book review? writing ideals? social commentary?

This book being marketed as a sequel to the Millennium Trilogy has definitely stirred a hornet's nest.

For fans of author Steig Larsson who mourned his untimely demise in 2004, even before his first book was out, the new release of a Lisbeth Salander novel is a mixed bag of surprise and speculation.

For followers of this gifted and beloved writer who was plucked from our world all too quickly and too soon, we are caught between a rock and a hard place as we witness the drama behind his legacy unfold in the hands of others.

Who would not love to read more adventures of divergent detective duo, Mikael Blomkvist and
Lisbeth Salander? Tall order indeed for the one whio writes in the shadow of the original trilogy. Who knows if even Larsson had he lived on could have lived up to all the attendant expectations?

We will never know. What we are left with in the current reality is the decision of his default estate inheritors to hire a new writer to author a new book (or more) to add to Larsson's original triad.

This has been controversially contested by his life partner of 32 years, Eva Gabrielsson, who unfortunately has no legal prerogative under Swedish law since Larsson died intestate or at least without a duly witnessed last will and testament. 

What a chaotic stalemate for the new author, David Lagercrantz, to step into. Their family drama could so easily overpower an already far too complicated inauspicious foray into this fray. 

How much of this back story will factor into how his audience will read this new work of Lagercrantz will be hard to distinguish or differentiate. He could be a truly talented author in his own right but that is not what his readers are after. 

We are here to get more of Salander and Blomkvist. So the question is does he deliver in believably reproducing these now iconic characters? How much of Larsson's psyche will he channel and how much of his own can he interject? 

Can he manage to keep the storytelling authentic to its origins as he unfolds a new storyline? How much will this define him as a writer in his own right? Will he be recognized or vilified for his own wordsmithing? 

Tall orders indeed! Read past reviews here and weigh in for yourselves. 

New York Times Book Review
Goodreads Reviews

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