Pages: 448, Kindle Edition

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“NOTE: THE LINK TO THE GIVEAWAY IS BELOW”

A few critics are claiming the new addition in Stieg Larsson’s famous Millennium Trilogy, The Girl in the Spider’s Web as controversial. Written by David Lagercrantz who previously had two titles named under him: a non-fiction and a fiction, both translated in English language. Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy is a huge success worldwide and adaptions are already out there. The previous three novels are gripping, rich in thrill, and intelligent. One who has read any of the three, knows very well what I am trying to express here. And he must be excited about this new addition.

There were no pre-review copies or excerpts of this novel, The Girl in the Spider’s Web. It was released earlier this month. Like countless readers, I have been waiting to get my hands on it, find out myself the standard set by Larsson, will it be matched? Of course not! Stieg Larsson’s writing is exceptional. The way he conveyed his ideas in those three books, only he could do it. Though, as a writer of this book, David Lagercrantz does a good job in maintaining those characters, putting some more insight which continues to make the Millennium trilogy interesting.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web looks deeper in the world of hackers as it is all about them. It share a similar starting point as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Mikael Blomqvist’s is in search of a story, a cover story, and the situation is an intense one. From the previous three books, we learned that the pierced Lisbeth Salander was a formidable hacker, and in a world of warring hackers, she is the unquestioned genius. She guides Hacker Republic, a group of good-guy hackers, and ultimately manages to hack the supposedly invulnerable National Security Agency (NSA), whereupon she tells its leaders, “Those who spy on the people end up being spied on by the people.” Many other hackers fill the story some are criminal, others are corporate or governmental. Unfortunately, their deeds are too often presented in incomprehensible tech-talk. Meanwhile the story that is the cause of the whole book is the story of Frans Balder and his autistic son. The story mostly revolves around Salander this time, glimpses of her past, how she become to be a hacker, what’s the story behind her hacker handle: WASP?

The characterisation is surpassingly kept at the same level did the Larsson. One won’t be able to tell a difference if judging the characters. The plot is a steady one, ordinary crime fiction juxtaposed with interesting looking world of computers and hackers. Alongside Lisabeth Salander, Mikael Blomqvist played a huge role as well as some recurring detectives other people.

I know it is not written by Steig Larsson, but I think giving it a chance won’t harm your reading appetite. Satisfyingly, it is a page turner.

4 out of 5

GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES (Only for INDIA)

• This A Rafflecopter Giveaway is the link to the Giveaway.
• The giveaway prizes will be provided by Hachette India, subject to availability.
•  The giveaway is in India ONLY. Participants should be Indian residents.
•  Winners will be determined by the management of Hachette India. The decision of the management will be final and no queries will be entertained in this regard.
• The entries may be screened for defamatory content/language .Hachette India reserves the right for last minute cancellation and change in terms and conditions.
• The contest starts on 17th September, 2015 at midnight and end on 16th October, 2015 at midnight. No late entries will be accepted.
•  There will be seven (7) winners. Each winner will win a copy of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo , The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest , The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl in the Spider’s Web and one book from the titles listed below:** Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn** Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

  ** Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

  ** Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

  ** The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy

  ** An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy

  ** Rescue by Nicolas Sparks

  ** Under the Dome by Stephen King

  ** Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

  ** The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

  ** The Elephant Catchers: Key Lessons for Breakthrough Growth by Subroto Bagchi

  ** In Spite of the Gods by Edward Luce

  ** Living History by Hillary Clinton

  ** To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

  ** Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

  ** Theodore Boone,Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

  ** One Day by David Nicholls

  ** The Devotion Of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

  ** Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult, Samantha van Leer and Yvonne Gilbert

  ** The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R.Carey

• Each winner will get a total of five books, subject to availability.
• All entries that are only entered in the Rafflecopter widget will be valid. (Link given in the first bullet point)
• Number of entries for each task has been provided in the Rafflecopter widget. Every person who enters the giveaway needs to do at least one task that is listed above for their entry to be valid.
• Winner has 48 hrs to respond to intimation by Hachette India before another winner is chosen.
• Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway.

The post BOOK REVIEW: The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

THE GIRL WHO KICKED HORNET’s NEST

by STIEG LARSSON

The third and the final book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, picks up right where The Girl Who Played With Fire left off. If you haven’t read part two, read it, don’t let spoilers spoil that for you.

I loved the trilogy partly because of the “Lisabeth Salander’s” character, partly of Mikael Blomkvist(a.k.a Kalle Bastard Blomkvist) , a middle-aged journalist  who publishes Expo-like magazine called Millennium.

Each book in the TRIO is related to her and is titled according to her and the consequences she faces.

Salander, for me, is one of the fascinating character in modern day literature. She’s a sullen goth girl who is tech-savvy and also a pronounced hacker.

Because of her good deeds and bad, she kicked the so called “Hornet’s nest”.

Still Stieg Larsson, I consider, one of the best crime fiction writer in the modern century. His, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is an especially artful construction with its thriller intrigue. The way a reader meets Blomkvist  when his professional reputation has been blotted by a libel verdict against him, and the way he, Blomqvist, and Salander fought back was the thriller-isque.

But book 3, looks like more of consolation, just give the story a happy-ending, though it was necessary, but the way it was written wasn’t well enough. The only problem I had with this final book of the series that she spends most of her time in hospital and then gets hurried into a courtroom as her trial begins. Larsson gets carried away sometimes. There were some poke holes. It could have been better. But it doesn’t matter in the end, NO BODY’s Perfetct! I had much fun reading this trilogy, and I am sure you will too. I am sad Larsson’s gone, and I hope nobody tries to pamper with the character of Lisabeth Salander.

ABOUT LARSSON:

Larsson was a Swedish journalist who edited a magazine called Expo, which was devoted to exposing racist and extremist organizations in his nativeland. In his spare time, he worked on a trilogy of crime thrillers, delivering them to his Swedish publisher in 2004. In November of that year, a few months before the first of these novels came out, he died of a heart attack. He was only 50, and he never got to see his books become enormous best sellers — first in Sweden and then, in translation, all over the globe.

Reading Larsson for me, is like I, myself, is the intriguer.

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