The wait has ended for fans of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, with the new Lisbeth Salander adventure The Girl in the Spider's Web on sale from today and the good news is that reviews have been largely positive.
Larsson, who died of a heart attack in 2004, never saw his trilogy become a global phenomenon with sales of almost 80 million copies. The new book has been written by journalist David Lagercrantz, who previously penned Swedish football player Zlatan Ibrahimovic's official biography.
The Girl in the Spider's Web, which takes up the story of computer hacker Salander and crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist after The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, has been shrouded in secrecy with journalists having to sign confidentiality agreements before interviewing Lagercrantz.
Lagercrantz has said that stepping into the world Larsson created had terrified him.
Author, David Lagercrantz
"I was not the easiest person to live with because I was thinking about it all the time. I'm scared to death that I won't live up to [it]," he told news agency AFP.
While Lagercrantz awaits their verdict, Eason in Ireland is expecting brisk business.
Stephen Boylan, Books Category Manager at Eason, told TEN: "This is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated novels of the year. Lisbeth Salander is one of the best-loved - not to mention most kick-ass - heroines of recent times and we can't wait to read the next instalment of the story. Judging from the level of pre-orders that we've had, lots of our customers can't wait either."
Early reviews of The Girl in the Spider's Web have been largely positive. In the UK, The Guardian described the book as "a respectful and affectionate homage to the originals" while The Telegraph gave it four stars out of five and praised the depiction of Salander saying "Lagercrantz has caught her superbly, and expertly spun the sort of melodramatic yarn in which she can thrive."
The New York Times was also full of praise saying "Mr. Lagercrantz demonstrates an instinctive feel for the world Larsson created and for his two unconventional gumshoes", however The Washington Post was less enthusiastic and said the book is "fitfully interesting, but more often the story is disjointed and annoying".
The book does not go on sale in the US until September 1, which is why you'll see that date in the trailer from its US publishers below.
