Last night in a fit of insomnia I finished the last of a three book trilogy. I was rather dreading the moment as the series has been nothing but fantastic, and I shall miss the characters that have become part of my reading life.
Stieg Larson wrote three books and delivered all three to the publisher in Sweden. He then tragically died and therefore it is the end of his efforts.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was the first of the series and introduced two main characters among a host of others. Lisbeth Salander must surely go down as one of literature's great characters. She is very small, heavily tattooed, pierced and intense. She has few social skills but in her mid-twenties has a command of modern technology that makes her one of the world's most accomplished computer hackers.
In contrast to her is Kalle Blomkvist, who is middle aged, somewhat promiscuous, and the publisher of an up-market news magazine in Stockholm. They pair up in an unlikely team.
The second book, The Girl who Played with Fire, continues the investigations of the pair. Each book is complete in itself, but frankly you should read them in the order they were written as several of the ancillary characters will be confusing in the wrong order.
The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest wraps up the entire plot which is complicated, but entirely believable. But sadly now it's all over and with the untimely loss of such a great writer there will be no more.
A film has been made in Sweden with subtitles, and is available on Amazon in early July. I shall definitely be buying it, if only to see how any actress can portray Lisbeth. There are rumors that Hollywood is to do a version. I can only hope she is not played by some bimbo favorite of the tabloids.
I saw one of the subtitled movies in the trilogy while I was in France last year, and thought it was done very well. Intense action - I admit I turned my head during a grisly scene - but good character development too.
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