Millennium Books in Order: How to read Stieg larsson’s series?

The Millennium series is a highly acclaimed and best-selling collection of Swedish crime novels penned by the late Stieg Larsson. This gripping saga revolves around the complex characters of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, whose intertwining stories form the heart of the series.

Lisbeth Salander, a young genius hacker with extraordinary memory skills and a penchant for solitude, is at the center of the narrative. Her enigmatic personality and formidable intellect make her a character of great intrigue and complexity. On the other hand, Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and the publisher of the Millennium magazine, serves as the perfect counterpart to Salander’s skills, often partnering with her to uncover mysteries and expose corruption.

How to read the Millennium Series in Order?

Sadly, Stieg Larsson died in 2004 when only three books in the Millennium book series were completed and published. Originally, he planned the series as having ten installments. In 2015, David Lagercrantz wrote a new book in the series, then another.

I. Millennium Books Written by Stieg Larsson

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – A descendant of one of the richest families in Sweden, Harriet Vanger vanished nearly 40 years ago. Her elderly uncle is still searching for the truth all these years later. Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently imprisoned for libel, is hired by him to conduct the investigation. The tattooed and pierced punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander supports him. Together, they are able to access a source of astounding corruption and unfathomable injustice.
2. The Girl Who Played with Fire – Mikael Blomkvist has made the decision to publish a piece that will expose a huge sex trafficking enterprise. The two reporters who wrote the piece are killed just before it is published, and his pal Lisbeth Salander’s prints were discovered on the murder weapon. Blomkvist launches an inquiry because he is sure Salander is innocent. In the meantime, Salander finds herself embroiled in a violent game of cat and mouse that pushes her to confront her troubled past.
3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – With a gunshot in her brain, Lisbeth Salander is in serious condition at a Swedish hospital. She is, however, in a battle for her life on many fronts since, if and when she survives, she will be put on trial for three murders. She will have to determine which people in positions of power have exposed the weak, like herself, to abuse and violence with the aid of Mikael Blomkvist. She will seek retribution on her own.

II. Millennium Books Written by David Lagercrantz

4. The Girl in the Spider’s Web – Blomkvist gets a call one evening from a source who says a young female hacker gave her information that was crucial to the United States. Blomkvist approaches Salander for assistance since he is constantly looking for a good story. She has ideas of her own, as usual. Together, they are sucked into a world of merciless spies, cyberterrorists, and government operatives, some of whom are prepared to kill to keep their secrets safe.
5. The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye – In Flodberga Prison, Lisbeth Salander is now incarcerated. Salander can’t help but step in when a vicious gang boss known only as Benito begins torturing Faria, a teenage prisoner from Bangladesh. Salander’s stay in jail is made more difficult by information from her former guardian, who informs her that she could have been a participant in a covert experiment known as the Registry. Salander is now a target of Benito and her gang. She asks her friend Mikael Blomkvist, the activist editor of Millennium magazine, to assist her in conducting an investigation.
6. The Girl Who Lived Twice – Lisbeth Salander is being sought after by Mikael Blomkvist. He wants her assistance in figuring out the identity of a man who passed away with Blomkvist’s phone number in his pocket-a man who does not appear in any official records and whose muddled final words suggested that he knew something that would be harmful to key people. But Lisbeth is no longer there. Her Stockholm flat has been sold. She has changed.

III. Millennium Books Written by Karin Smirnoff

7. The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons – The far north of Sweden is about to undergo change because of the gold rush being driven by the criminal underworld and its untapped natural riches. But Lisbeth Salander is not drawn to the little village of Gasskas by the possibility of wealth. Her niece Svala, whose mother has vanished, has been entrusted to her as guardian. Svala is a remarkable young talent, and she is being observed, it quickly becomes apparent. Ahead of him is Mikael Blomkvist. His days have been improved. The final print edition of Millennium magazine is out, and his relationship with his daughter is tense. Even worse, there are unsettling whispers about the prospective husband. Salander becomes Blomkvist’s final hope when the violence that the whispered truth has been causing bursts.

If you like our article about the Millennium reading order, don’t forget to bookmark it! Also, you may be interested in reading more Scandinavian books, check out William Wisting series, Jo Nesbo’s books, Ragnar Jónasson’s series…