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Eoin Colfer

Author of Artemis Fowl

111+ Works 111,586 Members 1,851 Reviews 216 Favorited
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About the Author

Eoin Colfer was born in Wexford, Ireland on May 14, 1965. After taking a three-year degree course in Dublin, he qualified as a primary teacher in 1986. Returning to Wexford he began teaching in a local primary school by day and wrote at night. In 1991, he left Ireland and spent the next four years show more working in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. Resettling in Wexford after his arrival back in Ireland, he recommenced his teaching career, continuing his habit of writing after school. His first book, Benny and Omar, was published in October 1998. His other works include Benny and Babe, the O'Brien Flyers series, and the Artemis Fowl series. He became a full-time author following the success of Artemis Fowl. The Wish List won a Bisto Merit Award in 2001. In 2015 he won an Irish Book Award in the children's category with his title Imaginary Fred. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Works by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl (2001) 22,189 copies, 436 reviews
Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident (2002) 13,874 copies, 142 reviews
The Eternity Code (2003) 12,753 copies, 101 reviews
The Opal Deception (2005) 10,928 copies, 95 reviews
The Lost Colony (2006) 8,856 copies, 90 reviews
The Time Paradox (2008) 6,515 copies, 100 reviews
The Atlantis Complex (2010) 4,089 copies, 86 reviews
The Supernaturalist (2004) 4,066 copies, 62 reviews
And Another Thing... (2009) 3,486 copies, 114 reviews
Artemis Fowl The Last Guardian (2012) 2,713 copies, 71 reviews
Half Moon Investigations (2006) 2,652 copies, 42 reviews
The Wish List (2000) 2,598 copies, 52 reviews
The Artemis Fowl Files (2004) 2,477 copies, 14 reviews
Airman (2008) 2,135 copies, 67 reviews
Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel (2007) 1,409 copies, 54 reviews
The Reluctant Assassin (2013) 909 copies, 31 reviews
The Legend of Spud Murphy (2005) 741 copies, 20 reviews
Highfire: A Novel (2020) 719 copies, 37 reviews
Illegal (2017) 717 copies, 27 reviews
The Arctic Incident: The Graphic Novel (2009) 668 copies, 13 reviews
The Fowl Twins (2019) 629 copies, 16 reviews
Plugged (2011) 586 copies, 24 reviews
Artemis Fowl: The Seventh Dwarf (2004) 329 copies, 4 reviews
Imaginary Fred (2015) 325 copies, 20 reviews
Benny and Omar (1998) 310 copies, 6 reviews
The Hangman's Revolution (2014) 301 copies, 4 reviews
The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges (2020) 277 copies, 7 reviews
The Legend of Captain Crow's Teeth (2005) 270 copies, 12 reviews
Artemis Fowl: Books 1-3 (2004) 238 copies, 3 reviews
Iron Man: The Gauntlet (2016) 221 copies, 4 reviews
Artemis Fowl: Books 1-5 (2007) 216 copies, 1 review
The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World (2007) 213 copies, 6 reviews
The Eternity Code: The Graphic Novel (2013) 201 copies, 5 reviews
Screwed: A Novel (2013) 185 copies, 4 reviews
Artemis Fowl: Books 1-8 (2013) 185 copies, 1 review
Benny and Babe (1999) 177 copies, 2 reviews
The Forever Man (2015) 171 copies, 4 reviews
The Fowl Twins Get What They Deserve (2021) 152 copies, 5 reviews
The Lost Colony: The Graphic Novel (2009) 139 copies, 2 reviews
Juniper’s Christmas (2023) — Narrator, some editions — 131 copies, 3 reviews
The Opal Deception: The Graphic Novel (2014) 106 copies, 1 review
A Big Hand for the Doctor (2013) 103 copies, 5 reviews
The Dog Who Lost His Bark (2018) 101 copies, 15 reviews
The Supernaturalist: The Graphic Novel (2012) 99 copies, 4 reviews
The Time Paradox: The Graphic Novel (2009) 85 copies, 3 reviews
Three Tasks for a Dragon (2023) 55 copies, 2 reviews
Cloud Babies (2022) 54 copies, 5 reviews
Artemis Fowl: Books 1-7 (2005) 44 copies, 2 reviews
The Atlantis Complex: The Graphic Novel (2010) 43 copies, 4 reviews
The Last Guardian: The Graphic Novel (2012) 41 copies, 2 reviews
Beanie the Bansheenie (2024) 41 copies, 3 reviews
Artemis Begins (2010) 35 copies, 2 reviews
Firefox Moon: A Juniper Lane Adventure (2025) 24 copies, 1 review
Once Upon a Place (2015) 24 copies
Mary's Hair (Little Gems) (2013) 23 copies
Artemis Fowl: Books 1-2 (2003) 20 copies
The Fish in the Bathtub (2014) 18 copies, 1 review
Artemis Fowl [2020 film] (2020) — Author — 15 copies
Artemis Fowl: Books 1-6 (2019) 13 copies
Going Potty (1999) 11 copies, 1 review
Ed's Funny Feet (2000) 10 copies
Ed's Bed (2001) 7 copies
Artemis Fowl: Books 1-4 (2014) 7 copies
Who is Artemis Fowl (2008) 7 copies
Artemis Fowl: Books 5-8 (2014) 7 copies
The Seal's Fate (2015) 6 copies
A Fowl Tale 4 copies
Thirteen (2006) 3 copies
Fiamme nella palude (2020) 2 copies
Little Big Sister (2025) 2 copies
Don't Panic 1 copy
Atremis Fowl 1 copy
LEPrecon 1 copy

Associated Works

Treasure Island (1883) — Introduction, some editions — 40,963 copies, 489 reviews
Guys Write for Guys Read (2005) — Contributor — 856 copies, 13 reviews
Wizards: Magical Tales From the Masters of Modern Fantasy (2007) — Contributor — 851 copies, 25 reviews
Guys Read: Funny Business (2010) — Contributor — 784 copies, 20 reviews
Click (2007) — Contributor — 485 copies, 35 reviews
Doctor Who: 12 Doctors, 12 Stories (2014) — Contributor — 329 copies, 9 reviews
Free? Stories About Human Rights (2009) — Contributor — 132 copies, 3 reviews
Christmas Belle (1994) — Narrator, some editions — 129 copies, 1 review
Dublin Noir : The Celtic Tiger vs. The Ugly American (2003) — Contributor — 100 copies, 3 reviews
Doctor Who: 13 Doctors, 13 Stories (2019) — Contributor — 71 copies, 1 review
Midnight Feast (2007) — Contributor — 11 copies

Tagged

adventure (1,631) Artemis Fowl (2,108) Artemis Fowl Series (330) audiobook (346) children (633) children's (1,287) children's fiction (369) children's literature (405) crime (457) ebook (312) Eoin Colfer (320) faeries (484) fairies (1,394) fantasy (8,997) fiction (4,771) graphic novel (335) humor (858) Ireland (555) juvenile (345) magic (1,234) middle grade (348) mystery (358) novel (378) own (376) read (920) science fiction (2,387) series (1,297) to-read (2,790) YA (1,570) young adult (2,430)

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1965-05-14
Gender
male
Education
Trinity College, Dublin (BA)
Occupations
teacher (Elementary or Primary school)
author
Awards and honors
Bisto Merit Award (2001)
Irish Book Award (2015)
Relationships
Colfer, Billy (father)
Short biography
Eoin Colfer (born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the Artemis Fowl series. In September 2008, Colfer was commissioned to write the sixth instalment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, entitled And Another Thing ..., which was published in October 2009. In October 2016, in a contract with Marvel Comics, he released Iron Man: The Gauntlet. He served as Laureate na nÓg (Ireland's Children's Laureate) between 2014 and 2016.

Eoin Colfer was born in Wexford, Ireland. He attained worldwide recognition in 2001, when the first Artemis Fowl book was published and became a New York Times Best Seller, as did some sequels. Among his other popular works are Half Moon Investigations, The Wish List, The Supernaturalist, and a series of Eoin Colfer's Legends. In January 2008, Colfer published a book titled Airman, another best-seller. To date, more than half of his books have reached the New York Times list at least once.
Nationality
Ireland
Birthplace
Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland
Places of residence
Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland
Map Location
County Wexford, Ireland

Members

Discussions

FF36: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer in FF-Leesclub Forum (March 2011)
Artemis Fowl : suitable for young children? in Children's Fiction (April 2008)

Reviews

1,988 reviews
Eoin Colfer’s Plugged is a hilarious action-adventure novel about a man who is just trying to achieve justice on his friends’ behalf. At times a case of mistaken identity, at times an interesting glance into the shadier sides of the suburbs, Plugged seems to have enough of everything to appeal to a very wide audience. With a cynicism and sensibility that only a true Irishman can possess, Daniel McEvoy is a character that will charm any audience. Ghost Zeb alone is worth more than a few show more laughs.

So much of one’s enjoyment of Plugged revolves around one’s appreciation for Daniel McEvoy and everything he is trying to accomplish. The ambiguity surrounding his good guy/bad guy status adds a layer of complexity to a situation that is already a maze of subplots and offshoots of the main story. Daniel has the skills and background to be considered dangerous, but his somewhat debilitating insistence on chivalry does portray him more as the knight in shining armor, albeit on a gray horse instead of a white one. There is a vulnerable side to Daniel, of which the reader only catches an occasional glimpse, which does much to lessen his dangerous skills and increase his humanity. Colfer balances the two dichotomies perfectly.

As Daniel McEvoy is an Irish lad, it is essential that the narrator for the audio performance has to have an Irish brogue. Thankfully, John Keating rises to the challenge. Mr. Keating even goes so far as to distinguish between a Dublin Irish accent and a more southerly Irish accent. With pitch-perfect sarcasm and an honest confusion and incredulity over all situations, a listener quickly forgets that someone is reading a story, as Mr. Keating becomes Daniel McEvoy. While his female voices leave a lot to be desired – they sound like a man using a painfully obvious falsetto, which he is – this only provides the most minuscule amounts of distractions compared to his characterizations of Ghost Zeb, Irish Mike, Faber, and Daniel. In fact, his performance only adds to the humor. This is definitely a novel that was meant to be read aloud by a fellow Irishman.

Plugged is one of those books which the reader just knows the author had fun writing. One can picture Eoin Colfer chuckling to himself while typing at his computer. Every line is full of Irish cynicism and a deadpan wit that is as wicked as it is subtly hilarious. The action is non-stop but retains a sense of reality through Daniel’s own sufferings and credulity at the timeline of events. The best news is that Mr. Colfer definitely leaves room for more adventures of Daniel McEvoy. This is a very good thing.
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Eoin Colfer’s “Highfire” is a hilarious, high-octane caper in the Louisiana bayou with a troublesome kid named Squib. Due to a run-in with a sociopathic killer cop, Regence Hooke (who is creeping on Squib’s mom), our unlikely young hero accidentally befriends an ancient dragon, Wyvern “Vern,” who was once titled Lord HighFire but now relishes the comforts of modern consumer society while lounging in his shack in the swamp.

From his damp but cozy hideout, the canny old dragon can show more stream Netflix, drink premium vodka, and order just about anything and get it delivered promptly—provided he has an intermediary like Squib, who’s good at slipping through the bayou undetected. Vern may, in fact, be the last dragon, but no one knows for sure. In a delightful plot twist, it turns out that Vern’s not the only ancient mythical creature even in this particular bayou.

Squib’s nemesis, the villainous Regence Hooke, yearns to make more creatures extinct than just dragons in his quest for power. Telling part of the story from the villain’s perspective is always chancy, but Colfer neatly pulls it off, in a style reminiscent of Greg Iles in the Penn Cage series. The dialogue is topnotch. The novel’s pace is mostly leisurely, but the final chapters are written full throttle, like a thriller.

A change of pace for the author, who is the author of the juvenile fiction series Artemis Fowl, this book is certainly not suitable for young readers, but if adult readers can overlook profanity and violence to delve into a novel with delightful characters and lots of heart, HighFire is a beguiling fantasy with Cajun spice.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from HarperCollins and was encouraged to submit a review.
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This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Highfire
A Novel
By: Eoin Colfer
Narrated by: Johnny Heller
Oh my gosh! Colfer wrote a hilarious adult book that is just right! It has a snarky, booze, dragon, named Vern, hiding out in the swamps of Louisiana enjoying a boar now and then. He lives a good life with his gator minions and, other than being lonely for a dragon girl, he does ok. He avoids people until he gets himself into trouble by saving a teen from a crooked cop. Sure, he should've ate the kid but decided to let him live and the show more antics are on! It is funny, heartwarming, and just downright silly but I loved every minute! Unpredictable, great characters, and I hope this will be a series!
I got the Audible version because Heller I knew would make the book POP and he did! He made it even better! Great pair - Colfer and Heller!
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I have just read this book again and I’m wondering why I originally gave it 3 stars. Was I nuts? This book is great. It combines espionage with the fairy world. How original is that?

It starts off with this genius, millionaire kid named Artemis Fowl. The Fowl family are corporate criminals. They lost a few hundred million when a Russian missile destroyed a shipment of Coca Cola, and Artemis, having the mastermind brain that he has, wants to build the fortune back up. How’s he going to do show more it? By kidnapping a fairy and demanding ransom of course.

The fairy world is comprised of all kinds of impish creatures, all of which are unknown to humans. Artemis has figured out their existence and has gotten his hands on their secret handbook. The fairies have been forced underground to get away from humans. Holly Short is a captain in the LEPrecon police unit. She works for the cantankerous Commander Root. When Root orders Holly to recharge her magic, which can only be done at certain locations above ground, Artemis is waiting. He kidnaps her and threatens to expose the fairy world unless they pay up. What follows is a great James Bond like attempt by the fairies to rescue Holly without having to pay the ransom.

This book is jam packed with action. Great characters. Great plot. Great description. Highly sophisticated fairy magic. I love Root, Holly, and the techie centaur Foaly. Colfer brings high creativity to this one.

FYI: Movie coming out in 2019
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Lists

Awards

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Associated Authors

Giovanni Rigano Illustrator
Morgan C. Jones Narrator, Reader
Paolo Lamanna Illustrator
Simon Jones Narrator
Chris Dickey Letterer
P. J. Lynch Illustrator
Oliver Jeffers Illustrator
Steve McCarthy Illustrator
Mitch Benn Narrator
Jane Horrocks Narrator
Jon Culshaw Narrator
Ed Byrne Narrator
Philip Pope Narrator
Lenny Henry Narrator
Jim Broadbent Narrator
Tom Alexander Narrator
Theo Maggs Narrator
Andy Secombe Narrator
John Lloyd Narrator
John Marsh Narrator
Tony Fleetwood Cover designer, Cover artist
Ana Alcaina Translator
Jean-François Ménard Translator, Traduction
Mireille Vroege Translator
Susan Greenhill Photographer
Angela Ragusa Translator
Goñi Montes Cover artist
Havemann. Tom Translator
Ellice M. Lee Cover artist
Angela Di Ragusa Translator
Adrian Dunbar Narrator
Tristan Elwell Cover artist
Alex Ferrari Cover artist
Alves Calado Translator
Enn Reitel Narrator
John Keating Narrator
Tony Ross Illustrator
Lia Belt Translator
Larry Rostant Cover artist
Arthur Smith Narrator
Stephen Moore Narrator
Jackie Mason Narrator
Dirk Maggs Narrator
Michel Pagel Translator
Milena Benini Translator
Bruce Hyman Narrator
Bill Paterson Narrator
Lisbet Holst Translator
Gunnar Kwisinski Translator
Zoltán Pék Translator
Stephen Fry Narrator
Anna Carbone Translator
James Wilby Narrator
Glenn Mccoy Illustrator
Johnny Heller Narrator
Devin Elle Kurtz Cover artist
Chaaya Prabhat Illustrator, cover artist
Woody Fox Illustrator

Statistics

Works
111
Also by
13
Members
111,586
Popularity
#76
Rating
3.8
Reviews
1,851
ISBNs
1,818
Languages
40
Favorited
216

Charts & Graphs