This time round, David Lagercrantz seems to have improved on his previous work. There are still terribly tedious bits, but most of the complaints I had about the last book appear resolved, or at least mitigated.
The Premise
Lisbeth Salander has been sent to prison following the events of the last novel. In it, she gets intrigued by a mystery and enlists the help of both Holger Palmgren and Mikael Blomkvist on the outside. This leads to Holger's death, and draws Mikael and Lisbeth into a world of neurological experiments and sinister threats.The Characters
Here are the major players in the book...Lisbeth Salander. Our dangerous computer hacker is back, and more badass than ever. At the start of the novel, she's her usual anti-social self solving complicated math puzzles and engaging in all manner of computer badassery. Then she starts plotting, and David Lagercrantz seems to play up her martial abilities in addition to her computer hacking cred. Holger's death pushes her over the edge and we all know a Lisbeth Salander revenge is never pretty. Her snappiness and blunt retorts are a fun read, and she's absolutely brutal to Olsen.
Mikael Blomkvist. He's still the truth-seeking journalist we know and love, and even though Michael Nyqvist passed away last year, I'm still picturing him as Mikael as I read the novel. This novel's Mikael seemed a little washed-out, though, like I was reading about a less intense and colorful version. He just seems a little less assertive and decisive than usual, and events simply sweep him up along the way. I miss the old Mikael from the first three novels, the fired-up investigator with a great heart, and a devious bastard to boot.
Leo Mannheimer. Long-lost twin brother of Dan Brody. A musically-talented finance expert who suffers from extreme sensitivity to sound.
Dan Brody. Long-lost twin brother of Leo Mannheimer. Unlike his brother who plays the piano, he plays the guitar. Had an underprivileged childhood which he resents his brother for even as he rejoices at being reunited with him.
Rakel Greitz. I know she's the bad guy here, but man, she's totally awesome. In her seventies, suffering from cancer and still managing to kill people. Driven by purity of purpose,sheer will and the absolute certainty that she's serving a higher calling to science. Her only discernible weakness is pride, and an age-old grudge with Lisbeth she just won't let go.
Hilda von Kanterborg. A psychologist and part of the neurology experiminetation team. Racked by guilt and drinks a lot. She's instrumental in discovering what Rakel Gretz is up to.
The supporting cast with a significant amount of "screen" time.
Holder Palmgren, Lisbeth's old friend and former legal guardian. He's pretty much an invalid, and is subject to the indignity of having to be washed and changed by nurses. But he's eager to help as always, and this leads to his murder. It's pretty sad. This geezer has been around for the past four novels.
Faria Kazi is a Pakistani woman who we first meet in the prison being abused by Benito. Her tale is even sadder and as the story moves along, it becomes apparent that she's not just a victim of stereotypical oppression in the Middle East, but one hell of a survivor. In fact, she pulls herself together enough to hep in Lisbeth's rescue near the end.
Benito Andersson. A cartoonishly psychotic female prisoner who manages to intimidate, bully and abuse just about everyone in the prison - except for Lisbeth Salander. Gets her ass handed to her by Lisbeth in an awesome but not altogether realistic moment. Not a really complicated character, really. Batshit crazy would be a somewhat fitting assessment.
Jan Bublanski. He gets more of the action than I expected, certainly more than most other series regulars such as Annika Giannini and Erika Berger.
Bashir and Razan Kazi, Faria's older brothers. They're caricatures of violently misogynistic Islamic males who terrorize Faria and eventually meet their comeuppance at Lisbeth's hands.
Khalil Kazi, Faria's spineless youngest brother. He's the nicest by far, which makes it all the more unforgiveable in Faria's eyes when it's revealed that he killed her boyfriend.
Alvar Olsen, a prison warden who tries hard to do his job well, but has been cowed into surrender by Benito Andersson. He's also a man who takes pride in his masculinity and physical strength, so when Lisbeth almost effortlessly disables him, it's a huge blow to his ego.
Rickard Fager, prison governor. He's a pompous and vainglorious ass who only cares about the positive image of the prison and turns a blind eye to whatever goes on within. He finds out the hard way that Lisbeth Salander cannot be intimidated.
Malin Frode. Press secretary at the Foreign Ministry. A feminist and one of Mikael's ex-lovers, and very sexually aggressive. Plays a not-inconsiderable role in the novel helping Mikael uncover more about Leo Mannheimer.
Ellenor Hjort. Fiancee to the deceased Carl Seger, who was Leo Mannheimer's mentor. Provides Mikael with valuable information on Leo.
Plague, a hacker legendary for his lack of personal hygiene as much as his computer prowess. Good ol' Plague features here again (albeit only during a couple chapters), as he did in the last four novels, and I'd be disappointed if he weren't included in this one.
Minor characters, or familiar characters who perform bit-part roles in the novel.
Lulu Magoro, an African woman of sweet disposition who is Holger Palmgren's nurse. She and Holgen share a great mutual affection. Their easygoing banter is delightful.
Hassan Ferdousi. He is an imam, and this puts him at odds with Jewish Jan Bublanski over the subject of Isreal. He helps bring Khalil for his confession to Jamal Chowdhury's murder.
Charlotte "Lotta" von Kanterborg. Serves as one of the leads Mikael follows while trying to find her sister Hilda.
Sonia Modig, Jerker Holmberg and Curt Andersson (who's inexplicably called "Svensson" here). The trio, as Bublanski's officers, don't feature much except for an amusing paragraph or two in some comic-relief segment. A far cry from their presence in The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.
Greitz's sidekick Benjamin. Lagercrantz does attempt, feebly, to give him some depth, but all he does ultimately is serve as cannon fodder for Lisbeth's ass-kicking prowess.
Annika Giannini, Lisbeth's lawyer and Mikael's sister. She doesn't get much to do in the novel other than act as a sounding board (and rather briefly too, I might add) for Mikael's thinking-out-loud sessions.
Erika Berger. Head honcho of The Millennium. She's reduced to minor exposition here and not even the obligatory sex scene with Mikael.
The Mood
It was gloomy from the outset, and the tension seemed lacking. Somehow Lagercrantz's attempts to make me think Lisbeth was in very real danger in the prison, just weren't working. I did experience some anxiety though, when it looked like Holger wasn't going to make it. Later on, the dangerous situations seemed kind of forced and I just wasn't getting into it. No, as far as sense of danger does, this novel didn't have it. In fact, in certain areas, the darker themes made it outright depressing without the adrenaline-inducing action to counterbalance it.The novel ends on a sweet note as Lisbeth delivers Holger's eulogy. And thankfully, that part doesn't drag on too long.
What I liked
Hacker Republic. I like the fact that when Lisbeth's being kidnapped, there are some things even these powerful hackers can't handle. Makes things more realistic, somehow. On a somewhat related note, Lisbeth's shortcut buttons to Hacker Republic functions such as cloud upload and SOS alarm with GPS tracking, is seriously cool.Mikael's back to his philandering ways after seemingly going celibate in The Girl In The Spider's Web. Not that I liked it in the first place (I think Larsson way overdid it), but at least it's consistent.
Killing off Holger Palmgren. This was a gutsy move on Lagercrantz's part. As mentioned earlier, the old dude has been a part of the last four novels and is perhaps the only man Lisbeth Salander loves unreservedly.
Lagercrantz is focused, and doesn't detract from the story with meandering sideplots. This leads to a shorter novel, which doesn't give the reader enough time to get tired of it before finishing it.
What I didn't
The title. I can't ready see what relevance "an eye for an eye" has here. Unless the author was just thinking along the lines of Lisbeth's revenge, and even then it seems an overly grandiose title."Glint of steel". Lagercrantz gets repetitive here. I might have seen that description three times within a few pages.
The little inconsistencies from canon. Wasn't Sonia Modig supposed to be married? What's this shit about her being in love? Also, what gives with the references to Peter Teleborian? Wasn't he arrested for possession of child pornography back in The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest?
Too much focus on the story of the twins. Honestly, I'd rather this novel be about Lisbeth and Mikael, as usual. I can take a few paragraphs here and there from the point of view of other characters, but entire chapters? Lisbeth and Mikael seem like guest stars in this novel at times.
Conclusion
It's not great, but it's bearable and there are good bits in it. Especially in the middle. But the rest of it lacks a certain substance. Compared to the others, it seems to be only half a novel in terms of plot content. That's not neccesarily a bad thing; Larsson, rest his soul, tended to be very wordy. Sometimes excessively so.My Rating
6 / 10
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And 30 bucks for this novel!
T___T
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