyone but from Lisbeth Salander. Strange, isn’t it, that through all Blomkvist and Salander go through together in terms of a mystery and a thriller, Larsson chose to end this way, with Salander being disappointed over Blomkvist being with Berger?

It’s also telling, too, and reveals that the book really all along was about the increasing relationship between Salander and Blomkvist. Although I was at first taken aback as to how the novel ended, I also came to really like it. It’s somewhat of a cliffhanger in suggesting that maybe Salander will not stay in love with Blomkvist; she seems like the type of woman to be able to quickly get over it. It also leaves open the question of whether or not Blomkvist feels the same way toward Salander.

This also brings up the notion of the novel’s emphasis on the use of computers and technologies. All throughout the story, all sorts of technology is used to help solve the Harriet case, mostly used by Salander as she is the genius hacker. So, then, it would only make sense for the characters to communicate via e-mail, and I thought it was especially clever the way the novel incorporated this interaction. The attention to detail, too, in terms of how e-mails look with the e-mail addresses labeled in between brackets as to whom is sending and receiving:

From <mikael.blomkvist@millennium.se>

To <erika.berger@millennium.se>

I prefer the way the book goes about this simply due to the inclusion of more detail over the film’s version of how the events played out. The Wennerstrom scandal is a complex subject in the novel, one of high importance to Blomkvist, and deserves to have that detail and attention devoted to it.

I think this element brings the novel into a very elliptical path because Blomkvist started off the story by being duped into something, or lack of information, and by the very end of his story, he gets mildly duped again. Sure Blomkvist still got paid, but I think what he was really longing for was the potentially incriminating information on Wennerstrom.

This also brings up the notion as to why, just as the novel is about to finish, it launches into an entirely prolonged later narrative about Millenium’s ultimate revenge on Wennerstrom.

I cannot decide, either, whether or not this fact draws away from the importance and significance of the Vanger family and their secrets. The narrative turns directly back to making the Wennerstrom case be all the more important. I cannot decide the implication with this, but I think it may also again just show the richness of layers this novel has in terms of story and background. It turns out there were two major stories going along the whole time, one of which just got pushed into the backdrop for a long period of the novel.

In the novel it just so turns out that the moment Blomkvist realizes that Martin could very well be the culprit, Martin decides to casually invite Blomkvist inside his house to only then take him into his torture chamber of a basement.

In the film it turns out to be Salander who realizes Martin the culprit while Blomkvist sneaks inside of Martin and Harald’s house because he’s suspicious of Harald, not Martin. Blomkvist only then realizes that Martin is the culprit when he takes Blomkvist into his torture chamber of a basement. Salander then shortly thereafter arrives to save Blomkvist.

In the novel, Salander does still arrive to Blomkvist’s rescue, but it seems all too coincidental. This is curious because it usually works out where the novel is more realistic than the film. Now, the novel is more realistic in terms of relationships and lapses in time, but the only place the novel falters is in this instance where it just seems all too coincidental and abrupt how it arrives at its climax. The film feels a whole lot more natural.

Here is a thriller that cares more about its characters than anything else. There is not a whole ton of action, but a lot, lot of exposition and build up to the climax. This emphasis on character development is important to this novel because, in actuality, the story itself is a normal investigative procedural, nothing new we have not already seen. What makes this novel such an intriguing read is its two characters at its center and the hefty cast of supporting characters.

The movie adaptation, in that same sense, can feel conventional at times in terms of the way the investigation develops. Clue A leads to revelation B which leads to the solution C. It doesn’t stray too far from convention, but it’s the grittiness of the tale and, even more so, the interesting aspects of the characters that make it stand alone.

Blomkvist had the same tiresome habit as everyone else, poking around in her life and asking questions. On the other hand, he did not react at all like most other men she had met.

When she ignored his questions, he simply shrugged and left her in peace. Astounding.

She had been sharing a house with him for a week, and he had not once flirted with her. He had worked with her, asked her opinion, slapped her on the knuckles figuratively speaking when she was on the wrong track, and acknowledged that she was right when she corrected him. Dammit, he had treated her like a human being.

The fact that Salander says “dammit” here in connection with Blomkvist treating her like a human being tells a lot about Salander’s character. In terms of her interaction with men, it is as if Salander just automatically expects to be treated poorly, especially taking her background and history into consideration. The mere fact that Blomkvist does indeed treat her like a human being baffles her and, at least in this passage, appears to almost elicit frustration from her. It is because Blomkvist escapes the norm of what Salander expects from men. She is the type of person who wants to be on top of things, and the fact that Blomkvist evades her expectations throws her for a loop.

Blomkvist opened the door and waved to her.

Anytime before this moment, they are never a part of a team together. They are not a duo until this point. This again brings up the idea of them starring in more novels than just this one. It becomes apparent that the main purpose of this first novel in what was to be the ‘Millenium’ trilogy was to introduce these two main characters by giving them sufficient amount of background and characterization. This, in turn, helps to make their relationship feel all the more organic even when they are brought together in unconventional means. Their connection is playful, vaguely sexual and ultimately captivating and indescribable and one can imagine it only grows and adapts in the succeeding novels.

Her bread and butter was spying on people. In fact she had never though of what she did for Armansky as a real job; she thought of it more as a complicated pastime, a sort of hobby.

The truth was that she enjoyed digging into the lives of other people and exposing the secrets they were trying to hide. She had been doing it, in one form or another, for as long as she could remember. And she was still doing it today, not only when Armansky gave her an assignment, but sometimes for the sheer fun of it. It gave her a kick. It was like a complicated computer game, except that it dealt with real live people. And now one of her hobbies was sitting right here in her kitchen, feeding her bagels. It was absurd.

This inner thinking of Salander and her ‘assignments’ provides some interesting insight as to how she works. She does not so much consider her hacking as a job as she does consider it simply something she does as a hobby. It’s a lifestyle, something she likes to do even when she’s not getting paid for it. And this ‘hobby’ is one of the reasons she started investigating and researching Blomkvist all on her own, which makes it all the more absurd for her that he is so friendly with her and OK with what she did to him.

This works as a fascinating basis for Blomkvist and Salander’s unique relationship together.

A photograph of Harriet Vanger on Henrik's desk.

Henrik Vanger falls ill, and I kept wondering if this would end him up on his death bed. It turned out that this wasn’t the case, but it still got me thinking that, had Vanger died, would Blomkvist and Salander had gone forth with their investigation? In my opinion, I think they would have because, at this point at least, they seem extremely and personally invested in Harriet’s case even if it has nothing to do with them. This brings up the idea of ‘motive’ in questioning what each protagonist’s motive would be in continuing the case. I figure they each would have one; Blomkvist perhaps for wanting to simply finish the job he started and Salander for wanting to exact revenge on the men who hurt Harriet.

Blomkvist’s relationship with his daughter seems like a distant but rather sincere one, and it gives insight into Blomkvist’s not so clear background in the same way we received background on Salander’s family life. We get Blomkvist’s daughter while we get Salander’s mom. I think both aspects of these protagonists’ lives are very interesting, and I kind of wish that more detail had been devoted to these backgrounds; however, maybe this is something we see elaborated on in the sequels.

It’s also interesting to note how Blomkvist’s visit with his daughter and her knowledge of the Bible leads him to get the next biggest clue in unraveling the Harriet mystery. It seems rather coincidental that it would have happened in this way, but it worked itself nicely into the narrative.

He had seen something entirely new, something no-one else had noticed in an investigation that had been marking time for thirty-seven years.

The problem was that he wasn’t sure what value his new information had, if indeed it could have any at all. And yet he felt it was going to prove significant.

It takes until page 298 for there to finally be a lead in the case over Harriet Vanger’s disappearance. It’s a small lead, just a detail that Blomkvist happened to notice in one photograph of Harriet, but it is a lead that brings about a whole chain of events that would never have happened had Blomkvist not noticed this one, seemingly minute detail.

There’s an emphasis on using technology to further the development of the case as Blomkvist and Salander use computers and photographs to gather more leads. Photographs become especially important later on as Blomkvist tracks down a family who took a certain picture from the Children’s Parade. It even turns out that a photo becomes the final piece to the entire puzzle that allows Salander to save Blomkvist from the murderous grip of Martin Vanger.