The Girl who Played with Fire / Stieg Larsson

The Girl who Played with Fire

category: thriller, author:

Stieg Larsson

translated from Swedish by Reg Keeland
book 2 of Millennium
published by Maclehose Press,
original copyright 2006, read in August 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

This book begins in a similar fashion to the first: slow, plodding, detailed. Then the excitement cranks up a notch... then the book reverts to its detailed plodding. But with a sharp edge of suspense because the threat has suddenly become more real.

Am I trying to say that this is a boring book?

No way!

Sure, it's written in a unique style. The author was an investigative journalist, the book is about an investigative journalist, the style is of detailed investigation. Nevertheless, the book is a thriller. Yet the enjoyment of this book is not just in it's "thriller" nature...

This needs an aside: "Thrillers are mostly characterised by an atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder by showing society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, though they often feature a happy ending in which the villains are killed or arrested" (from Wikipedia.) The Girl who Played with Fire is definitely a thriller. At times, a thriller in slow motion...

I enjoyed the book as a thriller. I also enjoyed it as a fictional expose of man's inhumanity to, well, women and girls. And I like the characters.

The good guys and gals are nice. There are people supposedly on the side of good who are really bad but, because they are on the side of good... they are just troublemakers. Only the nominated baddies are really evil. The Girl and her hero friend are both nice and sympathetic. The Girl, in particular is troubled but -- because her troubles are explained, and she does have a strong moral code -- she is extremely easy to cheer for.

Aside: In the front of the book are a number of excerpts from reviews of this book. One excerpt says, "Larsson's writing managed to make [Salander] intriguing, admirable, even sympathetic..." Even sympathetic?! Did that reviewer even read the book?!

To me, Salander (the heroine, the Girl) is wholly sympathetic. There is no way that you can read her history -- as revealed in this book -- and not be sympathetic to her character. Or is there?

Perhaps because Salander is a girl -- a woman, actually -- and has some power, and a willingness to use it... Perhaps that is threatening to some readers. Salander is highly intelligent, highly independent and has been punished for both of these. Perhaps her resilience and intelligence and strength is a threat, to at least one book reviewer. Perhaps the social message of the book is very, very necessary.

Perhaps -- I hope -- I am reading too much meaning into one word in a review.

One minor drawback to Fire -- which I actually liked -- was the existence of a third book. With a third book already published, there was no way that the heroine could be killed. For some, that would remove suspense. For me -- I like the solid expectation of a happy ending!

Fire is interesting for another reason: it is Swedish. Not many Swedish books published in English! It's interesting to read about a culture which is different enough from my own to be distinct.

Where else would a character spend all day shopping -- to completely furnish a new flat -- in Ikea?! Where else would a vicious thug drive a Volvo? Where else would an author name every street that his characters drive along -- and they nearly all end with 'vagan?! (Or something; I can't find a page to check my memory.) It all adds interest to a great story!

Fire has far more characters -- and story points of view -- than the first Millennium book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. After a while I almost gave up trying to follow the various characters. Still, the main plot was clear even if I was often confused by the variety of people. Many with strange Swedish names, too... though "Jerker" sounded almost Australian :-)

Fire unfolded several layers of plot, some so unexpected (perhaps only to me?) that they seemed almost deus ex machina. These were not related to the action, more to the motives. Hmmm... I do wonder... Were some of these revelations unexpected simply because I missed clues that would be obvious to someone who knew more about Sweden? Possibly... or possibly not.

And one further point where I am unsure: Is there a theme to the Millennium series?

Yes, books one and two are thrillers. With great characters. But is that the true point of the books?

As I was reading Fire I began to wonder, Did Larsson write these as thrillers? Or did he really write them as exposes of social injustice...

Either way, great books. I'm looking forward to the third.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

category: thriller, author:

Stieg Larsson

translated from Swedish by Reg Keeland
book 1 of Millennium
published by Maclehose Press, original copyright 2005,
read in Jun 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

That... is a very good book. Not perfect. Very good.

The writing style is almost clinical: straightforward, factual, detailed. It's easy to believe that Larsson wrote factual articles on difficult topics -- topics where there could be strong feelings with differing opinions. The main male character is in a similar role and the writing style reflects this background.

You're reading this story, watching a complex web of crime and deceit being meticulously uncovered. Suddenly -- there is rape, violence, family skeletons leaping out of closets... Yet even that is written in a straightforward fashion. No tricks of fancy phrasing. Just a factual account. Larsson lets the facts speak for themselves.

The facts are complex: unexpected twists unexpectedly uncovered. This is not plots within plots, it is a more believable discovery of unexpected depths and related nastiness. Each strand is simple in itself, it is the unexpected discovery of the new strand which provides the complexity of the story.

Even so, the unravelling is ordered: close off one crime, move on to the next. It's like a climb down into a dark pit via a set of deep and murky stairs -- where the climb out, is also via a set of stairs. One by one, safely up one step before attempting the next. Which all makes for a complex set of plots being dealt with in a very orderly manner.

It's a book that is hard to put down. You want to read on, to see what will happen next. The interest, though, is in the story rather than in the way that the story is presented. Nothing wrong with that! I mean, that this is an excellent story and that the author has written an excellent book. With no need to resort to "tricks" in an attempt to build up artificial excitement.

And you know what else is fascinating about this book? It's Swedish!

The prison system is, well, unique. The places, shops, general background, all emphasise that this is not Australia / US / England. Something different! (Unless, of course, you're Swedish.) The weather, the people, even the clothes... Just wait till you read what is worn by the rich & powerful industry magnate when he appears on TV!

There are also some comments which appear to be author's opinion and not essential to the plot: the lack of investigation by "investigative journalists" and the role of the stock market, for example. The first made me think. The second surprised me; I thought I was alone in my view. All add depth and interest to the book.

On the other hand, I would question the use of statistics to emphasis the theme of each section of the book.

"18% of the women in Sweden have at one time been threatened by a man." It may be true. Written like that, it has a strong impact. To be valid -- it needs to be set in context. What sort of threat? Was this a difference in power, or a difference of opinion? How many men were threatened? Statistics are based on fact. To understand the statistics, we need to know the factual basis.

Read the book. Enjoy it. Take away whatever message you will, about crime, punishment, and the potential misuse of differences in personal power.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.