When I finished the first three books of the Millennium series, I knew it would be hard to continue—with Girl in the Spider’s Web—knowing that the original author Stieg Larsson had passed away. I had become loyal to his way of writing these characters that he obviously loved so much, and I wanted to know what Larsson had planned next for them.
Due to some legal complications with his significant other after his passing, she was unable to continue the series for Larsson, despite her knowing everything there was to know about his plans for Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. After Larsson’s untimely death, the rights stayed with the publisher and they decided appoint a new author to Stieg Larsson’s hit series.
When I learned of this, I planned to not continue the series—at least not for a very long time—as I feared it wouldn’t be the same. But then I began to miss the characters. There were distinct characteristics that I enjoyed reading about when it came to Lisbeth and Mikael. So, I decided it was time to see what The Girl in the Spider’s Web was all about.
This addition to the series is authored by Swedish journalist, David Lagercrantz. His impressive credentials make him a worthy successor to this series and I feel he did a good job. Although, at times it seems like David plays it real safe with these characters as not to ruffle feathers of fans. I don’t mind this approach too much because if there was a radical shift in the characterization of Lisbeth or Mikael, readers would have been furious. The Girl in the Spider’s Web feels very much toned down compared to the previous book in this series, but I feel this direction was necessary to gain the trust of loyal readers such as myself.
By the end of the book, I ended up admiring Lagercrantz’s efforts, given the pressure he must have been under to live up to such a legacy that was left behind by Larsson.
The story in this book is pretty simple, so I will summarise it without giving away too much that will ruin the outcome. The crux of the story is that a genius programmer by the name of Frans Balder hires Lisbeth Salander (code name: Wasp) to recover a dangerous program that he developed for the N.S.A, capable of accessing the world’s nuclear codes. Balder believes it’s too dangerous in the N.S.A’s hands because he has knowledge that they’ve been infiltrated by criminals.
Frans Balder also has a son named August who is autistic. August cannot speak but he can write out advance mathematical equations, and he can illustrate scenes from his memory vividly.
A mercenary is hired to murder Frans Balder and steal his computer. But while doing so, the killer realizes that August is with his father. This is the point when the story really kicks off, and as you can imagine, it weaves both Lisbeth and Mikael into the heart of the events.
There are many side plots surrounding the main one, including the new ownership of Millennium magazine and August’s abusive step-father. And I must admit that all of the segments that deviate from the main plot threads feel relevant. This is a positive considering that The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest seemed to go too far with the irrelevant side plots; even though I still greatly enjoyed that book.
Longtime fans of the series will be happy to know that there is a huge payoff in The Girl in the Spider’s Web for those familiar with the lore. An important figure from Salander’s past is revealed and it leaves many possibilities open for the books that come next.
The Millennium book series is perhaps the biggest literary offering coming from Sweden. This book is translated by George Goulding who did an amazing job. The text is clear and easy to consume, even if lacking in artistic prose here and there.
Verdict
After being worried that I would hate this book, David Lagercrantz has shown that he is considerate towards the work Larsson left behind. He has advanced this gripping universe of espionage and conspiracy in a responsible way that leaves me wanting more. With The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Langercrantz did exactly what he needed to do and now I’m keen to see how he progresses these lingering plot threads from here.
As with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, everything wraps up nicely at the end of this book, to the point you could end the series here if you wanted to. But there’s one elephant in the room left standing that will leave you aching for the next book, which is The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye.
If you’ve put off reading this book for similar reasons to my own, I urge you to give it a chance. It’s not Larsson work, but it’s something worthy of continuing his legacy.
