Artemis Fowl

                                    Artemis Fowl

When I first read Artemis Fowl, I knew that I would be awake past my curfew, since I was hooked onto the book. Artemis Fowl was written by Eoin Colfer and published by Hyperion Books in New York in 2002. Since then, Eoin Colfer has added seven more books to the Artemis Fowl series, with the eight and last book released only a few weeks ago. In my opinion, I would definitely recommend this book to my friends, which I already have (and coincidentally, it was a friend who introduced me to this book).

In present day Ireland, there is a 12-year-old millionaire child prodigy, named Artemis Fowl. He has a devious plan to kidnap Captain Holly Short, the first female LEPrecon unit officer. In order to avoid the fairy world being exposed, Commander Julius Roots and co. must give Artemis Fowl one ton of 24 small unmarked gold ingots. Only with eight hours to solve this crisis, thanks to a fairy invention called time-stopping, can the LEPrecon unit get Captain Holly Short back the fairy world or will Artemis Fowl out-smart the fairies?

Artemis Fowl, a cold-hearted, evil genius executed his ingenious plan to kidnap a fairy. In order for him to succeed with his plan, he must defeat the LEPrecon with the help of his bulky bodyguard, Butler. The reason why Artemis needs the gold is because he wants to find his assumedly-dead father, whose last known position was in Russian seas. Artemis Fowl, having a persistent personality, will do anything to find his father, even if it means harming other creatures.

  

Artemis Fowl is similar to many well-known teen fiction books, such as Percy Jackson, Hunger Games and Skulduggery Pleasant series (all of which I have read). Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson and Skulduggery Pleasant series all have that concept of inter-species war, which is rapidly becoming incredibly popular nowadays. Even books like the Twilight series (which I strongly dislike) have that idea. Although Hunger Games series does not have the inter-species war topic, Artemis Fowl and Hunger Games series both have a fast-paced and exhilarating narrative. I have read a number of books (all of which are books that are currently in trend), and I can easily say that Artemis Fowl cracks my top 10 favourite books list.

Artemis Fowl is an exceptional book with a great assembled cast of characters and a fresh, new and original plot. I would recommend for people to read this book if they love fantasy and are bored by long and dull books (some examples being Harry Potter and Twilight series). Even if you don’t adore the genre of fantasy, this book is still brilliant. I trust you will take my advice to read Artemis Fowl. As a wicked criminal mastermind once said, “Trust me, I haven’t been wrong yet.”

By Julienne, MS 

Fowl is Fair

Fowl is Fair

            The complex weave of this story’s plot had already drawn me into Artemis’ world by the time I had lifted my focus from the first chapter.

            Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex, written by Eoin Colfer (pronounced ‘Owen’), was first published by Disney in 2010, in the United States of America. A little bit strange, in my view, perhaps, as Eoin Colfer is Irish and the book itself is set in that cradle of magic and folklore. Though, truthfully, it’s not your average fairy magic and folklore this book deals with. No, these fairies are incredibly intelligent, exceedingly technologically advanced, and extremely dangerous, especially to unwitting human folk. As a fairy friend, once an enemy, told Artemis: “Stay back human. You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

Of course, Artemis Fowl knows what he’s dealing with by now. Having been plunged into the world of the fey at the tender age of twelve, he’s got a fairly good grip of what’s going on. However, his conscience, guilty from the crimes he committed in times gone by, and his history in dabbling in fairy magic cause Artemis to develop a psychosis common in fairy-criminals turned good. Now, that iron-clad grip on reality is starting to slip. While Artemis’ own mentality turns against him, and with a fairy police captain turned criminal on the loose and wrecking havoc, Artemis must escape from the one place where his genius doesn’t count; his mind.

However, the nefarious ex-captain Turnball Root always seems to be one step ahead of Artemis and his friends, as from his base in Venice he easily controls their movements like puppets on a string. It’s a testament to his ingenuity that even while he was in jail, he was playing with our heroes like a cat plays with a mouse before it strikes.

In conclusion, I found Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex a fantastically elaborate, thrilling adventure story, that deals with friendship, wits and determination as Artemis and his friends battle through every obstacle thrust in their path, in order to prevent destruction on a catastrophic scale. This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat in excitement, as I eagerly anticipated every next word.

Emily, MS