Rating: Summary: Incredible! Review: This has definitely become a cliché in the past years, but I use it as literally as I possibly can here: you cannot put "Artemis Fowl" down. An amazing book full of twists and turns, laugh-out-loud humor, and nail-biting suspense, "Fowl" will please any person looking for a excellent read. With stunningly complex characters that are actually a breeze to relate to, Eoin Colfer paints a world of mystery and action that will keep you fascinated forever. While the Harry Potter series was much more elaborate, the world of "Fowl" is much like our own. "Fowl" also doesn't take itself nearly as seriously as the Harry Potter series, making it easier to read and enjoy. Artemis Fowl, the main character, is a pre-teen criminal mastermind/genius. Born into a long line of crooks, Artemis develops a plan involving the fairy world. They aren't your everyday fairies with magic wands-they pack guns, and have established their own formidable government. Colfer's imagination runs wild, filling every world with vibrant pictures. The world comes to life inside your head, beautifully crafted to please even the most skeptical reader. "Artemis Fowl" is a thrilling book from beginning to end: pick it up, and you won't regret it.
Rating: Summary: because its not my fav in the series. Review: First of all I would like to point out that this book is NOTHING like Harry Potter, they only share slight similarities in that it deals with humans and their interactions with magical species of fairies, elves, goblins, trolls and oh yeah a centaur. Don't expect to find a protagonist who goes off to learn the ways of warlocks and witches, there is a fight with a troll but no wands are being twirled here. The only resemblance Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl have, is that they grow older through out the books in the series and are both teen-aged boys. With that cleared up, I suggest you read this book and the other's in its series because they are well written and the adventures are as interesting as the ones in HP. Artemis Fowl is more like a cops and robbers, crime novel for kids but that can be enjoyed by older ones as well. This is the one I liked the least in the books released as to date on Artemis Fowl: it's sort of slow paced in the beginning and has the quality that any book beginning a series has of making huge explanations about everything and giving to many boring details which you won't encounter that much on Books 2 or 3 because the author assumes that you read Book 1 (and you should). Needless to say read it, and read it fast because the ones to come are even better and much more interesting. If you expected Artemis Fowl to be a synonym and a substitute to Harry Potter I suggest you skip the series altogether and re read the HP books until big #5 comes out.
Rating: Summary: Hardboiled, but half-baked. Fun, anyway. Review: (***1/2) Over the last sixty years or so, a kind of opposite of Gresham's law seems to have taken over in children's literature: good books have been driving out bad. If I'd encountered Artemis Fowl at the age of 11, I'd have been giddy with delight. But with writers like Pullman, Jones, Sachar, and Rowlings out there, this series comes out as second rank. It's a quick, funny, inventive, rollicking read, but not one that's likely to become a memory still treasured in adulthood. The characters (the 12 year old criminal mastermind with a heart of gold, the hulking family retainer with battle skills to make a black belt look pale, the technosavvy centaur so plainly ripped off from Ian Fleming's Q) are rather cartoonish, although the captured LEPrecon Holly has a bit more depth. For all its clever surprises, the plot seems carelessly constructed. The Victorians distinguished between "fancy", which played with concepts in a lighthearted way, and "imagination", which summoned pictures that could touch the soul. Artemis Fowl is composed entirely of fancy. Not that there's anything *wrong* with that.Having said as much, it's a fine way for a kid, or even an adult, to spend a couple of afternoons until something better comes along. There's the excitement of breaking the simple code of Gnommish, the faery "language". The basic conceit - that the parts of the story told from the fairies' point of view takes the form of a hardboiled police procedural, gently satirizing all the cliches of the genre - plays out smoothly and naturally, and couldn't be fresher. There's just enough grossout humor to keep a generation raised on Captain Underpants contented. And there are several hints that the series to follow will not just be episodic, but may unfold into a seriocomic epic of relations between human "Mud Men" and fairy folk, perhaps with the health of the planet they share held in the balance.
Rating: Summary: Perfection? No. But pretty close. Review: I believe there are two kinds of people in this world. The ones that root for the good guys, and the ones that root for the bad guys. Kids aren't safe from this classification. There's always the kid in the back of the theatre wishing Bambi would just drop dead. Come on, admit it. You cheered for Darth Vader in Star Wars. Who didn't? Eoin Colfer (what an original name!) made a book for every child in every last row in every class of the entire world. That book is Artemis Fowl. Artemis Fowl is a story about a boy who is an amazing genius. He kidnaps Holly Short so he'll get money from the fairy people, who have been forced to live underground years ago, since the human population has grown beyond control. Artemis Fowl's biggest strength is the characters. Three-dimensional people (or centaurs or dwarves or fairies... you get my point) with flaws and qualities that makes them look real. Artemis isn't completely evil. But he's not ocmpletely good either. The same can be said about every character in the book. They are REAL, yet still simple enough so that any child will understand it. The technology the fairies use is fantastic, and it is perfectly described. He doesn't go too far, leaving only enough details so the reader's imagination will have something to work with. Some great gadgets and magic. The only flaw I can come up with is that the book seems too short. With the millions of things that could've happened in the book's plot, Colfer seems to have chosen far too few. It gives the reader the impression that this book is only a prelude of things that REALLY matter, that will happen in the sequels. I sure hope the sequels come soon. I can't wait!
Rating: Summary: Just like an action movie... only with fairys. Review: I really liked Artemis Fowl, it was interesting, exciting, funny, and it really kept you guessing as to what Artemis was going to come up with next. It's not what I would call a children's book. It just like an action movie (Die Hard with fairies was a good way to explain it.) This is not to say I don't think kids will enjoy it, I think older kids (like 11-12) will probably love it, and anyone older than that who has an imagination, and who likes lots of action. At times, it almost seemed like the author couldn't decide if he was writing for adults or children. For example, the description of weaponry and attack plans made me feel like I was reading a Clancy novel (or something similar.) Then, 3 pages later, when the Dwarf blasts someone with dirt he has recently "eaten and decomposed" it's pretty clear what age group that was intended for. Alright...here it comes...you know it couldn't be avoided, the comparison to Harry Potter. They both have a violent troll in them. There, that's it. Seriously, the two have nothing in common other than the fact that they deal with trolls, goblins, centaurs and fairies. But in all fairness, other than the troll, the characters are portrayed in entirely different ways. No, if you are looking for another Harry Potter, you won't find him here. (I'm not sure you'll find it anywhere.) Totally different stories, different types of characters, different writing. But I still liked this book, it's a great read. At then end I wasn't sure if I wanted Artemis (the bad guy) to win, or if I wanted the fairies (the good guys) to win. Just start it with an open mind and keep waiting for Harry Potter book 5.
Rating: Summary: Better than Harry Potter Review: Once I started I couldn't put down the book. I think I've found a worthy rival for Harry Harrison's Jim diGriz! This book captivated me in ways that none of the Harry Potter books have.
Rating: Summary: Artemis Fowl ROCKS Review: I am 10 years old and have just finished Artemis Fowl. The book is a fantasy-adventure that pulls you into the adventue of 12 year old Artemis Fowl, a genuis, millionaire and criminal manstermind. When Artemis kidnaps a fairy of the LEPrecon unit even he doesn'nt know what he has taken in. You won't be able to stop reading this book once you've started. Every part about it is amazing.
Rating: Summary: There¿s Nothing Foul about Artemis Fowl Review: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, is none other than a classic. Not as intoxicating as the illustrious Harry Potter series, but it has that special flair that die-hard Harry Potter fans will enjoy! It's a modern day story combined with magic and mayhem. The creativity of this book flows from its very pores. Colfer has a unique way of explaining the human misperception of folklore. Like for instance, the myths of the Leprechaun; humans have actually been saying it wrong for centuries, it's actually L.E.P. Recon. They're not short men who go around with pots of gold, waiting for you to find them at the ends of rainbows, but they're a special elite police force who patrol and control the safety and security of Haven, the underground society of magical beings and other such folk, known as the People. Holly Short is the only female officer of the L.E.P.; she has a bit of an edge to her that reflects that, 'I'm not just a chic' kind of attitude that is important for our heroine. Oh, I'm, giving too much away. Meanwhile a wealthy young man, Artemis Fowl, without a steady father figure, filled with Lex Luther tendencies, is a child prodigy of may sorts. He seeks out criminal activity to his own delight and his own self-proclaimed quest for struggle and challenge. He seeks to expose and take advantage of these forgotten People. He learns their language and uses his newly acquired knowledge of the People, along with his technological advancements and rather large bodyguard, to capture a member of the People, hold him or her hostage and make himself some fairy gold in the process. Only his plans don't go as well as he had hoped, because he messed with the wrong elf, Holly Short. Well, as one can tell this tale is highly original, and dynamic. It's an easy read for those of you who have difficulty reading books and/or novels. It's easy to follow and it makes sense, in the same way that J.K. Rowling's writing does. A reader doesn't get lost or confused as easily with high-class mumbo-jumbo, such as in Philip Pullman's published works like the Golden Compass. The wording is made to make sense, not to confuse. Children with reading related learning disabilities will have no problem getting through this book. Plus, there's a little added bonus in the book. There is a fun code that runs along the bottom of the book, it is in the ancient language of the People. It isn't too difficult to decode, but if you pay attention to the book, and fill in the wholes, you're bound to figure it out. It foreshadows the entire Artemis Fowl series, in a prophecy. Excellent book as well as a series, I highly recommend it! Definitely one of my praised literary keeps.
Rating: Summary: Perfect! Review: I have read a lot of books but I would have to say that this is my favorite. Once I got it in my grubby little paws, I hid out in my room for two solid days while I read it, skipping a few meals and sometimes staying up until one AM so that I could finish it. I've read it several times but its interest value has not declined in the least everyone better read this book or else...
Rating: Summary: Artemis Fowl Review: Artemis Fowl is a genius, millionaire, criminal mastermind and a twelve-year-old boy. He owns millions of dollars worth of gold that he inherited from his father. He uses his criminal mastermind to trick a fairy into giving him gold and ends up with the whole fairy army at his door. He uses his genius to escape. One of the reasons I like Artemis Fowl, the book, is because it is original, the main character is the bad guy. I would recommend Artemis Fowl to anyone that likes adventurous, fantasy books.
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