Oh Dear!

Well, where can I begin?
The opening in introduced with a VERY loud 'ppeerr ppeerr chow' sort of 'music' - it really gave me such a start as I was listening on earphones.
After that introduction things just got worse. before listening I had re-listened to the last of the original trilogy to remind myself of the story.
1. The main characters have all changed their personallities - Clear thinking Blomquist is now a bumbling idiot has-been
2. Erica seems to be called by a different name - was 'Berger' is now 'Beryer' - sorry about spelling have only read audio books. Her husband too - was 'Gregor' is now something different.
3. Erica and Blomquist seem to have changed the tone of their friendship - 'she fell into his arms' - was never the way they were staying together, things were much more matter of fact.
4. At chapter 8 - I started to think - 'Ye Gods - how long does this go on?' - only to discover that I was but a quarter through - I hought I should at least stick it out to half way - but I am now at chapter 10 and really ...... I don't think I can go on with it.
5. Lisbeth has only appeared briefly so far - but her character too seems to be different, no longer the quiet yet forceful individual, she seems far more openly aggressive.
6. I am currently at the stage where I don't really care anyway - so I think I will cut my losses and leave it now.
7 The whole tone of the characters is wrong, I am sure that Mr David Lagercrantz is a good writer in his own way, but this does a mis-service to Stieg Larsson - I have waited so long for this follow on, and am so disappointed, I did so want to enjoy it.

63 people found this helpful

Sorry, terrible!

Just a ridiculous and totally unbelievable continuation of the series with Salander becoming a completely one dimensional character with no real dialogue of her own other than brief emails or texts to Mikael related by the narrator. Changing Berger to Berier is meant to achieve what exactly? And having a character called Needham when one of the chief baddies in the previous book was called Neederman just seems like very lazy and sloppy writing. Had they read the previous novels? I listen to audio books whilst swimming but I have gone from doing 10km per week to less than 3km per week as a subconscious way of avoiding this book and I’m am giving up on this one I’m afraid. I was initially very excited to see the two follow up novels in this series but I will be returning them both given my experience with The Spiders Web. I can’t wait to miss the film!!

20 people found this helpful

purchase the Sweedish telephone book instead!

This no Stieg Larrson book. The characters pay little homage to previous reincarnations . Evan after trudging relentlessly through the entire book, I have little idea what it was about! There are far too many characters with meaningless dialogue attached to them that simply takes the story line no further forward. Only problem is, they have made a film as well and I know I will watch it and loose 2 more hours of my life on top of the 16 following this book..

15 people found this helpful

An unnecessary continuation

I really enjoyed the Millennium trilogy and they finished quite tidily, so i was intrigued by what an addition to the series by another author could bring. The answer, nothing. Unfortunately this is a book that need not have been written. The character development is poor, the story is badly structured and lacks depth. Having finished it I would have no interest in any further additions to the original trilogy. Declan Hughes in the Irish Times, September 26th captures my views quite succinctly:

"Larsson continuation

David Lagercrantz’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web (MacLehose Press, £14.99) is a continuation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy, and will probably outsell any other crime novel published this year. It is ineptly structured (the murder that finally incites the action takes place on page 130, a good 100 pages too late), repetitive, and fatuously in thrall to brands and buzzwords, as if simply naming them brought them to life. It often reads more like a prospectus than a book. Hackers! The Dark Web! Autistic Savants! The Russian Mafia and the NSA!

At its heart, of course, is Lisbeth Salander, that manic pixie dream girl with abuse issues, a scowly face and piercings. Piercings! Salander remains part comic-book superhero, part male fantasy, but she still deserves better than this cynical, curiously disengaged production."

My advice: go back and listen to the original trilogy again instead of investing time in this.

57 people found this helpful

dreadful

What would have made The Girl in the Spider's Web better?

If Stieg Larson had written it.

What was most disappointing about David Lagercrantz and George Goulding - translator ’s story?

The boring, long-winded writing. I thought there was a 'show don't tell' rule for thrillers. This was explain every detail at the expense of the pace.

Did Saul Reichlin do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

I love Saul Reichlin's narrations, but he was greatly hinder by a plethora of inconsequential characters.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It finally finished?

Any additional comments?

Such a disappointment. The pace was very slow and boring, but I am proud of myself for seeing it through to the end. Sadly, it didn't improve.

28 people found this helpful

girl in the spiders web

not as good a read as the first 3, very slow plot and therefore. disappointing

8 people found this helpful

Fourth in series - "just" sneaked to a 5 star

"Ummed and ahhed" about whether to give it four or five stars, but in the end, there's a lot of average books out there, and there's been too many that have been downright impossible to get on with. As a "standalone" it gets 5, but in comparison to the "real" Millenium books, it's a 4 star.

The story whizzes along, the themes great, the characters well known. Really enjoyed the style and story - it's definitely "in the style". It's a long time though since I read the originals though, which makes it hard to compare.

I do feel though that characters are slightly more 2D than the originals. There's something not quite there about Lisbeth Salander - that "something" which made her such an "endearing", "likeable" hero of a character. However, it doesn't spoil the book.

So, highly recommend giving it a listen!

8 people found this helpful

Dull unimaginative. Larsson is probably turning in his grave

This is probably one of the worst books I’ve brought from Audible. Terrible plot almost identical to the second book of the Larsson series. So if you’ve heard or read that there is nothing new for you here. And it’s written without Larsson’s fluency and narrative drive. Truly dire

7 people found this helpful

Lisbeth Salander is back, a cyberpunk reboot.

This is a revival of a series millions love with a character that has the admiration and sympathy of millions of readers, so one third of the book is a clever re establishing of the old ensemble of characters while lying down the new ones and the plot for the new story, and I am happy to say that it works without feeling forced or awkward, yes it is not the same writer but it is very much the setting Stieg Larsson created, the plot line moves and references previous books in the series with ease and respect .
If you liked the other books you will enjoy this one, it is a good thriller that brings back old friends and delivers a good continuation. The technical computer language, AI, ASI, or artificial super-intelligence discussions, very much set it in our present with references to what has transpired in our world recently, grounding the story in our present, while creating a sense of a future with cyber singularity and possible digital event horizons.

The sound production of this book is excellent and ingenious, with many little tricks they should use in other books, Saul Reichlin is a superb actor and uses all his power to make this a very good listen.

49 people found this helpful

Not what I hoped for.

I know a little of the story behind Steig Larsson's legacy and how his estranged family apparently seized on their rights, but I did not really care too much as I have a fond memory of the Millenium trilogy as enjoyable, if sometimes slightly cartoonlike, thrillers. I felt like something easy to listen to and I was not about to let authenticity or ownership worry me. It had been a while so I thought I'd see what the chosen writer did with the characters to move the series on.
Mistake.
It seems to me, admittedly at half way through, that Instead of going his own way Lagercrantz has reproduced the formula almost exactly. (Magazine under pressure, Solander's far fetched family at the heart of all evil again, etc). This over familiarity, combined with long passages of narrative expo given in the authors own voice as unrealistic dialogue, and the habit of seeing every moment of significance from every point of view possible, just bored me to death.

Cynical.

14 people found this helpful