Artemis Fowl was a christmas present from Mike, who had obviously astutely noted I have a lot of kids books with magical or fantastical themes, and that I still enjoy reading them, so I was pleased to get these (books 1 - 4). I found it a little odd going to start with, the language somewhat stilted in places, but the story sucked me in and I'm looking forward to reading more. I think if you were 12 and hence more likely to identify with the protagonist the result might be rather different, since he's not actually the most sympathetic of characters. Interesting to see where this goes. ( )

I approached this book with a great deal of skepticism. Being a series involving magic and mythical creatures released in a post-Potter society threw up dozens of red flags. I would not have approached this at all if I had not been told repeatedly that it was good. I am glad that I did. Colfer's take on the "fairyworld" is entirely new. I can honestly say that I have never come across or even thought about magic and myth as he has reconstructed it in this novel. That concept alone makes the novel great. But we haven't even talked about Artemis yet. Artemis and his bodyguard, Butler, are just plain fun to read. A super-genius boy with a criminal mindset with a lethal bodyguard coupled with the super technology of the fairyworld makes for a great read. Sure, it isn't the next Harry Potter, but it's a joy to read and I recommend it to all fantasy readers. ( )

"This book is good"

In the words of a mainstream review, 'Fowl is Harry Potter with automatic weapons.'

Richie's Picks: ARTEMIS FOWL by Eoin Colfer, Hyperion Books/Talk Miramax Books, May 2001

I crack open an Advance Reading Copy with quite a bit of skepticism, no, make that cynicism, any time a publisher implies in their cover letter that they're possibly turning me on to the next Harry Potter/Tolken/C.S. Lewis. So, as I began reading ARTEMIS FOWL by Irish schoolteacher Eoin (Owen) Colfer, I was an unusually tough audience. They've placed their chips on this one: Not only has the second book in the series been written prior to release of the first, but co-publisher Miramax already has the movie under production for a 2002 release.

It's not especially big news that this isn't the next Harry Potter. Thirty-five years later we haven't yet stumbled across the next Beatles, either. But ARTEMIS FOWL is a wonderful, high tech fantasy/adventure in which a 12 year old criminal mastermind goes after a secret underground civilization of fairies in the hopes of getting his hands on a ton of 24 carat Leprechaun gold.

On their side of this high stakes duel, the fairies are smart, armed, and determined to keep their gold, save their abducted officer, and maintain the secrecy of their civilization. There are some really charming and memorable characters, some interesting twists to the plot, and several handfuls of loose ends to carry us into Book II.

Some of the characters will remind you of characters you've met in other books. However, one who is quite unique and caught my fancy is Mulch, whom we first meet in a brief scene near the start of the book:

"In the station lobby, a kleptomaniac dwarf was busy picking the pockets of everyone else in the booking line, including the officer he was handcuffed to. Holly gave him a swipe in the backside with her buzz baton. The electric charge singed the seat of his leather pants.

'Whatcha doing there, Mulch?'

Mulch started, contraband dropping from his sleeves. 'Officer Short,' he whined, his face a mask of regret. 'I can't help myself. It's my nature.'

'I know that, Mulch. And it's our nature to throw you in a cell for a couple of centuries.' "

The book doesn't have the sophistication of a Pullman or a Tolkien; it is more of a straightforward, really fun read which is accessible to the 9-12 year old crowd while still entertaining older readers. And with many questions left unanswered at the conclusion of the first book, I, for one, am looking forward to what happens in Book II.

Richie Partington
Richie's Picks
BudNotBuddy@aol.com ( )