Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian, 8 [Hardcover]

When you have a teenage genius, a fairy, a centaur and an enormous bodyguard, you can always rely on Colfer to give you ACTION. While the humour is a little more subtle (I suddenly realised: 'SALTON FINNACRE'; it's like Sabina Pleasure in Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books. Get it? I didn't, for years. And then I DID) and sometimes self-conscious, it is still trademark-Colfer. With sequels, you're always afraid you might not love it, but by page 9 I was all 'RAWR I LOVE THIS BOOK'. And sure, there are weak points, but WHATEVER.

After Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex, we were left in a pretty precarious place, with Artemis suffering from a fairy form of OCD. Book 8 picks up at the conclusion of his treatment - fully cured, according to the notes of Dr J Argon.

This is the last book. The last time we spend time in this world, with these characters. The conclusion has to be big. EPIC. What is more epic than the complete annihilation of humans and fairies? That's what Opal Koboi, Artemis' arch-nemesis, will do - unless the team can stop her. But with the spirits of ten-thousand-year-old warriors possessing little Myles and Beckett, Fowl Manor under siege, and a technodisaster that cuts them off from Haven City, what can they do?

Improvise, of course.

What I loved:

- The friendships: the one that's developed the most over the series is of course Holly's and Artemis'. They trust each other and can rely on each other. Artemis has these heartwarming moments of seeing Holly as if he's never seen her before. This made me choke up a little:
'He wished he could loop the past ten seconds...so he could properly appreciate how fierce and beautiful his best friend was.'

- Myles and Beckett: I don't want to spoil it, but their character development is MAGNIFICENT. Maybe it might even open a door for another book someday with these two at the centre. Oh man, I want this book! I'm wildly speculating, but the more I think about it, the more brilliant the idea seems.

- Butler. Butler Butler Butler. I love Butler. He's a a big huge heart dressed in a stereotype that he's shucked off a million times. He never, ever EVER lets you down.

- Foaly. We get so used to seeing his snark that we rarely see his heart, but oh my, does he have one. Dude.

- Mulch. Nuff said. Cameos from pretty much from everyone important in past books.

- Some big emotional hits. Not telling you any more about that, though.

- Most magnificent of all is Artemis himself. It's impossible not to feel nostalgic throughout this whole book, but Artemis' evolution is what truly brings a tear to the eye. The cold, detached Artemis has become a true and loyal friend, and in the end, this is what it is all about. He is still analytical and calculating, but he's found his heart. I won't be the only person who has genuine feelings for this fictional character, not only because he could be a few people I know.

I am going to miss this world and these characters, like old, well-loved friends. I've been reading right from the moment the first book came out - 11 years ago? Every book a person reads changes them in some way, however minute, and these characters have been real friends to me, even if that sounds cheesy.

May the fours be with you, Artemis Fowl.

PS - There's a short preview of a new series/book from Eoin Colfer coming out in 2013, called W.A.R.P. It looks Good.

The eighth and final installment in the Artemis Fowl series is a real treat. Where other books suffer from diminishing returns Eoin Colfer's has gone from strength to strength and for me he ends the series with the strongest entry in the series. The Last Guardian reunites us with all our favourite characters from the series such as Holly Short, Mulch Diggums, Butler and of course Artemis himself.

The Last Guardian sees the return of major villain Opal Koboi unleashing her most fiendish scheme to date. By harnessing ancient powers and releasing an army of fairies that have been trapped for thousands of years she intends to completely wipe out the human race and become leader of the People. This is by far the darkest book in the series and Opal's scheme is often incredibly shocking and only works because of Colfer's understanding of his target audience. This is an exciting adventure. There's no slow build up. It kicks off early and the excitement doesn't let up. It's impossible to say a bad word about this book. Colfer draws on the previous entries in the series to provide a genuinely satisfying conclusion to the adventures of Artemis Fowl series. It's a joy to see how well these characters have developed over the last decade especially Artemis who has gone from villain to hero without it ever feeling unnatural.

This is not a book for newcomers but if you've followed Artemis Fowl's adventures over the last seven books then this is a must buy. By the time you the last page you'll be desperate for more and isn't that the best way to end things?

I became a fan of this series one or two years ago and worked my way through. I still think the first 3 are probably the best, I wasn't as keen on the last 2 but was intrigued to see where it would go.
This book starts of right into the action, Opal is back and she wants revenge. When Artemis, Holly & Foaly discover just what she is planning, they know they have a big battle ahead of them.
There is a bit of confusion with past, present and future selves after the Time Paradox issue, I was actually puzzled in a few places, had to try not to think about it too hard or it made my brain hurt!
To be honest I was hoping for something spectacular in this book, to let it go out with a bang! After all this is apparently the last one. But I was actually left a bit deflated. There seemed to be a lot of things set up that could have led to something Epic, but they always seemed to just move to something else. I wasn't wowed at all in this book, which is a shame because I really wanted to love it.
I did enjoy getting back into the world and catching up with the characters, like seeing friends you haven't seen for a while. Holly and Butler are in this one a lot and I love them both, Butler's dry humour is great. Mulch is also back, he always grosses me out a bit, but makes me laugh at the same time.
Overall the plot was a little confusing and slow in places but did have good premise. The character development is good, it's amazing to see how far they have all come since book 1.
If you are a fan of the series then you should definitely read it, you'd regret not picking it up.