Millennium VII: The Girl in the Eagle's Talons - Book Review

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Lisbeth Salander fans must be excited at the prospect of their heroine returning for a brand-new adventure.

Following the conclusion of David Lagercrantz's The Girl who Lived Twice in 2019, it seemed as if Stieg Larsson's bestselling Millennium series of media was done and dusted. The I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic author himself also moved on to other projects .

Enter Karin Smirnoff. The author of the Jana Kippo series was chosen by Larsson's estate to continue the series in 2021, an assignment she accepted without hesitation. In her words, the Millennium books were classics in their genre, where the combination of unforgettable characters and strong political and societal engagement still fascinated readers. She would continue to build on Larsson's core themes, such as violence, abuse of power, and contemporary political currents. The Girl in the Eagle's Talons was first published in Sweden last year, with the English edition recently released. This would be the first of a new trilogy, as well as the seventh book overall.



First up, this book will not be featuring any of the villains we already know, such as Alexander Zalachenko or Camilla Salander, since they are both deceased. Also, the narrative is written in the present tense unlike the previous six that were written in the past. The beginning comes off as slow-burning, with the main characters being introduced gradually. The setting of the story is no longer in the Stockholm region but in Norrbotten län in Sweden's far north. The Millennium magazine founded by Mikael Blomkvist is also no more, as traditional media outlets get overtaken by social media.

This is the first time a female author is making an effort to write a Millennium series novel and there is a different vibe to it. Blomkvist and Salander are depicted as individuals with families to attend to. Blomkvist is in the Gasskas region of Norrbotten for his daughter's upcoming wedding to the head of the local council. Salander meanwhile has been named as guardian to her orphaned niece, whose mother has disappeared, and is also in town to meet her. Amidst the main characters' domestic dramas, there is an ambitious scheme to build a massive wind farm in Gasskas to generate power. The main player is Marcus Branco, a ruthless businessman with links to organised crime, meaning our favourite bad boys from Svavelsjö MC are involved. The readers are given insight into what goes on behind the scenes when projects are put before municipal councils for approval.

Interspersed into the main narrative are several subplots that appear rather pointless, only for the reader to realise that these actually shape the context of the key storyline late into the book. The lives of the various minor characters are so closely intertwined with one another that it is easy to lose track of each thread. At times, Salander and Blomkvist appear out of place. It does not help that recurring characters from the series are markedly absent in this book. With Millennium magazine pretty much defunct, it puts a new perspective on the future of the series.

The main theme of The Girl in the Eagle's Talons is the traditional lives of ethnic Sami people indigenous to Lapland , which Norrbotten forms a part of. Their way of life is threatened by the construction of a wind farm on prime grazing land used by reindeer herds. It does not help that Branco will stop at nothing to get almost full control of that land. Climate change and the need for green energy are also mentioned, and having access to that land is crucial to address these issues.

At times, The Girl in the Eagle's Talons reads like an anthology, with Branco the glue that holds all the different subplots together. Essentially, this book is a Millennium thriller without Millennium magazine itself. The ending smells a bit like a cliffhanger, which is no surprise given that there are meant to be two more books in the making. Hopefully, Karin Smirnoff can continue the proud tradition begun by Stieg Larsson in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

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