A Look at the Phenomenon of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

One of the biggest books on the planet is called "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." It is a book that does not sound like one of the best-plotted mystery/thrillers in modern times. However, the book and the three-book series it belongs to has become a real phenomenon. The books have sold in the millions. Now one movie company has already made Swedish-language version of the books and they have become some of the biggest movies in that country's history. Hollywood has decided it wants to take a crack at the story and make its own version.

So, what is the big deal? What is so great about this series? Why does it seem to hold people's imaginations?

Well, first off there is the story of the man who wrote the three novels. That man was Stieg Larsson, a Swedish journalist. He wrote the three novels of what has become known as The Millennium Trilogy and turned them into to his publisher. Then, he went home and promptly died of a fatal heart attack. So, Mr. Larsson has not had a chance to see how popular his creations have become.

I decided it was time to get into this story. I have been sick to death of hearing about the horrible Twilight books. I wanted to read a series of books that were made popular by adults and were written for adults. So, I decided this was the series to star with. I even talked to friends who had read the series.

I was told that the books were very wordy. When I looked at them in print, that certainly seemed the case. These were thick books. I was also told that Larsson liked to drift a bit while writing and that he got boring at times. I had to find out for myself, but I decided that I would do that in a unique way. I decided I would download the audiobook from iTunes.

There have been times when audiobooks were the bastard cousins of the literary world. However, there are now lots of unabridged versions of classic books and modern works. This is the best way to go, I feel. If you are going to listen to one, it should be a version that the author wanted you to hear. So, I downloaded the unabridged version and loaded it on my iPod.

First let me tell you that if you had not read this book, then you might want to give the audiobook a chance. Simon Vance reads the story and he is a master storyteller. He has won numerous awards for his audiobook work. He deserves them. He manages to tell the story in his steady British accent and give each charactger a unique voice without sounding silly. He brings the story to life and it is like hearing a master doing a one-man show.

The story, it turns out, is a tightly plotted and well-thought-out detective thriller. It is one of the best, edge-of-your-seat stories I have read or listened to in a long time. It kept me up late at night, lying in bed, listening to Vance read me a tale of murder, mystery, sex and family history.

The story tells the tale of a magazine editor and writer named Mikael Blomkvist. He has just been convicted of libeling a major industrialist. He was set up by an old school friend who promised him a scoop. Now he faces jail and has to resign from his position at the magazine he helped create called Millennium.

No sooner does he quit and a man named Henrik Vanger approaches him. Vanger is an industrialist as well, but he brings a strange proposition. You see, years ago, Herik's favorite niece, Harriet, disappeared. For forty years he has been trying to find out what happened to her and who killed her. He wants Mikael to review the evidence and see if he can find anything new.

Then comes the real star of the series. The titular girl with the tattoos is Lizbeth Salander. She is a girl with a very troubled past, an anorexic look, and numerous tattoos and piercings. She is also a brilliant investigator, hacker and has a photographic memory. In short, she is the perfect partner for Mikael in his investigation. How they manage to come together to investigate is one of the joys of this story.

What follows is a tale of murder, deception, Nazis and numerous hidden family secrets. It is told in exacting detail with rich characters who come to life off the page and out of Vance's mouth. It is, as I said, like he is on stage, bringing each character to life and telling a story that you must listen to, moving closer and closer to the edge of your seat with each word. The book lives up brilliantly to its reputation.

A few years ago, however, a Swedish film company decided to take the first crack at turning the popular novels into films. Those films are now being released in the U.S. Already the movies have been some of the highest grossing in Swedish history. The actress who plays Lisbeth Salander, Noomi Rapace, has won the Swedish equivalent of the Best Actress Oscar.

Again, I am happy to report that the movie deserves its reputation as well. The acting in this film is above reproach. Yes, the movie alters the story. However, the cuts and the changes all make the story better and better for film. It cuts out the extraneous plot-lines and and shortens the exposition. All of the changes work and the result is a dazzling film thriller that manages to re-tell the story and keep the essence of it intact. This is as good as any U.S. thriller/mystery movie that you are likely to find.

The movie manages to capture the essence of this story and the characters perfectly. At this time it is hard to imagine other actors in these roles. Noomi Rapace is now Lisbeth Salander in my mind. Michael Nyqvist is exactly how I would picture Blomkvist. His performance is steady and strong and holds the movie. Rapace manages to capture the spirit of Salander's psychoses and her toughness and still show some vulnerability beneath the earrings and piercings and tattoos.

By trimming the story and making subtle changes to the plot the movie manages to move along quickly and surely. This is truly a classic thriller that I would rank up there with some of the best from the states in recent memory. Yes, I would put it up there with Manhunter or Silence of the Lambs. Even knowing the plot I still marveled at the revelations and the secrets as the plots twisted around and around themselves.

All in all the phenomenon is worth the praise that has been heaped upon it. I am looking forward to listening to the next book in the series and seeing the second film. I am encouraged by the casting for the Hollywood version of the movie and excited by the director (David Fincher). I am also encouraged by the choice for Lisbeth Salander. I hope it manages to create something even half as good as the Swedish version.

If you like to read, I cannot recommend the book highly enough. If you like audiobooks, then you have to listen to Simon Vance read the book to you. If you like movies, then I have to recommend the film. All in all, that is a story that is batting a thousand.