Product Description

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #190737 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-01
• Released on: 2003-03-31
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 416 pages

Amazon.com
Eoin Colfer describes his new book, Artemis Fowl, as "Die Hard with fairies." He's not far wrong.

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to put his plan into action, he doesn't count on the appearance of the extrasmall, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance) 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 run riot by combining folklore, fantasy, and a fistful of high-tech funk in an outrageously devilish book that could well do for fairies what Harry Potter has done for wizardry. But be warned: this is no gentle frolic, so don't be fooled by the fairy subject matter. Instead, what we have here is well-written, sophisticated, rough 'n' tumble storytelling with enough high-octane attitude to make it a seriously cool read for anyone over the age of 10. --Susan Harrison

From Publishers Weekly
Colfer's (Benny and Omar) crime caper fantasy, the first in a series, starts off with a slam-bang premise: anti-hero Artemis Fowl is a boy-genius last in line of a legendary crime family teetering on the brink of destruction. With the assistance of his bodyguard, Butler, he masterminds his plan to regain the Fowls' former glory: capture a fairy and hold her ransom for the legendary fairy gold. However, his feisty mark, Holly, turns out to be a member of the "LEPrecon, an elite branch of the Lower Elements Police," so a wisecracking team of satyrs, trolls, dwarfs and fellow fairies set out to rescue her. Despite numerous clever gadgets and an innovative take on traditional fairy lore, the author falls short of the bar. The rapid-fire dialogue may work as a screenplay with the aid of visual effects (a film is due out from Talk/Miramax in 2002) but, on the page, it often falls flat. The narrative hops from character to character, so readers intrigued by Artemis's wily, autocratic personality have to kill a good deal of time with the relatively bland Holly and her cohorts [...]. Technology buffs may appreciate the imaginative fairy-world inventions and action-lovers will get some kicks, but the series is no classic in the making. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8–Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl (Hyperion, 2001) is twelve-year-old and heir to the Fowl Empire worth millions, albeit earned through not-so-conventional means. He is a genius and undoubtedly one of the craftiest, most cynical and criminal masterminds the world has ever known. This first book in the series begins with his discovery of the existence of "The People"–fairies, leprechauns, and trolls–and their abundance of gold. Artemis learns that each fairy has a tiny magical book and he'll do whatever it takes to get one, including blackmailing an old, drunken fairy. After decoding the secrets held in the book, he sets his plan into motion to kidnap a fairy and hold her for ransom. With the help of his bodyguard, Artemis successfully captures feisty Captain Holly Short, a LEPrecon–a soldier from an elite branch of the Lower Elements Police. His mission is thwarted when Short's senior officer implements a strategic rescue team resulting in a wisecracking ensemble of dwarfs, trolls, and fairies. The result is a magical adventure replete with a perfect blend of fantasy, folklore, and funky high-tech gadgets. Colfer has created alcoholic, gaunt fairies, dwarfs who unhinge their jaws to ingest earth, and fairies who use profanity. Colfer's anti-hero, techno fantasy is cleverly written and filled to the brim with action, suspense, and humor. Actor Nathaniel Parker does a fine job as narrator, switching seamlessly between various accents and dialects. A wonderful choice for readers of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.–Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Artemis Fowl isn't foul but it ain't Shakespear
So I have finished reading Artemis Fowl and I am currently working on decoding he message at the bottom of the pages. The book itself is good. Eoin Colfer really takes an old subject like fairies and leprechauns and gives it a new twist. However the book is a little adolescent in it's nature, I suspect Colfer is trying to copy the success Ms. Rowling has had with Harry Potter by appealing to young people without offending their parents. The plots are compelling and original but the action is subdued. Colfer makes fun of himself by playfully catching himself before any vulgarities are written, trying to give the piece and off the cuff feel. All this aside I must say that I do recommend this book not only to children middle school and younger but also to adults who are looking for a quick read that is also entertaining. While it's not Shakespeare it is surprising the amount of emotional attachment that we feel towards the title character. Eoin gives us hints that Artemis has not yet revealed his true nature we shall see as Artemis grows up how he handles the responsibility of his knowledge of the People.

A great book
I enjoyed this book because I found that I couldn't put it down. In this book you find that you get attached to Artemis and feel that you are him in many situations. He is a twelve year old genius and has a body guard named Butler and Butler's sister, Juliet, is a maid. Artemis's father has been missing for a while and his mother is in a deep depression and won't come out of her bed. Artemis has a plan to steal a fairy's gold when he gets his hands on a copy of the fairy rule book of all of their secrets. Captain Holly Short of the LEP unit was captured and held hostage by Artemis and Butler. Now Commander Root, leader of the LEP unit, sends a LEP retrieval squad out to save Holly.

Artemis Fowl > Harry Potter
I am twenty-two years old. Probably not the oldest reader of this series, but I had to put my two cents in for this book and the others that follow.

I am up to 'Lost Colony' and having read the four books preceeding it, I have to recommend Artemis Fowl to anyone even slightly interested in the teen-fantasy genre.

I read the first novel when I was sixteen or seventeen and loved it. It's a creative joyride, with some humorous and epic encounters, and the pages never stopped turning until I came to the last line. The story involves a literal boy-genius, twelve year old Irish lad Artemis Fowl, as he uncovers a secret underground society of fairies and the like. He eventually comes face-to-face with the hero of the tale (Artemis can be seen as an anti-hero of sorts), a young female fairy named Holly Short, an employee of the LEPrecon (get it?) police division.

Personally, I chuckle at things like LEPrecon. It's funny and it becomes obvious Colfer is a great(er) writer as you move from page to page.

Personally, I find Artemis Fowl to be a much more enjoyable read than Harry Potter. I barely got into the first of the series and it was almost painstaking to do so. Artemis Fowl reeled me in and, obviously, I'm hooked. Looking forward to the 'Time Paradox' in July. You should too.