Eoin Colfer describes his new book, Artemis Fowl, as "DieHard with fairies." He's not far wrong.Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind inhistory. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divestthe fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough tobelieve in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knowsthat the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnapone of them and wait ... (show more)
Eoin Colfer describes his new book, Artemis Fowl, as "DieHard with fairies." He's not far wrong.Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind inhistory. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divestthe fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough tobelieve in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knowsthat the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnapone of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to puthis plan into action, he doesn't count on the appearance of the extrasmall,pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements PoliceReconnaisance) Unit--and her senior officer, Commander Root, a man (sorry, elf)who will stop at nothing to get her back.Fantastic stuff from beginning to end, Artemis Fowl is a rip-roaring,21st-century romp of the highest order. The author has let his imagination runriot by combining folklore, fantasy, and a fistful of high-tech funk in anoutrageously devilish book that could well do for fairies what Harry Potter hasdone for wizardry. But be warned: this is no gentle frolic, so don't be fooledby the fairy subject matter. Instead, what we have here is well-written,sophisticated, rough 'n' tumble storytelling with enough high-octane attitude tomake it a seriously cool read for anyone over the age of 10. --SusanHarrison (show less)
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Artemis Fowl: crafty, clever, and an entertaining light read. While it simply can't match up to the epicness of some of the old fantasy novels, it ... (show more)
Artemis Fowl: crafty, clever, and an entertaining light read. While it simply can't match up to the epicness of some of the old fantasy novels, it still has a place of honor in my fantasy bookshelf. The characters are excellent and thoroughly developed, certainly ones that you walk away from this book feeling as if you've known them for a long time. The book also has scattered tidbits of humor worked in, which only adds to the supreme storytelling capabilities of this book. In summary, I suggest this book. Again, while not comparable to Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, it defines a new, more "realistic" fantasy genre not grounded in magic and unimaginable fiats, instead proving once again that there may yet be magic coexisting with our own world. Plus, who would have figured that the pioneering book of this genre would be so complete, so wonderful, and so imaginative? (show less)
This was a super-quick read, perhaps too quick. Even though the target audience is teens/kids, I wished for a bit more throughout. I thought the ps... (show more)
This was a super-quick read, perhaps too quick. Even though the target audience is teens/kids, I wished for a bit more throughout. I thought the psychology of the characters was very thinly drawn (Artemis's affection for his mother while still being a "criminal" seemed forced).
I also thought the plot was intriguing but not as well-developed in terms of suspense. It would have been nice for things to be drawn out a bit, to make the reader wonder if Artemis would be successful, etc. Instead, things like "Root turned purple with anger" were repeated over and over -- too much emphasis on minor characteristics without enough depth overall.
However, I write that knowing full well that the audience for this book would probably not notice flaws like that and feel really satisfied with the book. So, I will say it was very entertaining, but probably more age-appropriate than other fantasy works I've read in the past. (show less)
With character descriptions, it defies the rule of "show, don't tell", especially with Holly Short, but aside from that, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's imaginative, it has memorable characters, it's humorous, it's fast-paced, and it keeps you thinking. How can it not with a twelve-year-old genius as the main character? And as though the plot isn't enough, the relationships between the characters just pulls you in because you're so interested in how they interact. Artemis a... (show more)
With character descriptions, it defies the rule of "show, don't tell", especially with Holly Short, but aside from that, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's imaginative, it has memorable characters, it's humorous, it's fast-paced, and it keeps you thinking. How can it not with a twelve-year-old genius as the main character? And as though the plot isn't enough, the relationships between the characters just pulls you in because you're so interested in how they interact. Artemis and Butler with their master-servant friendship, Root and Foley with their banter, Root and Holly with their bordering-on-father-daughter relationship, and the antagonistic interactions between Artemis and the fairyfolk. The strangest part about it is that I'd probably still enjoy it immensely if the magic was absent. The characters and the plot are that riveting. But the magic and fairies do certainly help in that department. I reccomend Artemis Fowl to anyone who likes a good laugh. (show less)
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Its a complete light read, can be finished in about one sitting.Very charming, a perfect book for anyone who fancies fairies, goblins,leprechauns and trolls( I do!!). It reminded me of all the Enid Blyton's fairy books I used to read when I was a kid. Not to say that this book is for kids alone, its got a computer genius centaur and an highly intelligent human kid kidnapping a fairy! it also has some really funny and witty dialogues.
This book is the first of its series where you get to kno... (show more)
Its a complete light read, can be finished in about one sitting.Very charming, a perfect book for anyone who fancies fairies, goblins,leprechauns and trolls( I do!!). It reminded me of all the Enid Blyton's fairy books I used to read when I was a kid. Not to say that this book is for kids alone, its got a computer genius centaur and an highly intelligent human kid kidnapping a fairy! it also has some really funny and witty dialogues.
This book is the first of its series where you get to know Artemis Fowl and the People, I am guessing the rest of the series would have Artemis venture into more thrilling and quick-buck making schemes and will be a good read.
Oh! how can I forget to mention dwarfs, you will come across the most obnoxious description of a dwarf here, and will meet one too.
PS: When you read this, try not to compare it with HarryPotter, it just ruins the fun aspect of this book. (show less)
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