#50 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
This review has BIG spoilers for The Girl who Played With Fire. There are no spoilers for The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, the 
final book in the Millenium Trilogy.
After facing down her murderous father and half-brother, Lisbeth Salander may have been buried alive and shot in the head, but she still lives. Now recovering in a hospital, Lisbeth must prepare herself for the upcoming trial that will decide her future, and reveal her past to all. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist continues to dig into the story of Zalachencko, Lisbeth’s father, a journey that will put him at odds with The Section, a secret government agency who are willing to go great lengths to cover their tracks.
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is the final book in The Millenium Trilogy, the series that began with The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo. It proves to be a satisfying finale, tieing up the plot threads left dangling at the end of The Girl Who Played With Fire. One of my favorite things about the series continues to be the complex and likable protagonist, Lisbeth Salander. The different parts of the book begin with information on female warriors, and it’s obvious that Lisbeth is a warrior in her own right. Despite the fact that she can be quite fierce, Lisbeth’s greatest strength is not in physical prowess, but her astounding intelligence, her greatest weapon being her hacking abilities. Even though Mikael (the middle aged newspaper editor with his near supernatural ability to attract beautiful, assertive women) can feel like a wish-fulfillment for Larsson himself, it’s hard not to root for him as he fearlessly uses his talents as a journalist to expose the lies and injustices surrounding Lisbeth’s case. When it comes to new members of the cast, the most satisfying would have to be Mikael’s sister, Giannini, who proves to be as talented a lawyer as Mikael is a journalist.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is quite outside of my comfort zone. I don’t normally read contemporary murder mysteries, and never touch thrillers that involve secret government agencies. Yes, there were a few times when I felt my eyes gloss over during one of the book’s large info dumps. There were also some moments that stretched credulity. Despite this, I still found myself enjoying this novel due to Larsson’s impressive ability to craft an entertaining story filled with memorable characters. Larsson passed away before seeing the success of this series, which is quite sad. Although The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is an appropriate end for the Millenium Trilogy, I can’t help but feel that he had more planned out for these characters. I would have liked to see where Lisbeth and Mikael went next.
Rating: four stars
Length: 563 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire
Next I will be reviewing Madame Xanadu, Vol 1: Disenchanted by Matt Wagner
xposted to temporaryworlds,bookish, and goodreads
final book in the Millenium Trilogy.
After facing down her murderous father and half-brother, Lisbeth Salander may have been buried alive and shot in the head, but she still lives. Now recovering in a hospital, Lisbeth must prepare herself for the upcoming trial that will decide her future, and reveal her past to all. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist continues to dig into the story of Zalachencko, Lisbeth’s father, a journey that will put him at odds with The Section, a secret government agency who are willing to go great lengths to cover their tracks.
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is the final book in The Millenium Trilogy, the series that began with The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo. It proves to be a satisfying finale, tieing up the plot threads left dangling at the end of The Girl Who Played With Fire. One of my favorite things about the series continues to be the complex and likable protagonist, Lisbeth Salander. The different parts of the book begin with information on female warriors, and it’s obvious that Lisbeth is a warrior in her own right. Despite the fact that she can be quite fierce, Lisbeth’s greatest strength is not in physical prowess, but her astounding intelligence, her greatest weapon being her hacking abilities. Even though Mikael (the middle aged newspaper editor with his near supernatural ability to attract beautiful, assertive women) can feel like a wish-fulfillment for Larsson himself, it’s hard not to root for him as he fearlessly uses his talents as a journalist to expose the lies and injustices surrounding Lisbeth’s case. When it comes to new members of the cast, the most satisfying would have to be Mikael’s sister, Giannini, who proves to be as talented a lawyer as Mikael is a journalist.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is quite outside of my comfort zone. I don’t normally read contemporary murder mysteries, and never touch thrillers that involve secret government agencies. Yes, there were a few times when I felt my eyes gloss over during one of the book’s large info dumps. There were also some moments that stretched credulity. Despite this, I still found myself enjoying this novel due to Larsson’s impressive ability to craft an entertaining story filled with memorable characters. Larsson passed away before seeing the success of this series, which is quite sad. Although The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is an appropriate end for the Millenium Trilogy, I can’t help but feel that he had more planned out for these characters. I would have liked to see where Lisbeth and Mikael went next.
Rating: four stars
Length: 563 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire
Next I will be reviewing Madame Xanadu, Vol 1: Disenchanted by Matt Wagner
xposted to temporaryworlds,bookish, and goodreads