The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest [Book Review]

Title: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest/The Castle Of Air That Was Blown Up

Author: Stieg Larsson

Publication: 2007 by Norstedts Agency

Translation: 2009 by Reg Keeland

"Lisbeth Salander - the heart of Larsson's two previous novels - lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, lke herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life."

Praises for The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest:

"Fans will not be disappointed: this is another roller-coaster ride that keeps you reading far too late into the night. intricate but flawlessly plotted, it has complex characters as well as a satisfying, clear moral thrust."

- Evening Standard

"The literary equivalent of a caffeine rush... Larsson was one of those rare writers who could keep you up until 3 a.m. and then make you want to rush home the next night to do it again... Larsson is something like John Grisham [but] Larsson held an extra ace: the creation of Salander."

- Newsweek

"Larsson's vivid characters, the depth of the detail across the three books, the powerfully imaginative plot, and the sheer verve of the writing make the trilogy a masterpiece of its genre."

- The Economist

"A heart-stopping showdown showcases one of crime fiction's most unforgettable characters and cements Larsson's rep as one of its most passionate and original voices."

- People

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Larsson's culminating novel of the Millennium trilogy starts with Lisbeth Salander, immobile-but-still-surfing-the-net in a locked hospital room in a Swedish city. She is still recovering from a bullet wound to her head and a premature burial done by her very own father, Alexander Zalachenko and half-brother, Ronald Niedermann. Mikael Blomkvist, meanwhile, tries to bring light to Salander's situation with the aid of, surprisingly, Milton Security's Dragan Armansky, colleagues from Millennium magazine, Salander's hacker friends from Hacker Republic, and Lisbeth's former guardian, Holger Palmgren.

Throughout the novel, secret workings of the Swedish Security Police or SAPO are presented. The possibility that Zalachenko, a former GRU spy, will be exposed to public, introduces another adversary to Salander, Blomkvist and the police investigation: the reactivation of some retired Swedish intelligence agents who were responsible in giving Zalachenko new identity after he defected to Sweden in mid-1970s.

Larsson's female characters in this novel are presented strong and successful, as equal players rather than just sidekicks or victims. Blomkvist's lawyer sister, Annika Gianini was prejudiced at first because Salander's case was not her field of expertise. Sonja Modig, a skeptical police investigator was often bullied and not taken seriously by some of her colleagues especially by Hans Faste because of her gender. Monica Figuerola, considered an elite member of Constitutional Protection Unit of the Secret Police, worked alongside Blomkvist to prove the truth about Lisbeth Salander and the Section. Suzanne Linder, Milton Security employee, served as Erika Berger's bodyguard when she was pestered by a dangerous stalker. Erika Berger got assigned a subplot this time, when she accepted a post in Sweden's biggest daily newspaper as editor-in-chief, only to gain a stalker in the identity of Peter Fredricksson. When Berger's most intimate possessions are stolen by her stalker, Lisbeth intervened and helped Berger track him down, causing the start of a "friendship" between them. She goes back to Millennium after an argument with the newspaper's CEO about burying a story that would, as Larsson commonly termed in his books, "hang her boss out to dry." Lisbeth Salander, though not truly successful in the same way as the other female characters, is still impressive for marshaling "The Knights of the Idiotic Table" to the right direction with the help of her hacking skills.

The appearance of the Section paved way for an intense battle between the police/private investigators and the government that Dag Svensson and Mia Johansson's murders were somewhat stepped aside. The overall plot of the book circled around the Section's activities, conspiracies and Blomkvist's efforts to prove the Section's guilt and help Salander win her case. There is this question of whether or not the people trying to destroy Salander will triumph. It also aroused some curiosity whether the strained friendship between Blomkvist and Salander can be repaired. 

In the latter part of the novel, Blomkvist sumps up Salander's experience: "When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it's about violence against women, and the men who enable it." A simple moral yet presented in a complex and gripping way is what sets Larsson's trilogy a right to be called a phenomenon all over the world.