Synopsis of the novel
The book starts out with Artemis Fowl, twelve year old, criminal mastermind, holder of the vast Fowl family fortune. Artemis, and his expertly trained bodyguard, Butler (few know his real name though it might be Domagio of something similar) travel to Ho Chi Minh City to look for a sprite (a kind of fairy) to get a sacred object from it. They get what is called the Book, which is the fairy bible, to study and learn about fairies – for criminal reasons of course – and also to learn the fairy language which is Gnommish.
A Totally Different Kind of Fantasy Novel
These fairies aren’t your standard Disney type pixies – they are terrifyingly powerful and eons old who are ahead of us technology-wise. Artemis captures a fairy by the name of Captain Holly Short and holds her for ransom. The LEPrecon (an elite force – not actual leprechauns) stopped time around Artemis’s manor and sends in squads of elite LEPretrieval (highly trained fighters) but Butler made mincemeat out of them. The fairies finally took drastic measures and sent in a burrowing, kleptomaniac dwarf who stole the Book from Artemis and a full grown bull troll that would kill anything in its way. Butler, with serious injuries of course, along with Holly Short beat the troll and almost killed it. This made Butler become possibly the first human ever to best any kind of troll in single combat. In the end Artemis got his gold and the fairies got their Captain back, but there was much more gained which you will need to read to find out more.
This isn’t your typical “save the world from demons and huge powerful things” type of read. If your looking for something a bit different pick up the full series.
More About the Series and the Author
Artemis Fowl is a series of fantasy novels primarily aimed for the young adult, but its appeal can also attract readers of other ages. These book are written by Irish author Eoin Colfer, a former primary schoolteacher.
The series comes with eight books:
- Artemis Fowl
- The Arctic Incident
- The Eternity Code
- The Opal Deception
- The Lost Colony
- The Time Paradox
- The Atlantis Complex
- The Last Guardian
Like the series itself, “usual” is not the word one would use for the series’ main character Artemis Fowl. He is not exactly a moral person, and quite a selfish, exploitative lad. He kidnaps a fairy and holds her ransom in exchange of some fairy gold he’s heard, and that gold is the answer to his family’s failing estate.
But as the series progressed, the main character slowly grows into someone who teams up with the fairies in solving and fighting off the worldwide conflicts they encounter. Although Artemis Fowl remains the bad boy, he is not completely ruthless and not the hardened criminal he is expected to become like his father.
The novels have a heady mix of fantasy, adventure, action, good humor and suspense. It is said that once you’ve read the first book, you are expected to buy the sequels. In other words, this book is guaranteed to be highly addictive.
The series has been receiving wildly positive praises from book critics and enthusiastic readers alike. Needless to say, the Artemis Fowl series has been one of the recent worldwide best-sellers. In fact, the series spawned a graphic novel version which is also equally popular. Another, a film adaptation is under wraps as of this writing, and Artemis Fowl fans can’t wait to see their favorite books jump into the big screen.