Whats your opinion about Steig Larsson Triology?

TaureanBull · 03-24-2011, 02:52 PM

Hi folks,

Have you read the Steig Larsson (may his soul rest in peace) triology? I finished them in 10 days. Quite a binding book. Lisbeth Salander has emerged as quite an interesting character.

I only wish if I could read more books like that. Any suggestions?

DiapDealer · 03-24-2011, 06:48 PM

I thought the first book was pretty good, but not nearly deserving of all the accolades it received. It didn't inspire me enough to read the rest. The first half of the book was making coffee, talking about coffee, or talking about making coffee. Once it got down to business, it was very good, though. The ending got a little too cute in trying to resolve every single thing it could, and kind of meandered a bit too long because of that. I just assumed that something was lost in translation.

TaureanBull · 03-25-2011, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I thought the first book was pretty good, but nearly deserving of all the accolades it received. It didn't inspire me enough to read the rest. The first half of the book was making coffee, talking about coffee, or talking about making coffee. Once it got down to business, it was very good, though. The ending got a little too cute in trying to resolve every single thing it could, and kind of meandered a bit too long because of that. I just assumed that something was lost in translation.

Or may be too literal translation. Yeah, I agree there was lot of unnecessary stuff. Coffee thing and too many details about the characters which are not really important for the stoty.

Nevertheless, its a binding triology.

Asawi · 03-25-2011, 05:42 AM

I loved the first book. The second and third were good, but a bit "too much" for me. Lisbeth Salander is cool, I love her, but she's a bit too unrealisitic for me. (C'mon, she practically raised from the dead...). (And for the record, I hate that with male macho super duper heroes as well. Possibly even more!)
I'm Swedish and part of the reason I liked the first book best is because it's so "Swedish" (coffee, or "fika" is a huge part of our "culture").
I will read the first book in English some day, just for fun, to see what it feels like to have something so "Swedish" described in English.

tm3 · 03-25-2011, 06:15 AM

coffee, coffee, coffee, yes, but don't forget the sandwiches. for snacks, breakfast, whatever.

i enjoyed the series and would recommend it. first book was by far the best, followed by the third, with the second trailing. i agree with Asawi that at times things just got too over the top, almost like a superman comic book or something.

DiapDealer · 03-25-2011, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asawi

I will read the first book in English some day, just for fun, to see what it feels like to have something so "Swedish" described in English.

I'm always a little leery of translated books, anyway -- because I don't know if I'm truly reading the authors work. Having someone read it who is fluent in both the original and the translated language would be of great interest to me. I'd love to hear a report of how well the English version fares compared to the original.

There are many books that I'd love to get this sort of insight into. I think a review site that specialized in comparing translations to the original would be a fantastic idea. Does anybody know if such a beast exists anywhere?

Hamlet53 · 03-25-2011, 08:09 AM

I pretty much echo what has already been stated here. I was really drawn into the first book in the series, though even then the flaws were apparent; too much unnecessary detail (what characters had for breakfast, what they were wearing, . . .) and the Salander character being unrealistic. A good editor could have reduced the novel lengths to about 60% of as published with no loss. These flaws just seemed to become more apparent as I progressed through the series. I actually struggled to finish the third, with a lot of skimming really, but I just had to see how it all turned out. I just had to see what flawed comic book superhero Salander, which is what she had become, would do next.

Anyway so I could not say that I did not like it, nor would I consider reading it again. So “It's a good one time read.”

carpetmojo · 03-25-2011, 05:59 PM

Henning Mankell is much better [ Kurt Wallender ] , well worth a look.

DavidRM · 03-25-2011, 06:20 PM

What Hamlet53 said.

I don't regret the time spent, I had fun talking about the books with a Swedish-born friend of a friend, and, somehow, not long after reading the 2nd book I discovered the Swedish power metal band "Sabaton". Who knew how hardcore those Swedes could get, eh?

-David

issybird · 03-25-2011, 06:27 PM

They kept me turning the pages avidly, but I thought they were dreadful in regard to literary merit. Totally preposterous in terms of plotting and Salander (sheesh, the best hacker in all of Sweden AND mad skilz in martial arts with unbelievable powers of recovery?), wooden dialogue, absurd situations. Essentially highly readable trash.

benham · 03-25-2011, 06:58 PM

I seem to be in the minority here and every over reader forum.

It was okay, maybe even pretty good but I read the first one and didn't see the need to waste my time with the rest. Sorry.

6charlong · 03-25-2011, 07:27 PM

I liked the first book but only got half way through the second. The story revolved around a 5 foot tall woman who weighed 85 or 90 pounds. That was okay but then the author made a big mistake in the second book. He had the police chasing Salander as the primarily suspect in a killing she couldn't possible have committed. It was impossible to believe that any police force in the world could be that incompetent.

The Stockholm police are armed so they must be familiar with firearms. Anyone vaguely familiar with the 45 Auto knows to respect it. Some men and most women have trouble just holding it. People with small hands can't hold it. It's a very big gun and it has a tremendous recoil.

In the story the murder supposedly made one head shot when the first victim opens his apartment door, then makes a second head shot against a running target at distance seconds later. Difficult to do even for a big person but for anyone to shoot like that with the 45 they would have to practice a lot. For someone the size of Salander with no training--impossible.

In the movie when it came time for Salander to hold a pistol they gave her a 9mm Beretta. That was at least plausible although it looked like the actress had a stretch even with the minor caliber gun.

All through that second book I kept expecting someone on the police force to notice they were seeking the wrong suspect. The police wouldn't make a mistake like that. It's strange how such a simple error by an author can ruin a plot.

By the way, welcome to Mobleread TaureanBull.

fettpett · 03-27-2011, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6charlong

All through that second book I kept expecting someone on the police force to notice they were seeking the wrong suspect. The police wouldn't make a mistake like that. It's strange how such a simple error by an author can ruin a plot.

By the way, welcome to Mobleread TaureanBull.

I think it largely had to do with Larsson's unfamiliarity of how police forces work and unfamiliarity with handguns, either he got his idea's from too much TV, or too many crappy detective books. I started reading the third book but just found that I couldn't get into it like I could the first and second book.

Honestly he could have done better to keep Salander the secondary character and having Blomkvist be the main character solving the mysteries.

kacir · 03-27-2011, 01:13 PM

Not bad, but, at the moment Mr. Larson is mostly being famous for being famous.
I haven't finished the second book. Lost interest. I might finish it one day and possibly read the third, but, as several posters already said the books are overrated.

sakura-panda · 03-28-2011, 02:33 PM

I listened to the books on CD while driving home from work and enjoyed them quite a bit -- enough that I relistened to the first book right after finishing the trilogy. I think I would have had a hard time actually reading it "on paper", so to speak, for a lot of the reasons that have been stated.

I am sad that there won't be any more because there were some ideas started that I would have liked to see if anything came out of them -- like the entire sequence at the hotel, at the start of the second book? I feel like that could have been forshadowing something for future escapades.

There were also chunks in the first book that seemed to be unnecessary information but did became relevant in the later books. Over the second reading, I had a sort of ah-ha moment because I had forgotten one of those pieces and hearing it again suddenly made a later event click for me.

View Poll Results: Did you like the triology?
Loved it and would re- read it	15	17.65%
Its a good one time read	53	62.35%
Did not like	11	12.94%
No comments	6	7.06%
Voters: 85. You may not vote on this poll

03-24-2011, 02:52 PM	#1
TaureanBull Guru Posts: 64 Karma: 9478 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Imphal, New Delhi Device: Kindle 3-3G	Whats your opinion about Steig Larsson Triology? Hi folks, Have you read the Steig Larsson (may his soul rest in peace) triology? I finished them in 10 days. Quite a binding book. Lisbeth Salander has emerged as quite an interesting character. I only wish if I could read more books like that. Any suggestions?

03-24-2011, 06:48 PM	#2
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,524 Karma: 204127028 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I thought the first book was pretty good, but not nearly deserving of all the accolades it received. It didn't inspire me enough to read the rest. The first half of the book was making coffee, talking about coffee, or talking about making coffee. Once it got down to business, it was very good, though. The ending got a little too cute in trying to resolve every single thing it could, and kind of meandered a bit too long because of that. I just assumed that something was lost in translation. Last edited by DiapDealer; 03-25-2011 at 07:18 AM.

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03-25-2011, 05:42 AM	#4
Asawi Gadgetoholic Posts: 1,467 Karma: 3865860 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Libra2, Tolino Vision 6	I loved the first book. The second and third were good, but a bit "too much" for me. Lisbeth Salander is cool, I love her, but she's a bit too unrealisitic for me. (C'mon, she practically raised from the dead...). (And for the record, I hate that with male macho super duper heroes as well. Possibly even more!) I'm Swedish and part of the reason I liked the first book best is because it's so "Swedish" (coffee, or "fika" is a huge part of our "culture"). I will read the first book in English some day, just for fun, to see what it feels like to have something so "Swedish" described in English.

03-25-2011, 06:15 AM	#5
tm3 Groupie Posts: 174 Karma: 56678 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle 3	coffee, coffee, coffee, yes, but don't forget the sandwiches. for snacks, breakfast, whatever. i enjoyed the series and would recommend it. first book was by far the best, followed by the third, with the second trailing. i agree with Asawi that at times things just got too over the top, almost like a superman comic book or something.

03-25-2011, 08:09 AM	#7
Hamlet53 Nameless Being	I pretty much echo what has already been stated here. I was really drawn into the first book in the series, though even then the flaws were apparent; too much unnecessary detail (what characters had for breakfast, what they were wearing, . . .) and the Salander character being unrealistic. A good editor could have reduced the novel lengths to about 60% of as published with no loss. These flaws just seemed to become more apparent as I progressed through the series. I actually struggled to finish the third, with a lot of skimming really, but I just had to see how it all turned out. I just had to see what flawed comic book superhero Salander, which is what she had become, would do next. Anyway so I could not say that I did not like it, nor would I consider reading it again. So “It's a good one time read.”

03-25-2011, 05:59 PM	#8
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Henning Mankell is much better [ Kurt Wallender ] , well worth a look.

03-25-2011, 06:20 PM	#9
DavidRM Addict Posts: 203 Karma: 1007768 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Device: Kindle	What Hamlet53 said. I don't regret the time spent, I had fun talking about the books with a Swedish-born friend of a friend, and, somehow, not long after reading the 2nd book I discovered the Swedish power metal band "Sabaton". Who knew how hardcore those Swedes could get, eh? -David

03-25-2011, 06:27 PM	#10
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,214 Karma: 234570739 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	They kept me turning the pages avidly, but I thought they were dreadful in regard to literary merit. Totally preposterous in terms of plotting and Salander (sheesh, the best hacker in all of Sweden AND mad skilz in martial arts with unbelievable powers of recovery?), wooden dialogue, absurd situations. Essentially highly readable trash.

03-25-2011, 06:58 PM	#11
benham Guru Posts: 882 Karma: 5565888 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Townsend, WI Device: Palm TX, PRS-505 (BLUE)	I seem to be in the minority here and every over reader forum. It was okay, maybe even pretty good but I read the first one and didn't see the need to waste my time with the rest. Sorry.

03-25-2011, 07:27 PM	#12
6charlong friendly lurker Posts: 896 Karma: 2436026 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: US Device: Kindle, nook, Apple and Kobo	I liked the first book but only got half way through the second. The story revolved around a 5 foot tall woman who weighed 85 or 90 pounds. That was okay but then the author made a big mistake in the second book. He had the police chasing Salander as the primarily suspect in a killing she couldn't possible have committed. It was impossible to believe that any police force in the world could be that incompetent. The Stockholm police are armed so they must be familiar with firearms. Anyone vaguely familiar with the 45 Auto knows to respect it. Some men and most women have trouble just holding it. People with small hands can't hold it. It's a very big gun and it has a tremendous recoil. In the story the murder supposedly made one head shot when the first victim opens his apartment door, then makes a second head shot against a running target at distance seconds later. Difficult to do even for a big person but for anyone to shoot like that with the 45 they would have to practice a lot. For someone the size of Salander with no training--impossible. In the movie when it came time for Salander to hold a pistol they gave her a 9mm Beretta. That was at least plausible although it looked like the actress had a stretch even with the minor caliber gun. All through that second book I kept expecting someone on the police force to notice they were seeking the wrong suspect. The police wouldn't make a mistake like that. It's strange how such a simple error by an author can ruin a plot. By the way, welcome to Mobleread TaureanBull.

03-27-2011, 01:13 PM	#14
kacir Wizard Posts: 3,463 Karma: 10684861 Join Date: May 2006 Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20	Not bad, but, at the moment Mr. Larson is mostly being famous for being famous. I haven't finished the second book. Lost interest. I might finish it one day and possibly read the third, but, as several posters already said the books are overrated.

03-28-2011, 02:33 PM	#15
sakura-panda Guru Posts: 933 Karma: 9558874 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southeast Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Oasis; 11" iPad Pro (Books, Kindle, Kobo, MapleRead SE)	I listened to the books on CD while driving home from work and enjoyed them quite a bit -- enough that I relistened to the first book right after finishing the trilogy. I think I would have had a hard time actually reading it "on paper", so to speak, for a lot of the reasons that have been stated. I am sad that there won't be any more because there were some ideas started that I would have liked to see if anything came out of them -- like the entire sequence at the hotel, at the start of the second book? I feel like that could have been forshadowing something for future escapades. There were also chunks in the first book that seemed to be unnecessary information but did became relevant in the later books. Over the second reading, I had a sort of ah-ha moment because I had forgotten one of those pieces and hearing it again suddenly made a later event click for me.

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