The storyline revolves around the adventures of two people - a journalist and a computer hacker. The computer hacker, also the titular "girl" in the series titles, has since captured the imagination of readers worldwide and taken on, through sheer force of personality, a life of her own. And it's this hacker who so defines and drives the plot of The Millennium Series so much that I feel justified in adding a review in a tech blog. The Millennium Series, on the other hand, is actually named after a publication of which one of the lead characters, Mikael Blomkvist, is part owner. This publication stays in the background of the story, playing a significant role in several plot points - not just in this novel but in all of them.
Warning: Many spoilers ahead, possibly incorrect spelling and a lot of violence.
The books have been around for a while and the ending won't be much of a surprise. Still, how the books approach the ending is just as important, and I'll avoid giving too much away in that regard.Since this series is set in Sweden, the names of people and places inevitably include accented characters. I might get some of those wrong, so bear with me.
Also, be warned. There's a whole lot of rape in this novel. Copious amounts of violence, sexual or otherwise, visited upon the characters. A lot of it is in the backstory and forms the basis of the investigation that characterizes this book, but there's plenty of rape outside of the main storyline as well.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the first book in the series, and arguably the one with the most stand-alone plot. There are a few references that will become relevant in the overarching storyline that spans the sequels, such as obscure mentions of "All The Evil" and the fact that Lisbeth has a twin.
The storyline is intriguing and detailed. Sometimes too detailed - the descriptions tend to descend into minutia such as depictions of life in Sweden and explanations of certain laws and ordinances which made my eyes glaze over, contributing to the occasionally plodding pace of the plot. But this also seems to serve as a contrast to the parts where the story suddenly picks up the pace and something dramatic happens.
There's not a lot of detailed tech mentioned in this first book - most of the juicier tech stuff is in the other novels. Still, when it does happen, it's usually through Lisbeth's perspective and comes off as friggin' awesome no matter how minor the moment is.
The Premise
Henrik Vanger's granddaughter Harriet has been missing for many years and presumed dead. Henrik is convinced that she has been murdered and hires Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist, to find the murderer. While investigating the case, Blomkvist enlists the help of Lisbeth Salander, a world-class hacker. Together, they blow the lid off a decades-old series of unsolved murder cases.The Characters
The main players in the storyline...Erika Berger. Part-owner/Editor-in-chief of The Millenium. An ultra-competent woman who has a deep friendship (platonic and sexual, but not romantic) with Blomkvist, an open relationship with her husband and has been described as having a way around older gentlemen when she is first introduced to Henrik Vanger. Most of the time, we see her as a company leader in crisis management mode, enduring huge amounts of stress due to the fallout over the lawsuit at the beginning of the novel.
Henrik Vanger. Former CEO of Vanger Corporation, he is retired. A rather tragic figure; an old man who's built an industrial empire but seems destined to grow old and alone. He despises most of his relatives (with good reason, they're pretty horrible people) but appears to be a man who inspires loyalty from his employees.
Lisbeth Salander. An investigation specialist with world-class hacking skills and a photographic memory. She suffers from trust issues and Asperger's Syndrome. Has no compunction against killing and torture in self-defence. She exhibits a violent streak a mile wide and can be chillingly detached when plotting someone's death. When the story begins, she's in her mid-twenties, but due to a boyish figure and her height, she appears to be in her teens. Has been described as an ultra-violent version of Pippi Longstocking.
If Mikael could be considered sexually promiscuous, Lisbeth is equally so, if not doubly (due to the fact that she's bisexual). This actually becomes relevant early on when it's used against her as part of her negative image, which makes her reluctant to depend on the authorities when she is being victimized.
Martin Vanger. The current CEO of Vanger Corporation. Portrayed as a chunky, mild-mannered and pleasant, if slightly in over his head in his position. He's also one of the few family members that Henrik thinks well of. It's only near the end of the novel where it's revealed what an utterly depraved monster he truly is.
Mikael Blomkvist. One of the lead characters in the story, he is part-owner of The Millennium and is painted as a conscientious and passionate journalist with ironclad ethics. A natural charmer and ladies' man, albeit a middle-aged one. He is also mentioned to be one of the few people that Lisbeth actually feels at ease with.
Mikael is also portrayed as something of a man-slut who doesn't really believe in monogamy. This will become somewhat more relevant as the series progresses.
Nils Bjurman. An attorney who is appointed as Lisbeth's legal guardian after her first guardian, Holger, collapses from a stroke. At first, he is depicted as an oily and creepy fellow with a superiority complex. As the story progresses, the truth is far more horrifying - beneath that condescending demeanor, he is a violent sadist on a power trip, with dark sexual urges.
The following characters play an extensive supporting role.
Cecilia Vanger. A schoolteacher in her mid-fifties, she is described as attractive (Erika refers to her as "Miss Big Tits" at one point). She is Henrik's niece and Harald's daughter. There's a nice little bit of backstory in the novel describing her relationship with her father and brother. Has a brief but passionate affair with Mikael during the course of his investigation.
Dirche Frode. Henrik's lawyer, and his right-hand man. One gets the sense that there's very little Frode dowan't handle for Henrik, which speaks volumes of the tremendous amount of trust and respect between these two men. Seems to dismiss Lisbeth upon meeting her for the first time, but recovers quickly and re-evaluates her without bias. Even recommends her to Mikael later on.
Dragan Armansky. Directory of Milton Security, he is Lisbeth's boss, having accepted a recommendation by Holger Palmgren. Described as diligent and competent, but somewhat old-fashioned and autocratic. He learns early on that Lisbeth will take none of his shit, but is open-minded enough to realize that he has vastly underestimated her abilities and she could possibly be the best investigator on his payroll. Finds himself attracted to Lisbeth and is astonished to learn from Lisbeth that the feeling is mutual - but because Lisbeth has certain rules against sleeping with colleagues, it will never be acted on. Gets insanely jealous of Mikael when introduced to him later on, because Mikael seems to get along with Lisbeth so effortlessly.
These characters either have very brief mentions or appear mostly toward the tail end of the story.
Agneta Salander. Mother to Lisbeth. Lisbeth obviously loves her mother, but tragically, she keeps mistaking Lisbeth for her twin sister Camilla. Tragically dies midway through the novel.
Anita Vanger. Cecilia's sister. bears a striking resemblance to Harriet, and it is revealed near the end of the novel how she aided Harriet in her escape.
Birger Vanger. A pompous ass, brother of Cecilia and Anita Vanger. Identifies with his father's chauvinism.
Christer Malm. Part-owner of The Millennium. Openly gay, artist and designer. He was fun to read as the third part-owner who routinely leaves major decisions up to Mikael and Erika.
Detective Gustaf Morell. Retired policeman. I felt a certain amount of sympathy for this character. Looking back on a fruitful career, he is nevertheless bothered by the one case that he has never solved - that of Harriet Vanger's disappearance. In the story, he's an obliging source of information for Mikael.
Hans-Erik Wennerström. A ruthless and corrupt businessman who ruins Mikael with a lawsuit in the beginning but gets his comeuppance at the end of the novel courtesy of an elaborate piece of hacking by Lisbeth.
Harald Vanger. Henrik's brother. A horrid and misogynistic old man, and a Nazi. Father to Birger, Cecilia and Anita.
Harriet Vanger. The subject of the investigation that was the main plot point of this novel. Had a very close relationship with grand-uncle Henrik, but endured horrific abuse at the hands of her father and brother. She eventually escaped with the help of Anita, and settled down in Australia, making a nice life for herself. She is reunited with Henrik at the end.
Holger Palmgren. He plays no active part in the novel; but in the backstory, his relationship with Lisbeth is detailed as one of mutual trust and respect. He is the guardian to Lisbeth, appointed by the State; indeed seems to be the only person willing to undertake such an intimidating task at first, speaking volumes about his character and compassion. Also, comes across as a cool old guy.
Isabella Vanger. Martin and Harriet Vanger's mother. A vile and shrewish, self-centered old woman who firmly refuses to take responsibility or even acknowledge that anything is seriously wrong even after her daughter disappears for decades, after her husband has been sexually abusing her children for years.
Janne Dahlman. A mole planted within The Millennium, ultimately tricked by Mikael near the end of the novel with the help of the staff.
Pernilla. Mikael's teenage daughter from his former marriage. She is at the age where Mikael is finding it difficult to relate to her, providing a few somewhat amusing moments when they meet up. Other than helping us see another side of Mikael, however, she also has a small but important part in this novel to play - her newfound religious fervor provides Mikael a significant piece of the puzzle.
Plague. An overweight hacker with serious hygiene and social problems, who yet manages to look absolutely cool (I may be biased here). Lisbeth enlists his help on occasion, and he was the one who taught Lisbeth her computer skills. Also, his email id is wicked. (plague_xyz_666).
The Mood
It begins on a very serious and somber note, with Mikael facing libel charges in court. This carries on all through the first quarter of the book when Henrik Vanger hires Blomkvist. Lisbeth Salander's story is interwoven here and there, detailing her trials with Nils Bjurman. It gets really dark halfway through when Salander gets brutally raped by Bjurman and plots her revenge. After that, the plot slows to a crawl as we get back to Blomkvist and his investigation, and things don't really pick up again until Lisbeth joins the investigation. At this point, one gets the warm fuzzy feeling of a good buddy-cop routine, with things getting increasingly sinister as the investigation progresses.Near the end, the action comes thick and fast, but after that the author elects to spend a chapter or two tying up some loose ends; namely the reappearance of Harriet Vanger and the long-awaited retribution of Hans-Erik Wennerström. Interesting enough, but a bit anti-climatic.
What I liked
Lisbeth. What's not to love? A computer genius, badass goth chick and dark angel of justice. Her part of the story was an absolute delight to read. More interesting than the character of Mikael Blomkvist, at least. To counter-balance all that awesomeness, she actually has some debilitating weaknesses, such as a very low EQ and an inability to trust people.There's a chapter that follows Lisbeth as she does some investigative work for Milton Securities. She follows some woman and takes advantage of the obvious security flaws she finds, gaining access easily. What was neat was that the loopholes she discovered were all-too-human foibles that people in real life are all too capable of.
Mikael barging into Lisbeth's apartment and rendering her speechless. This was funny as hell, because up to then, we have seen only the hard-ass side of Lisbeth (barring a couple tender moments with her mother, Holger and Dragan) - the side that promises terrible retribution to all those who cross her. Mikael not only invades her comfort zone, he does it with good humor and easy charm. And she's so flabbergasted that she lets him.
Mikael and Lisbeth's comparison of their respective moral and ethical codes. It was a very short segment, but so utterly significant based on what we've seen so far. Also, after they start working together, it's interesting to see what a great team Mikael and Lisbeth make, complementing each other. Lisbeth, being the computer expert, does most of the stuff that requires tech-savviness. Mikael, being more people-oriented, digs up information using his charm. As the investigation progresses, they are mutually impressed by each other's quick thinking.
Martin's capture of Mikael. It's a thrilling dialogue where the scene is fraught with danger and one truly gets the sense that we're dealing with a psychopath. More deliciously disturbing when he seems to be trying to molest Mikael while choking him to death.
Some of the supporting characters have very nicely written expositions that flesh them out well to complement, rather than interfere with, with the main plot. Notably Cecilia Vanger, Dragan Armansky, Detective Morell and Christer Malm.
The program which Lisbeth uses to hack into Wennerström's computer is lovingly described, and sounds very much like malware based on BitTorrent-like transfer coupled with VMWare functionality.
What I didn't
Mikael. I know he's supposed to be the hero of the story and all, and that's exactly the problem. He appears to be Larsson's blue-eyed boy, the noble dude who puts himself on the line for the truth, and gets all the girls. Even Lisbeth falls in love with him at the end of the novel. This guy has no major flaws, unless you count being irresistible to women as a flaw. This smacks of wish-fulfillment on the author's part.The depiction of men in general. People generally tend to take a dim view of rapists, but Larsson seems to take this to the extreme. This novel appears to divide men into two categories - those who abuse women, and those who don't. The former are always painted as horrific human beings (Martin Vanger and Nils Bjurman are not only rapists, but also perverts and sadists), while the latter are painted in a positive light (there are minor exceptions, such as the pugnacious Birger, the disagreeable Harald and the weaselly Janne; but these men play a very minor part in the novel), something that strikes me as rather one-dimensional and binary.
Lisbeth's harrowing rape scene was perhaps a little more graphic than I would have liked. Necessary to the plot, perhaps, but still.
Some parts of the book really hold no interest for me at all. Why would I want to know so many details about regulatory laws in Sweden?
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