Artemis Fowl - Artemis Fowl, Bk 1 Author:Eoin Colfer Who is Artemis Fowl? A genius. A criminal mastermind. A millionaire. And he is not twelve years old. Yet crafty as he is, Artemis may have met his match in Captain Holly Short, and elf from the LEPrecon Special Forces, when he plots to steal the richest treasure the world has ever known- the timeless treasure of the fairies! — When a twelve-year-... more »old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll. Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a most ingenious criminal mastermind, and heir to the Fowl family empire, a centuries-old clan of underworld figures and famous con artists. When Artemis kidnaps Holly Short, one of the Fairy People, to help him on his quest for gold, he takes on a Fairy world determined to rescue Holly.« less
I've heard a lot about the Artemis Fowl books but didn't really know what they were about. So I found it very intriguing that we get the story from the point of view of the traditional "bad" side; the hero is a criminal mastermind (even though he is only 12 years old). And so I found myself rooting for both sides, hoping that they'd both win in some way. Good storytelling and exciting as well.
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
Seriously a lot of fun, older kids (contains very minor swearing) AND adults will love this one. I honestly don't know which it was intended for, but we all enjoyed it. If you liked the Lemony Snickett type stuff, you'll really like this.
I read it quite a while ago, but from what I remember it was a very engaging and interesting book at the time (I was maybe 12 or 13 years old), I'd recommend it as an alternative to Harry Potter for young adult readers.
zade reviewed Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, Bk 1) on
I got this for my child, but ended up reading it myself and running out to get the rest of the series. This book is funny, engaging, occasionally a little bit crude (the better to win over its target audience) and completely un-put-downable. It is complex enough for adults to enjoy while still being approachable for tweens and young teens. Colfer does a great job of using humor to draw young readers into an intelligent book.
This is an entertaining book for young adults (and older if you like fantasy literature). I enjoyed reading about the interesting main character (book title) as well as the leprechauns. Fun read!
I started this book many years ago when I was younger and didn't find it very interesting then... It might be because I'm not a big fantasy/scifi reader. I did find it interesting though that the code on the cover can b decoded, and that by doing this the reader can decipher the code at the bottom of the pages throughout the book.
I've been trying to find a new series to hold me over until the next HARRY POTTER book--and I've finally found it. Meet Artemis Fowl the Second, a twelve-year-old genius who doesn't want to go to school, is worried about his mother's fragile mental health, is preoccupied with his father coming back from the dead, and who is determined to add to his family's coffers by any means possible. In a word, Artemis is an evil genius, and you just can't help but love him. Or hate him. Or love to hate him. Or hate to love him. Or...well, you get the picture.
Artemis, along with his bodyguard/manservant/butler ironically named, of all things, Butler, Artemis sets out on his greatest, and most ambitious, scheme to date--discover the secrets of the fairy world, and relieve some of said fairies of their precious gold. After all, they have plenty to spare, and since Artemis Fowl the First lost a vast majority of their fortune, the Fowl family needs to pad the coffers.
So off Artemis sets on a world jaunt to discover the secrets of the fairies, and his ambitions and delusions finally pay off--he meets an alcoholic sprite who, in exchange for the return of her magic, lets Artemis get a good look at her Book. The Book, you see, contains all the mandates, rules, and regulations (along with a slew of secrets) of the fairy world--and now Artemis Fowl is able to hatch his nefarious scheme.
Artemis discovers that the fairies must adhere to very specific rituals to renew their powers, so along with Butler, he sets out on a stakeout to catch himself a fairy. Hoping, of course, that he can hold said fairy for ransom in exchange for some gold.
What Artemis didn't include in his calculations, however, was Captain Holly Short. A member of the LEPrecon Unit, Holly, although a small sprite, is very human looking--and can be extremely wily and dangerous. As Artemis implements his evil plan, Holly uses her military style background to hatch her own plan of escape. The results are both disastrous and hilarious.
I read ARTEMIS FOWL in one sitting. Once you get started on this story of the human world of the Mud People mixing with that of the magical beings who live below ground, you just can't stop! The magical quality of the book is that it is all too believable and so much fun! You envy Artemis his brilliance and at the same time you can't believe how undeniably evil he is. You pity him, and you despise him, yet you adore him. As for Holly Short, you love the fairy, admire her tenacity, yet hope at the same time that she spares the lives of Artemis, Butler, and Butler's sister, Juliet. I have to admit that I truly loved Foaly, the centaur in charge of computers and technical equipment. Actually, I loved all the characters of ARTEMIS FOWL, and can't wait to read the next book! Pick up a copy today!
This book is about a 12 year old boy. His father is presumed dead after an accident and his mother has gone insane. He is the head of a multi-million $$ estate and is determined to find is father. In order to fund such explorations - he will need a lot of money. Just the kind of money hinted at in legends of fairies and fairy gold. Since this boy, Artemis, is a genius he is able to discover the world of "The People" and possibly capture the gold he is searching for....
This book is great for teens - a bit below an adult reader....
Children's Literature, and the first of the Artemis Fowl series. I didn't care for this one. Artemis Fowl is a pre-teen, Criminal Mastermind. His father is missing, and his mother has had a break-down. Artemis focuses on a master-plan to steal gold from Faeries, to return the Fowl fortune to its former glory. I had no sympathy for Artemis, and didn't like him. I'll probably try the second one to see if Artemis becomes more likeable.
Great book!!! I enjoyed it even though is geared for teens... great story and very funny! Keeps your interest and a special code at the bottom of each page is great fun to crack!
