Review: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Hey all, Dani here.

I feel like I’m on a roll now. I finished an almost 900 page book this week and by the end of today I should be about halfway through a book that is 800 pages long, and I’ve finished a couple of other books…and I have plans to do even more reading this weekend. This just feels awesome. I’m reading great books and I’m enjoying the reading experience. I feel re-energized and revitalized. Spring is really starting to show up where I live, and I’m feeling the crud and depression of winter leaving my soul.

Okay, yes, there’s still a whole lot going on in the world. I’m anxious about the results of the primary elections here in the USA, as well as what that will mean for November. I’m also of course cautious about the whole COVID-19 situation (though still feeling a bit optimistic about that because even with going into work every day, I’m still fairly quarantined…and I wash my hands like 30 times each 8 hour shift). So yeah, on a national and global level, things could be better, but I’ll take whatever good news and joy I can get right now.

So anyway, welcome back to another Middle Grade March post. I’ve only finished three Middle Grade books so far this month, but I’ve written reviews for all of them, which is good. I’m hoping to read another one or two by end of day tomorrow, and then possibly read another couple over the weekend. Maybe? I hope so. That would be great.

Let’s just jump into the review.

Book Details

Format: Paperback

Pages: 280

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: June 23, 2009 (original published April 26, 2001)

ISBN: 1423124529 (ISBN13: 9781423124528)

Summary

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius, and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t fairies of bedtime stories; these fairies are armed and dangerous.

Artemis thinks he has them right where he wants them…but then they stop playing by the rules.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

Yes, this is absolutely a re-read for me, and one that I wanted to do in anticipation for the movie adaptation coming in May–I’m a bit nervous but overall excited about the film. The first Artemis Fowl book was released back in 2001 and I’m not exactly sure when I first read it, but I think it was in the 2002-2004 area. I know I was in high school when I read it, which would be 2002-2006, but I think it was freshman or sophomore year. Anyway, it has been a long, long time since I read these books, and I only remembered very basic details.

I read this super quickly. Like, I’ll be completely honest…I read this book from like 11-12:30 today. So it was really easy for me to fall into the story and fly through it all…and not just because I knew I had to also write up this review for today.

This was a pretty entertaining read. There was some humor, some action, some puzzles, and a fairly compelling story overall. If I had had more time to relax and enjoy the story then I probably would have sat there and tried to decipher the code on the bottom of each page, because I’m sure there’s something entertaining there.

Artemis is a very clever boy, and I enjoy the fact that the book doesn’t start him off as this idealistic hero character. From what I remember from reading the series ages ago, it takes him a few books to go from criminal mastermind to somewhat a heroic character. And I like that it is a journey. In this book he is very much the criminal mastermind, out to accomplish deeds that will benefit him and his family. But he isn’t a chaotic criminal by any means. He has a code that he follows and while he does look for ways out of agreements–which the fairies do as well–he is true to his word.

I think this story gives us a pretty good foundation for who Artemis, Butler, Holly, Commander Root, and Mulch Diggums are as characters, and I’m actually pretty excited to continue with the series. I know I originally read like three or four books in the series, but it is now complete at eight books, so it will be cool to see how the stories continue and then conclude.

Where to Get a Copy

You can grab your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore through IndieBound.

You can also check with your local library.