'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' by Stieg Larsson
As the finale to Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is not content to merely match the adrenaline-charged pace that made international bestsellers out of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. Instead, it roars with an explosive storyline that blows the doors off the series and announces that the very best has been saved for last. A familiar evil lies in wait for Lisbeth Salander, but this time, she must do more than confront the miscreants of her past; she must destroy them. Much to her chagrin, survival requires her to place a great deal of faith in journalist Mikael Blomkvist and trust his judgment when the stakes are highest. To reveal more of the plot would be criminal, as Larsson's mastery of the unexpected is why millions have fallen hard for his work. But rest assured that the odds are again stacked, the challenges personal, and the action fraught with neck-snapping revelations in this snarling conclusion to a thrilling triad. This closing chapter to The Girl's pursuit of justice is guaranteed to leave readers both satisfied and saddened once the final page has been turned. ~ Dave Callanan
This definitely was not my favorite book of the three, but it was not my least favorite. The novel was different to the others in that it was not a stand-alone story because it picks up where the second novel left off and even begins with a very thorough recap of its predecessor. Thus the first fifty pages of the novel were a bit dull, but then the story really started to take off. Hornet is very much about redemption and redressing wrongs. Lisbeth has been punished by the legal system here entire life, and she is finally getting the recognition and freedom that she has fought so long for. Lisbeth is truly one of the most mesmerizing and intriguing characters that I have ever encountered before. I don't know if I have ever become this deeply invested in a character before, maybe even more so than Harry Potter.
One of the most interesting things about this novel that makes it stand out from the other two in the trilogy is its portrayal of the government. In real life Stieg Larsson was an outspoken political activist and he did not try to hide his liberal sentiments. In this novel he really shows how corrupt the government can be, and how, with even an ounce of power, someone or some organization can create a web of lies and deceit. What I think his overall message through this novel is, is that we as citizens need to make sure that we know what is going on in the government and that people in power are not given free reign in their duties. There needs to be a check-and-balance approach in place at all times.
As I say every time I review these books, please check them out. They are one of the best series of novels that I have ever read and Larsson really gets you invested in the characters like a good writer should. The U.S. film adaption of Tattoo (the first in the series) is set to be released in December so you still have time to read the books before you see it!
No comments:
Post a Comment