Finished Hornet's Nest. Next up: Unit Planning

Yesterday I made it my goal to finish The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and around 12:30 am this morning I achieved my goal.  Pretty sad how once again I didn't do anything Friday or Saturday night but this weekend was different.  I actually wanted to go out but all of my friends were either out of town or occupied leaving me to entertain myself (not to worry I've gotten quite good at it over the years, and if your perverted mind is taking you to dirty places then stop right now because that's not what I meant).  Back to the novel, what an amazing conclusion to an epic series.  Lisbeth kicks ass once again and Blomkvist continues to shine as a journalist who is a more qualified investigator than any members of the Swedish police force.  Some new characters come into play and do a nice job fitting into the story.  I think it's only right for me to reflect on the series as a whole as I will attempt to highlight what was one of the most compelling series I have ever read. 

First of all, to all the ladies out there, if you are desperately searching for a read with a strong and realistic heroine who takes no crap and targets those who abuse women then go out and buy, not borrow from the library, but buy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I believe a strong heroine is very difficult to construct because they are so often not believable.  Heroines often have super powers, weapons, or physical gifts that allow them to dominate any adversaries, male or female.  Lisbeth has none of these things, except for her exceptional mind.  She is a barely 5'0 90 lb. girl who has all the cards stacked against her in nearly every situation she enters.  Society has shit all over her since her childhood yet she perseveres and fights on.  Not to ruin the series but she encounters a lot of adversity and always managers to keep her wits about her, lying in wait to dish out the revenge that her enemies certainly deserve.  Larsson does a masterful job with his female protagonist and creates a character and a heroine unlike any that I can recall from any book and/or film.  The other characters are also well-constructed and complex, but for me Lisbeth stole the show and launched these three novels up into the spectrum of some of my favorite reading. 

Blomkvist is a great character as well; reminiscent of a Swedish Hank Moody with his self-destructive behavior, chivalry, ever-present kindness, honesty, and sex appeal.  At times he bothers you but in the end he always comes up big, and you can't help but admire him.  I don't know what to say about the other characters except for I think that they fit in really well.  All of the policemen and women, government officials, and Millenium staffers (Blomkvist's magazine) are described well and contribute to the story in a rational and effective way. 

I think that the most fascinating aspect of the story is also sometimes the most annoying.  Larsson uses so much detail it is mind-boggling to think about how an individual could generate such a story with so many details.  Of course, it has been done before with stories like the Lord of the Rings series where Tollkien invented a language.  Still, a story with this much detail always receives my admiration because I just can't imagine how long it took for the author to generate all of the ideas and details for such stories.  At the same time, the surplus of detail and background knowledge can produce large sections of dry content that leave the reader contemplating moving on to a more action-packed read.  It may be my bias, but I feel like Larsson plays on this feeling perfectly.  Just when I was about to put down Dragon Tattoo Larsson throws in some action; and after that I couldn't put it down.  Once you understand his style and know that there are good things to come you'll be able to get through the boring parts.  Nevertheless, on a first reading it may take you a little while to get into the story.  Still I urge you all to fight through the first 150-200 pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and make it the next book you read for leisure.  Such an amazing series and a great read.  The movies aren't bad either, although they left me wanting more, and looking forward to the American versions, the first of which is coming this winter.  So excited.