May 06, 2011 02:52 AM
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(Updated May 06, 2011 02:52 AM)
Very few sequels fare well, be it movies or books. A lot of them lose steam after the first installment. Not, however, in this case. This book, second in the trilogy, not only fulfills but exceeds the expectations set by the first one.
A bit of a background, which is quite interesting. The Millennium trilogy written by Steig Larsson consists of three books- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. Larsson was a Swedish journalist who was considered one of the most prominent experts on right-wing and Nazi associations, and also ran the magazine Expo. He died of a heart attack in 2004. After his death, the trilogy was published first in Swedish, the books then became worldwide best-sellers and have been translated into many languages. He has left behind outlines and plots for many more novels in the series.(From wikipedia)
The books are crime/thriller genre. Larsson weaves an incredible plot, he is a master story-teller. The first book is excellent, but the second one.its just unputdownable. The author knows his subject and his writing is fluid. He draws you in easily. The story is set in Sweden and a lot of difficult-to-pronounce names and places show up, but they are not a deterrent to the narrative.
The story has two protagonists. First is Mikael Blomkvist, a financial journalist who works at the Millennium magazine. Blomkvist is an upright individual, who is a thorough professional and sets high standards in jounalism. He is one of the rare breed of journalists who believe that their job is to bring out the truth at any cost and hates to compromise his principles. He is also compassionate, loyal and stubborn. Blomkvist, however has dubious and somewhat questionable morals when it comes to his personal life. He can also be self-centered and obstinate.
The more interesting character, however is THE GIRL in all the three titiles. She is Lisbeth Salander- an introverted, tattooed, pierced, strange, brilliant girl who looks like a teenager and is extremely secretive. She follows a personal code which differs from both the law and social standards. It is Salander's character development and the evolution of her background story which is the most fascinating part of Larsson's novels. I would hate to give anything away but she is definitely an unforgettable character. It is to find out more about her that you keep turning the pages. Strangely, she ends up secondary to Blomkvist in the first book, but the second one more than makes up for it!
There are a host of other characters, most of which are very well-developed, and hold together the frame of the novels.
The paths of two characters cross in the first book when they pursue a 40 year old murder mystery. They form a friendship while solving it. In the title I am reviewing, the story moves ahead. Salander is accused of two murders and the whole country is hunting for her, the only people who believe in her innocence are Blomkvist and her boss, Dragan Armansky. A series of investigations follow, some personal, some private. We follow the police, Blomkvist, Salander, Armansky and the bad guys until everything starts coming together. The ending is fantastic. The last few pages could've been better, but if the author's intention was to make us crave the 3rd book, he succeeded!
I do not like like reviews which give out a lot of the story especially in thrilllers, so I won't say anything more about it. Suffice it to say that this is a captivating, first-rate read that will not disappoint anyone. And Salander is a sufficiently feisty and enthralling heroine to hook you.
A bit of a caution though- the novels are full of sensitive issues and abominable crimes, ranging from molestation to many other things, enumerating them might give away the plot. But I would not like people who are still in school to read these books.
Publisher- MacLehose Press(Quercus)
Pages- 649, Paperback
Price- Rs.250
