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Artemis Fowl is a story which has it all: action, comedy, revenge, evil plotting, magic, time stoppage, mystery, and a cast of varied characters. Readers are immediately drawn to the main character, a twelve-year-old evil genius whose sole purpose is to obtain even more riches and power than his family already possesses. Throughout the story, we see only glimpses of the child he truly is, but otherwise the author creates him as someone who is worthy of being feared. The glimpses we are allowed to see, help us feel closer to the character and allow us to feel for him despite the fact that he is the villain. The plot of the story is quite unique. Artemis is not the kind of child to fall for the |
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classic tale of the pot of gold at the other side of the rainbow. He is not about to try to capture a leprechaun in order to get it. Instead, he plans an even more elaborate plot in order to reach his goal. �He still retained a childlike belief in magic, tempered by an adult determination to exploit it.� He kidnaps a fairy in order to obtain the pot of gold as ransom. What he does not expect is that fairies are not the way movies and fiction books have made them out to be. These fairies are powerful and ruthless and will defend their gold to the finish. Holly Short the �helpless victim� is a force to be reckoned with. She has a short fuse for people like Artemis Fowl, and is the �first female officer in Recon�s history.� This gives her the edge she needs, knowing she has made it where no other female fairy has made it before. Although her boss, Commander Root hated her on his squad, she felt, �he was just going to have to get used to the idea, because [she] had no intention of quitting for him or anybody else.� The author does an absolutely fabulous job of bringing his characters to life and creating the rules to this other world inside his books. Commander Root will stop at nothing to get Captain Short back (because although he hates to admit it, Holly is the best on his team). Therefore, with the help of Foaly (a paranoid but very ingenious centaur), Mulch (a kleptomaniac dwarf), and many others, Commander Root sets out to make things right. Readers are in for an unforgettable adventure full of action and comedy. Foaly will undoubtedly become on of readers� favorite characters. His encounters with the commander at all times provide comic relief in an edge-of-your-seat adventure. Foaly is the genius behind the gadgets fairies carry. From camera irises inside their eyes, to lighting speed wings, Foaly provides it all. He is someone who takes great pride in his job. When trying to match the iris cam, Commander Root grows impatient and tells him it is not important to match the color. �This is not just vanity, Commander. The closer the match, the less interference from the actual eye.� Throughout the story, Foaly is truly an endearing and funny character.
The author often makes connections to the real world, making it possible to believe that such characters do in fact exist. When explaining the fact that fairies are invisible, we are told that �what they actually do is to vibrate at such high frequency that they are never in one place long enough to be seen.� It is then that humans may catch a glimpse of a shimmer��if they are paying attention�which they rarely are.� Even so, we tend to explain it as evaporation. �Typical of Mud People [humans] to invent a complicated explanation to a simple phenomenon.� The book also goes into some details of how we as humans tend to annoy fairies with our selfish ways (pollution, war, etc.). In this way, the author explains why fairies avoid any contact with us, therefore making the story more believable.
Overall, most people would think the book would be most enjoyed by boys�personally, I believe girls would really identify with Captain Holly Short. The author has made sure to offer something for everyone in this amazing story. The New York Times Book Review says, �Colfer has done enormously, explosively well.� The New York Post describes it as, �A new thriller fairy tale that will grab your interest, no matter your age.� A classic and loveable tale like never before seen.
Colfer, Eoin. 2001. Artemis Fowl. New York: Hyperion Books. ISBN: 0-7868-0801-2. |
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