A sequel to the best-selling Millennium trilogy, by the late Swedish writer Stieg Larsson, will go on sale in at least 35 countries worldwide from August, the publishers have said.
That Which Does Not Kill will pick up the story of Lisbeth Salander, made famous as the heroine in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The new book was written by David Lagercrantz, taking over from Larsson who died at the age of 50 from a heart attack in 2004. Lagercrantz is journalist in his native Sweden, where his biggest publishing success was co-writing the autobiography of national football team’s captain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The writer revealed that the new book is 500-pages long and is an action-packed crime thriller, mixing social commentary with political intrigue. The style of the prose will remain in keeping the original trilogy, he said.
"What I wanted to make use of in the book was the vast mythology that Stieg Larsson left behind, the world he created," Lagercrantz said in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
"Lisbeth Salander's not just any superhero. She's not only great because of her talents but also because of her context and background," Lagercrantz added.
When Stieg Larsson passed away in 2004, he reportedly had plans to add another seven titles to the series. His legacy has resulted in prolonged legal battles between his family and his long-time partner, Eva Gabrielsson.
Nordstedts, the publishing house behind the new book, has said the forthcoming release on August 27th is akin to the publishing sensation surrounding Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code in 2003.
Since debuting in 2005, the first three books in the Millennium series sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, and were adapted into a successful Swedish-language film franchise. The first novel was also adapted into a Hollywood movie by director David Fincher.
