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The Millennium trilogy of books are a series of three books written by the Swedish author Stieg Larsson, which have gone on to achieve huge commercial and critical success worldwide, after their initial publication in Sweden after the death of the author. Although Stieg Larsson wrote the Millennium trilogy of books several years before his death, they were not published until they were unearthed following his death in 2004. There has been further additions to the Millennium series, but there are, right now, only three books written by the series’ original author, Stieg Larsson.
Stieg Larsson, a Swedish national, was a penman, editor, and doubled up as a journalist. Larsson’s birth name was Karl Stig-Erland Larsson while his birthplace was Skelleftehamn upon Sweden. Larsson, who has since died, was born on August 1954 and passed away on December 2004, aged fifty. Larsson specialized in literary fiction, crime books, and mystery-thrillers. Like Larsson, David Lagercrantz is a Swedish man of letters and journalist. Born in Solna Municipality, Lagercrantz’s birthday is September 1962. He was outsourced to write a book in the Millennium series.
Order of Millennium Series By: Stieg Larsson, David Lagercrantz, Karin Smirnoff
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Girl Who Played with Fire | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Girl in the Spider's Web | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The Girl Who Lived Twice | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | The Girl in the Eagle's Talons | 2022 | Description / Buy |
Order of Millennium: The Graphic Novels Series By: Stieg Larsson, Denise Mina
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Book 1 | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Book 2 | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Girl Who Played with Fire | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest | 2015 | Description / Buy |
Basically, Millennium series contains five major books, though the total is twelve works, including omnibuses and book sections. Larsson wrote the first three books while Lagercrantz wrote the last two books, one of which will be published on September 2017.
There are as much as 124 editions of the first book. The first edition was originally published on August 2005; the book was originally titled Man som hatar kvinnor. This book is shelved under the fiction (especially adult fiction), cultural, mystery, and thriller genres.
Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are the featured protagonists in Larsson’s book. Blomkvist, who is in his forties, is an experienced journalist; he is a past master at investigative journalism and his niche is finance. He runs the investigative reporting-oriented magazine named Millennium. Sadly, Blomkvist has since been dishonored after being accused of libel in a case involving a Swedish business magnate. Salander is a brainy, hardy, and unsociable woman; Salander works as a private eye and is a doyen of hacking.
The turning point in the first book in the serialized Millennium is the moment Blomkvist is hired to solve an old murder mystery. The teenage daughter of a wealthy businessman was murder during a family event, four decades previously. The victim’s uncle hires Blomkvist to investigate and he teams up with Salander. The ensuing story leaves the reader second-guessing who the perpetrator was in this multi-award-winning book.
The first book in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was published in 2005 and won the Glass Key award in Sweden. In 2008, it won the Exclusive Books Boeke Prize,and in 2009 it won the Galaxy Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year, UK, as well as the Anthony Award for Best First Novel. We are introduced to Mikael after he has been convicted of libel in a high-profile case, and he is now seeking refuge from the media’s glare. He is hired by an eccentric tycoon who leads Mikael to work under the pretence charting the family’s history, but to really investigate what happened to his niece, Harriet, who disappeared 36 years prior. Mikael teams up with Lisbeth, who, as well as having a photographic memory, is also a talented hacker. Together, they delve deep into the family’s history, and put their lives at risk along the way.
The Girl who Played With Fire, the second book in the Millennium trilogy was released in 2006, and again charts the lives of Mikael and Lisbeth. This time, Mikael’s publication, Millennium, is asked to publish an expose on Sweden’s sex industry, which includes revelations about some of the country’s highest-ranking officials. However, before the article can be finished and published, the author, Dag Svensson and his wife are murdered, with Lisbeth being the main culprit. Mikael must prove his friend’s innocence, while trying to complete the article and expose the corrupt officials. The Girl who Played With Fire won the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award in 2006.
The final book Stieg Larsson wrote in the Millennium Trilogy, The Girl who Kicked the Hornets’ Next, was published in 2007. Again, Mikael must come to the aid of Lisbeth, as he uncovers a secret group in the Security Service that have been acting against her in several illegal and nefarious ways. Mikael and members of the Security Service’s Constitutional Protection Division must work together to find out who is trying to wreck Lisbeth’s life and get the charges against her quashed once and for all.
Millennium Awards
The yet-to-be-published fifth book aside, the rest have either won or been nominated for a literary award. Larsson’s first book has won the following literary prizes. In 2010, it clinched Barry Award, in the Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade category. In 2009, the book bagged Macavity Award, in the Best First Mystery Novel category. Again, the book clinched Anthony Award in the Best First Novel category, in 2009. In 2009, it also clinched Galaxy British Book Awards, in the Crime Thriller of the Year category. In 2008, the book bagged Exclusive Books Boeke Prize; and Glass Key Award in 2006.
Larsson’s 2006 second book, the second book in serialized Millennium, clinched Goodreads Choice Award (in the Mystery/Thriller category) in 2009. The said book was nominated for these awards: the Anthony Award, under the Best Novel category, in 2010; and Dilys Award in 2010.
Larsson’s third book was published in 2007 and clinched these awards: Glass Key Award in 2008; Goodreads Choice Award in 2010; and Audie Award in 2011. Lagercrantz wrote the fourth book, published in 2015; The book was nominated for Goodreads Choice Award, in the Mystery and Thriller category, in 2015.
Millennium Books into movies
There are film adaptations of the first three books and they retained the books’ titles. The 2011 film adaptation of the first book titled, starred Rooney Mara (appeared as Salander) and Daniel Craig (played Blomkvist’s role). Appearing as Lisbeth Salander and Michael Blomkvist, Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist starred both in the 2009 film adaptations of the second and third books.
Best Millennium Books
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: The first three books are the best books in serialized Millennium. The first one is described in the previous section.
The Girl Who Played with Fire: The second book is all about organized crime, notably sexual exploitation of underage females; it segues into a murder mystery wherein Salander is fingered for murder.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest: In the third one, a vengeful Salander is nursing her injuries after surviving an assassination and vows to stand up against both the assassin and shady governmental agencies.
Other Book Series You May Like
Readers who liked Millennium series also enjoyed these book series. The first is named “Harry Hole” series, authored by Jo Nesbo. Protagonist Harry Hole is a Norwegian homicide detective. The second is “Inspector Van Veeteren” series, penned by Hakan Nesser. Protagonist Van Veteeren is initially a detective before he starts operating an antique shop. The third is the “Kurt Wallander” series, written by Henning Mankell. Protagonist Kurt Wallender is a Ystad-based police inspector with a penchant for solving
Millennium FAQs
Q: Who wrote the Millennium series of books?
A: The Millennium series of books were written Stieg Larsson.
Q: What books are in the Millennium series?
A: The first book in the Millennium series of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was published in 2005. That is followed by The Girl who Played with Fire, and then The Girl who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest.
Q: Is The Girl in the Spider’s Web part of the Millennium series?
A: Although featuring the same characters, The Girl in the Spider’s Web was written after Larsson’s death by David Lagercrantz, and did not use any of Larsson’s notes for the series. Although it is technical a continuation of Mikael and Lisbeth’s story, it is not an official part of the Millennium series.
What Is The Next Book in The Millennium Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Millennium Series. The newest book is The Girl in the Eagle's Talons and was released on November, 4th 2022.
