Artemis Fowl

Rating:
Summary: Much fun with a not-so-evil villain
Review: Artemis Fowl is a young (12) genius and heir to the Fowl fortune. Unfortunately his father is missing at sea and the fortune is not what it once was. While his mother is in delusional denial, Artemis hatches a scheme to regain some of the lost fortune; steal it from the Leprechauns.

Yes, the People (fairies) really do exist. No mortal has ever managed to separate any gold from them, but Artemis has an edge. He has managed to acquire a copy of The Book, the People's guide and bible. Thus Artemis manages to capture a LEPrecon (fairy recon officer) and the battle begins.

Fairykind, technologically advanced way beyond humans, has no choice but to try and rescue their officer without exposing themselves to the human world.

The rest is a wonderful siege by the fairies of Artemis and his house until a very interesting conclusion.

The reader finds oneself on the side of Artemis. Yes, he is a criminal, but he is not evil, he is merely exercising his genius. But the reader also wants the People to not suffer. The readers are not disappointed, but you will have to read the book to figure out how.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not GREAT
Review: This book was pretty good but it wasn't WONDERFUL. Plus, it's kind of hard to like Artemis himself because he's...in a way...evil. Not EVIL EVIL, but yeah. He's the bad guy here. But as for the positive points of this book: it gives you a whole new perspective because you're reading the view of the BAD GUY instead of the GOOD GUY(s), it mixes fantasy in with it all, and it's a pretty good plot. A whole new world is included and intertwined with ours. It's an okay book. If you're really into fantasy and whole new world type stuff, then buy it and read it! If you're not THAT into it or whatever, then don't.

Rating:
Summary: Artemis Fowl
Review: Artemis Fowl is great book for all ages. It is a great story that includes bits from just about every genre. It has the fantasy of Gnomes, Elves, Pixes, Trolls, and even a Cenator. It has unbelivable amounts of science and advanced technology. There are elements of suspence and sevral cliff-hangers. There is magic, mayhem, and a lot of humor to be found in this title. A must-have for every person.

Rating:
Summary: This is THE best book.
Review: Well, maybe not as good as Harry Potter...but almost. This story is enchanting. I thought that a troll might burst through my wall any second...the sequels are also great, the third on made me cry, and it's supposed to be a trilogy, but I hope he writes more. They're making a movie about this book and they're thinking of Devon Murray from the HP movie (Seamus Finnigan) as Artemis *gag* I seriously hope not. It will not be good. AND Cameron Diaz as Holly Short, the fairy Artemis kidnaps...I don't think it'll work out.

Rating:
Summary: Too much hype, not enough meat
Review: I bought this book on the basis of all the hype ("the next Harry Potter...") and found that although the story was enjoyable enough it seemed a bit "dashed" together. There is only a minimum amount of character development and the set-pieces sometimes lack a bit of coherence.

As a new parent I spend a fair amount of time reading books in anticipation of my child someday wanting to read them. I think this book will be enjoyable for my daughter when she reaches the appropriate age.

Rating:
Summary: Heads or Tails
Review: Artemis Fowl is the kind of book where you love it or hate it. there is no in-between. I am one of the people who love this worthwhile book thats like a magazine while waiting to see Doctor Potter.

Rating:
Summary: Stand back, human, you don't know what you're dealing with!
Review: I only discovered this marvelous fantasy series recently, on hearing an interview with the author on NPR, and went straight to the library in search of a copy of this first volume. Artemis Fowl is the twelve-year-old scion of a centuries-old -- and very successful -- Irish family of criminal masterminds. He's a genius and he's dangerous, though there are still touches of the adolescent about him. His bodyguard-butler, a huge but sensitive character named Butler (and the only human ever to have taken on a full-grown bull troll and lived), descends from another family whose members have been in service to the Fowls for so long, they gave their surname to the profession. Artemis is determined to restore the family's sagging financial status by acquiring a very large amount of gold. And where better to obtain gold than from the Little Folk? Enter Holly Short, a fairy, and more specifically, an elf. Also a leprechaun, but that's just her job description: Captain in the Recon section of the Lower Elements Police. The Little People now live far under the Earth, having lost control of the surface long ago to the Mud People (that's us), but have compensated with technological developments far in advance of our own. How Holly becomes the main element in Artemis's kidnapping and extortion plot, . . . ah, that would be telling. But it's a huge amount of fun and the film will be out before long -- and adolescent boys are going to love Mulch the mining dwarf.

Rating:
Summary: Funny and fantastic Fowl!
Review: A couple of friends of mine recommended this book to me over a year ago. They described it as "DieHard with Fairies" and I have to admit I was intrigued so I bought a copy. I just got around to reading it and I hate that I waiting as long as I did. This book was a riot. While Harry Potter, which this series is often compared to, is good hearted and an all around hero, Artemis Fowl is a devilishly clever young man intent on continuing his family's legacy of being fabulously wealthy through less-than-honorable means. With the help of his huge body guard, simply known as Butler, young Fowl has created a plan to randsome money from those elusive folk known as the Fairies. Once he captures one of their people, a fiesty young female named Holly Short, the fun begins. The "people" begin their plans to retrive the captive and Artemis sets his plans in motion. Between Artemis and the Fairies there are enough gadgets to fill up an entire Mission Impossible movie! Eoin Colfer gives the reader an interesting glimpse into the underworld that houses gnomes, trolls and faires and makes a villianish young man likeable. He is an interesting writer and well worth following. If you are biding your time until "The Order of the Phoenix" comes out, give this book a try. Though Harry and Artemis are quite different, they make great reading for both old and young alike.

Rating:
Summary: My Godson loved it.
Review: I had given my 12-year-old godson the Harry Potter books and loved those. When I first heard about the premise of Aretmis Fowl I knew I had to buy them for him, too. We recently went on vacation together and the only books my godson brought on the trip were his school books for homework and Artemis Fowl.

Rating:
Summary: Artemis Foul indeed - dreadful book
Review: The comparisons with J. K. Rowling's creation may be seen as a lack of imagination, but have only been helped by the news that Artemis Fowl's life is to be portrayed in a movie. The Potter phenomenon grew quite rapidly, but Artemis Fowl seems to have leaped to the top with just one jump. True, Artemis Fowl has yet to reach Potter's sales figures, but when you do a deal with the faeries, what do you expect? No doubt the movie will also leapfrog Artemis Fowl's earnings, just as long as there are no flatulent dwarves around. But does Artemis Fowl really need the money? When we first meet him, we learn that he has been jetting all over the world in his bid to find a copy of the Book that lays down the laws for Fairies. With a huge manservant called Butler by his side, armed with a vast array of expensive weaponry, Artemis finds his prey in Ho Chi Minh City. It is here that Artemis first demonstrates his guile and his great knowledge of chemistry. With the whole resources of Fowl Manor behind him, Artemis Fowl is one privileged boy. He is, after all, only twelve. There is no Hogwarts to distract him from the travails of life at home (namely a mad mother in an attic - is Colfer trying to appeal to Gilbert and Gubar?), but his comfortable lifestyle has created a certain boredom that needs to be quashed. A degree of isolation has meant that Artemis has had to teach himself, and he's as original as only a self-teacher can be. It doesn't help that he has come from a long paternal line of thieving Fowls. Artemis's father got mixed up with the Russian Mafia and has vanished, and his mother, Angeline Fowl, has not been the same since.

Butler is more of a companion to Artemis than a substitute father, but the presence of his sister Juliet means that there is quite a family atmosphere in Fowl Manor. But to what extent will Artemis's plan place them all in danger? For Artemis desires no less than to kidnap a fairy... Into his path buzzes Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon unit, his legendary nemesis (or so we're told - there are a few hints of future adventures). Since Artemis has managed to decrypt the Fairy Book, he is able to keep one step ahead of the LEPrecon unit sent to rescue Holly. Commander Julius Root, although always the most critical of the experimental female attachment to the squad, shows an admirable sense of loyalty to her when he decides to lead the rescue from the front, even although he was far more active five hundred years ago. Assisted and hindered by a techno centaur called Foaly, Root leaps into action. But will his ties with the captured agent compromise the operation?

Dysfunctional families seem to be an integral part of children's fiction at the moment. Harry Potter's parents were blasted by Voldemort, and Artemis has seemingly also lost his mother and father. Artemis's mother seems to spend most of the novel drugged on sleeping pills, whilst Natalie's father in Katherine Roberts' 'Spellfall' spends most of his time drunk. Angeline Fowl's drugged state forms an integral part of the plot, and Natalie is also kidnapped and fed sleeping pills in 'Spellfall'. Away from his parents though, Artemis doesn't muck around with spells like Harry Potter or Natalie, he mixes chemicals together. There is something very unsightly about a hero who uses drugs to get his way. He poisons the drunken fairy at the beginning of the book, and tranquilizes Holly Short with curare and succinylcholine chloride. Curare has been used by South American Indians as a poison to dip their darts into while hunting, whilst succinylcholine chloride too has been used to murder. It's just as well that these chemicals aren't very easy for your average kid to get hold of. Perhaps Artemis's self education on the net is not such a good idea after all.

Artemis's moral ambiguity does not make him an easy hero. Harry Potter is not a paragon of virtue either, but his character works much better. You spend more of the novel rooting for Holly and Root than Artemis, because you don't really want Artemis to get away with his villainy. Eoin Colfer may think that villains are more interesting than heroes, but that's a cliché for actors, not authors. Who out there ultimately ends up rooting for Iago? Someone who's prepared to risk the lives of his friends and cross species war that could engulf the entire planet? So Artemis may not like whaling ships, but Katherine Roberts' critique of the same practice was a lot more powerful in Song Quest, and a lot more imaginative to boot. Eoin Colfer's knowledge of myth is very good however, and he's not afraid to make his own adaptations and inventions, like Mulch Diggums, the aforementioned flatulent dwarf. But you can't help thinking that the movie is going to be released during the Yuletide season. No matter how reminiscent Artemis's representation of Santa Claus is, you can hardly wave off the sprig of cynicism induced by ending the novel on Christmas Day. Artemis Fowl is ultimately more 'Temple of Doom' than 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', with its sporadic, gruesome action. It just as well that trolls have the patience to wait for dramatic interludes whilst they bloodthirstily hunt down their prey. There are plenty of hints for sequels to come - we can only hope that Colfer will produce an 'Empire Strikes Back' rather than a 'Return of a Jedi'.