The Fowl Twins

3 ½ stars rounded up for the shear audacity of me actually liking it.

I didn't expect to actually like reading this book. In fact, I expected to get a chapter or two in and drop it. I loved the Artemis Fowl series when I was 12. I'm no longer twelve and my last reread of the series ended up souring my like of it.

If I were still 12 I would have adored The Fowl Twins. Now that I'm 28, I'm just surprised I liked it as much as I did. The book is completely ridiculous. It takes all of the problems I had with the end of the Artemis Fowl series, turned it up to 11, and somehow made it work.

The technology is out of control. If you're wondering what Artemis Fowl is up to in this book, Artemis is taking a partially biotechnical rocket to Mars to show more study the planet. And that is just one of many ridiculously outlandish technological growths that have happened in the scant few years between The Last Guardian and The Fowl Twins.

Then there is the fact that the book has two bad guys, working separately the entire time. They don't even really meet up in the middle to work together. And if that wasn't bad enough, one of them is an 150 year old Duke.

And one of them is a nun that is part of a collaboration between countries to search out the fairie threat.

A nun who specializes in 'nun'terrogations.

Just..
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...


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...

And then there are the Fowl twins themselves. Myles is the spitting image of Artemis, but made even more so. He tries to outdo his brother in everything. And that includes being annoying. Then there is Beckett who plays as being simple, but is actually sort of smart. But who likes bugs and mud and animals, and who used to keep a goldfish in his pocket. He is the physical part of the duo. Myles Thinks, Beckett Does.

And honestly this book just works so much better than I thought it would. Eoin Colfer took me back to what I loved about the series in the first Artemis Fowl book. Every part just worked well with the other parts. Myles on his own would have been annoying as all hell, and just a repeat of Artemis. But with Beckett balancing him out it works great. The Nun and the Lord on their own are ridiculous, but working on opposites just kind of somehow worked out for me. The story of the twins getting kidnapped to lure a fairy - which they don't even believe in at the start of the book - should have been ridiculous but ended up being really interesting for the worldbuilding and continuation of the story.

I'm just surprised. show less

Just in time for the Artemis Fowl film to finally arrive in theatres (soon, soon my precious), we also get a new romp of an adventure with the next set of ne’er-do-well Fowl’s. Well, technically Myles and Beckett aren’t that badly behaved on purpose, but they definitely have their brother Artemis’ same penchant for getting into ridiculous scrapes and running afoul (pun duly ignored) of the fairy-folk. Unlike Artemis though, Myles and Beckett didn’t actively go looking for trouble - they just happened to pick up a toy troll on the beach, and got caught in the crosshairs of a duke who is hell-bent on finding the source of everlasting life and a secret service nun on the hunt for proof of fairies. This premise sounds a heck of a show more lot more ridiculous in comparison to Artemis’ stories, but Colfer keeps the characters, emotions, and situations realistic enough that we can pretty much go along with the adventure. I mean, we’ve been set up pretty well by the entire Artemis Fowl series to buy into increasingly random situations, so a crazy nun and a duke with a funny name are par for the course. Colfer also mimics the character development and sidekicks from Artemis’ stories, so readers essentially get the same type of story but with new protagonists, new settings, and new adventures. The humour is what shifts most noticeably, in my opinion, since we are dealing with a younger but equally sarcastic genius in Myles who is played off by his goofball but equally brilliant in his own way twin Beckett, equalling a rollercoaster of laughter that slingshots between the extremes of sarcasm and buffoonery as quickly as the twins get into trouble. I’m definitely looking forward to the next novel in the series to see how quickly the Fowl twins can break the rules of fairy co-operation and whether big brother Artemis has to get involved to rescue them from their inevitable next escapade! show less

This book was such a cute little read and really serves as a great Artemis Foul spin-off! I loved the cover art and how vibrant the colors are; it really made this book pop for me and really drew me in. I loved the writing inside and how nicely this book is written. It is not difficult to read or understand and would be perfect as a middle-grade book because it does hold your interest and it has a really intriguing premise. I hope there will be more Of these later because this book was such a fun and quick read! This book is a must read if you are looking for something easy and fun to read that will keep your attention and have you excited from all the crazy action, interesting characters, and the overall plot line.

I have never read the original Artemis Fowl books but now I absolutely intend to. The Fowl Twins is highly enjoyable, even if, like me, you have never read the Artemis books. The action is fast-paced and grabs the reader right away. The personalities of the twins are very different and highly engaging. There is a constant funny banter between them. There are a lot of moving parts: a villainous nobleman, a nasty nun, a fairy who is called a pixel (pixie/elf hybrid) and a small but highly destructive troll. Artemis also plays an advisor role from outer space. I really liked Lazuli, the Pixel. The action, pacing and clever gadgets remind me of the James Bond stories, but this book is age appropriate, of course. It seems that Mr. Colfer is show more a very imaginative fellow. show less

I usually don't read much non-fiction. During the coronavirus, I feel myself a little more drawn towards texts that are "carefree," (an inclination that normally feels foreign to me).

I initially picked this up on my iPad to read to my twelve-year-old; we've adored the other Artemis books as read-alouds. For whatever reason, she didn't take to this one, so I continued it on my own.

For some reason, Colfer seems to have adjusted down the intended age range of his audience for these books in comparison with the main series. His protagonists are 11, so maybe that's what he's going for? Although this book is very much written for children, if you can tap into your inner child, it is a blast.

Regardless, this book is every bit as riveting, show more hilarious, and impressive as Colfer's others. It is very much in the Fowl spirit—full of wealth, technology, intelligence, and magic.

I can't wait until the next in the Fowl Twins series comes out this Fall! show less

For me this one was a bit of a miss. I always quite enjoyed the Artemis Fowl series, the move to the twin younger brothers seems to have caricatured Artemis's characteristics across the twins. I think this one should improve as the series develops.

So I have been a fan of Eoin Colfer since I found the Artemis Fowl books when I was 11, 16 years ago. I have always enjoyed his writing and I love delving into the world he has created.

When picking up this book, the latest in the Fowl storyline, I was nervous and excited. I had no idea what to expect because it had been so long since he'd written about my favorite characters.

Sadly, those characters don't make much of an appearance. However, the story was still very good! I don't think anything will ever compete with the original Artemis Fowl, but this book was definitely still a worthwhile read!

The one thing I noticed about it compared to the originals, is there is more of a childlike feel to the story. Whereas Artemis Fowl came off show more very mature. I haven't decided if this is a good thing or bad thing yet, I'm still mulling that over! I definitely would recommend checking or out though! show less