Stieg Larsson wrote an incredible crime trilogy and just before he got anything published, died of a heart attack. He had no karma. According to family sources. Larsson had intended to write ten novels which he called the Millennium series but only managed to complete three. Now there is much talk of a fourth volume that he had completed which would have actually been the fifth in the series. He never got around to writing the fourth one. The opening novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was originally named “Men Who Hate Women” in Swedish. Larsson has been quoted as saying that his inspiration came from  a gang rape of a girl named Lisbeth that he witnessed when he was 14. The Lisbeth in the novels is the archetype female heroine who is out for revenge on a society that tried to lock her away.

Though she follows in the footsteps of Wonder Woman, Modesty Blaise and Barbarella, Lisbeth Salander is out there on her own. A mixed up seriously hurt kid with a hit of the autistic and the mind of a super computer. Given the fact that she is also a star kickboxer and computer hacker, you could be forgiven for jumping to the conclusion that she is yet another 21th Century superhero. In spite of the fact that Larsson’s early attempts at writing delved into the world of Science Fiction, the Millennium trilogy is not another Harry Potter clone. Larsson’s vivid portrayal of a violent unethical  world where democracy doesn’t necessarily rule is real.

The three man characters occupying the novels are heavily scarred both physically and emotionally.  Michael Blomkvist, the journalist andpart time sleuth, is also portrayed as an immature  womaniser who can’t keep to a regular relationship. His “girlfriend” Erika Berger, is happily married but splits her love life between her husband and Blomkvist, who it would seem is the better lover.  All this goes on with the assent of her husband who plays only a minor part in the novels. The main heroin, Lisbeth, is thought to be . A lot of Scandinavian politics and modern history is revealed between the 2000 or so pages that make up this trilogy, and there is plenty of suspense but in the long run Larsson is more a Ruth Rendell kind of author than a Grisham. He is dealing with a delicate subject here and has a real point to make. These are novels written by a journalist with a conscience about a journalist with a conscience. Hopeully when Hollywood releases  the American movie versions, they won’t forgot this point.

If you don’t have the time to stay up at night reading what these tremendous books then ignore this post, otherwise run out and get them.


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