In the fall of 2012, DC Comics/Vertigo announced that they will publish the official graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, starting with The Girl with Dragon Tattoo, which has also been adapted into Swedish and American films. The publishers will adapt each book in the Millennium Trilogy in two hardcover graphic novel volumes. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the graphic novel before it was published, courtesy of DC Comics/Vertigo and Netgalley.

Description (from the book): Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

Review: I'm not a very big fan of the Millennium Trilogy, but I did enjoy the books. I've yet to see the movie not because I'm afraid the movies will ruin my reading experience, but rather I really don't want to subject myself through the grueling and graphic violence featured in the books. I can distance myself enough from reading those scenes but seeing them acted out on screen is a bit too much for me.
  I know several people who tried the series because it was popular and they wanted to know what all the hype was about, but they were unable to finish it due to the long, dense first half of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and to give you an idea, that long dense first half is about the first 150 pages of a 460 pages book). For these readers, I think the graphic novel will definitely work better for them. The dense subplot filled with Swedish finance corruption is completely stripped away and we are immediately introduced to the mystery that lies in the heart of the book.
  The story and characters have been altered in order to convey emotion and urgency on the page. The plot moves at a steady pace and is separated with two plot lines that weave and will eventually meet in the second novel. One plot line introduces the star of the series, Lisbeth Salander while the other shows how Blomkvist's own troubles and his involvement with the mystery. Major plot points are present and some are explicitly shown such as Lisbeth's boss openly flirting with her and how she is raped and beaten by her 'guardian.'
  I wasn't overly fond of the drawings in this adaptation with the exception of Lisbeth. I found her to be incredibly striking looking. In my head I pictured her more like Noomi Rapace does in the movie. I liked how her physical features allowed her to display her wide emotions raging within her. Just from looking at her eyes you can only imagine all the horrors she has experienced. I wasn't a big of Blomkvist at all in the books and more so in this graphic novel. Unlike Lisbeth, his personality doesn't really come through besides his opinion on an open marriage and his attempt to clear his name from corruption. His depictions are inconsistent from panel to panel and sometimes I had a hard time identifying him with other characters around. There is lots of shading and shadowing in panels that give the book its dark and ominous feel to it.
 Overall, I thought the adaptation was pretty good. It gives readers who are unfamiliar with the story a taste of the series and characters. I'm not sure if I will continue reading the graphic novel series though as I'm a bit over the series all together.
Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There are extremely graphic rape scene that lasts for several panels. There is strong violence and sex scenes. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson or  Into the Woods by Tana French

  I'm sure that you've either heard or seen Steig Larsson's books (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) pop up everywhere. These books, collectively called The Millennium Trilogy, are gritty crime fiction novels that are set in Sweden. The author was a journalist, who wrote for a popular Swedish magazine and submitted the manuscripts for these novels shortly before he died at the age of 50. There is currently a battle for his other writings between his girlfriend and his family.
   I'm not surprised that this trilogy will appear on lots of people's best lists for 2010. Are the books that great? The writing isn't great, but it's not bad either. I found it hard to oriented myself in the plot and deciphering what it or isn't important through the massive amount of details that Larsson provides in his books. Even though the books are quite hard to get into, I continued to read this series because I liked the characters that Larsson created, particularly Lisbeth Salandar and Mikael Blomkvist. I just finished the last book in the series.

Description: Lisbeth Salander is literally fighting for her life. She is has been shot in the head and shoulder and is currently recovering in a Swedish hospital. She is also on trial for the murder of three people. Friend and journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, knows the truth and is willing to do anything to prove her innocence. The murders are just a tip of the iceberg of a long-buried conspiracy within the Swedish Secret Service.Will Lisbeth recover and take revenge on those who made her life a living hell or will she rot in prison for the rest of her life?

Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest picks up immediately where The Girl Who Played with Fire ends: Lisbeth is rushed to the hospital after being fatally wounded. Blomkvist is held in jail despite his incessant claims that the real criminals are getting away. I enjoyed this final installment of the Millennium trilogy, however, I was expecting a lot more.
   The plot of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is very convoluted. There were four story lines that ran throughout the book: Lisbeth's recovery in the Swedish hospital, Blomkvist's trips and encounters to gather information to help Lisbeth's trial, the history and conspiracy of the Swedish Secret Service, and Erika Berger's, Blomkvist's best friend with benefits, adjustment to her new job. The transition from one story line to the other were at times smooth and other times very abrupt, especially when Berger's new job is mentioned. I found myself drawn to the first three story lines and read those pages quickly. When I came to Berger's subplot, I had to slow down and remind myself what was going on, which not only took me out of the book as a whole but really slowed down my reading. In my opinion, the book would have been stronger if Berger's subplot was completely taken out, however, I can see why Larsson thought it was important. Larrson's purpose of these books is to illustrate how women are being abused and neglected in all walks of life including the workforce, which is what Berger represented. While I do like Berger's character, I think it would have worked better as a novella or even a spin off. Given Larrson's untimely death, maybe that was the direction he wanted to go, I don't really know. 
 Not only did I have to keep track of numerous plot lines in the book, I also had to keep track of brand new characters, particularly those involved with the Swedish Secret Service. I didn't get a chance to connect with the new characters mainly because Larrson doesn't spend too much time on them. Like the rest of the trilogy, the book does shine whenever Lisbeth or Blomkvist appear on paper and really, the only reason why I bothered reading these books in the first place. Lisbeth is a very strong heroine who is incredibly intelligent introvert, who has a very hard time opening up and trusting others. Given her background, I can hardly blame her and I amazed on how well she turned out. Blomkvist is a terrific journalist who has the uncanny ability to form strong connections with people. All of Larsson's characters are very much in the gray shades. They have lots of flaws and are content with how they run their lifestyles, which make them appealing and real. Larrson asks thoughts provoking questions on how women are treated by men, however, I wished he allowed his main heroine, Lisbeth, a lot more time and presence in the final book. She seems to be appear as if she was an after thought, particularly in the end.
  The Millennium Trilogy should be read in order in order to get a better grasp of the main characters and the overall story arc. While I did enjoy the series, I didn't love it. If I had to pick a favorite from this series, it would definitely be The Girl Who Played with Fire.  

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language and disturbing images such as a visual recounting of rape. There is also strong sexual content in the book too. Recommended for Adults and only mature teen readers.


If you like this book try: Missing by Karin Alvtegen, The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum, In the Woods by Tana French

   I really enjoyed reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but to be honest I did struggle with the first half of the book. I got lost with the business angle and the information overload concerning a key family, but once I got over that hurdle it was an intense read. I was a bit worried that I would face the same dilemma with the second book, The Girl Who Played with Fire, but I was assured by many that the second book is much better. With that in mind, I waited patiently on a waiting list with other 30 patrons at my local public library and was excited to read it. Of course my advisers were right and I loved every minute of it.

Description: Mikael Blomkvist is publishing the story that exposes the extensive sex trafficking operation between Sweden and Eastern Europe, however when two investigative journalists are killed the night before the story runs and Lisbeth's hand prints are on the murder weapon, Mikael vows to clear the girl's name and find the true killer.

Review: I could not put down The Girl Who Played with Fire. From the very first page, Larrson captured my attention mainly because the second book revolves around Lisbeth a savvy, intelligent computer hacker that doesn't take nonsense from anyone. She really does remind me of a female version of Jason Bourne. A person who does not really know how much power they have until they are in a particular situation. In the first book, readers are given a hint about Lisbeth's dark past. In this book, her back story is fully explored and drives the novel. The book is written from multiple perspectives: Mikeal, his partner Berger, and the police officers assigned to Lisbeth's case, but there is only one storyline to follow, which made reading and following the author much easier. Without giving anything away, there were some surprises regarding Lisbeth's past that I didn't see coming. There are also some really cool car chases and cliffhangers. I'm really looking forward to reading the third and last book in this series. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Lisbeth.  

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution: Like it's predecessor, this book also contains adult situations. There is strong language and sexual content throughout the novel. The violence is much more graphic and disturbing. I would recommend this book to strong, mature teen readers, and adults who enjoy an action packed and intelligent mystery novel. 

If you like this book, try: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornest's Nest by Steig Larsson

      I’m a very picky reader, especially when it comes to a good crime fiction novel. I’d like a novel of this genre to have something more than a mystery at its center. It needs to have interesting characters that are not exactly black and white, a mystery with a purpose instead of having one just because it is required of the genre, and last but not least, thought provoking. Luckily for me, I read a really good Swedish crime fiction novel called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson, which is an international best seller and a recently adapted into a movie.

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  If you would like to use this book for a book club, here is a discussion guide.
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  Information about the movie such as trailers and reviews can be found at the Internet Movie Database website.

If you like this book, try: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson or  Into the Woods by Tana French