So what’s the deal with Steig Larson’s Millennium Trilogy? Why is it so popular? These books are long, slow paced, filled with radical politics and poorly translated from Swedish. Sales for these books have reached 45 million worldwide and three movies have been made. Admittedly I have only read one, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but from what I read the following novels are even longer and much the same. I also must admit I am captivated by this novel, couldn’t put it down and will probably read the next, The Girl Who Played with Fire. Plus I have a hankering to see the movie. “Good Grief.” Well it didn’t take much soul searching to figure it out. It’s the character, Lisbeth Salander. She’s fascinating__ a 20 something enigmatic sexually kinky, tattooed and pierced computer hacker who also happens to be a mathematical genius. Salander and her partner Mikael Blomkvist a left wing investigative reporter, inhabit an edgy and violent world and set out to undermine the corrupt Swedish system. It’s remarkable how Larson is able to provoke sympathy for this violent anti-hero. She has been abused so much by those around her and Swedish society. It seems only fitting she should lash out. All this pent up anger is acted out in a complex plot that lumbers slowly at times as Larson goes into excruciating detail about a genealogy or a government agency. Corruption in government and business are major themes in this book. But wanting to know what Salander will do next makes you want to read on. This character makes these books work and is why these books are such a phenomenon. Salander is easily the most interesting fictional character in a decade. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a combination intellectual thriller mixed with a touch of goth and gobs of high tech.
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