Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

Averaging one a year, Eion Colfer's Artemis Fowl series is no rush-job, I am increasingly enjoying and looking forward to every entry more than the Harry Potter series. Colfer's magical world just seems more accessible and imaginative. And he is constantly changing the type of story rather than just another labored part of a single massive arc.

Slightly longer this time around, the book has Artemis tracking demon activity on the time-displaced island of Hybras. The time spell which keeps Hybras stuck in oblivion is beginning to unravel and Artemis is busy investigating how to fix it when a 12-year-old French female rival (and love interest) kidnaps an insecure, classically educated demon, just as he manifests on Earth, right under Artemis' nose. Not knowing what trouble she has started, Artemis must break into her chatau, travel to Taiwan and match wits with her psychotic security in the Taipei 101 Tower to get the demon back before travelling to Hybras to fix the time spell with Captain Holly in tow.

I especially like the relationship between Artemis and Holly. Once enemies but now close friends. And the ending, not only including an imaginative and pretty damn cool twist, in which they become a part of each other forever (not giving anything away) was a nice touch.

As usual it's packed with ultra-technology that always seems realistic now matter how far-fetched, the typical amount of globe-trotting and the right amount of humor.

Artemis Fowl is definitely the best fantasy boy-hero. Harry Who?

This is the fifth installment of the Artemis Fowl series, with reportedly just one more to go. Most of the surviving characters are back, including of course Artemis, the teenaged criminal genius and Butler his bodyguard, as well as Holly, the former female LEPrecon official, Foley the Centaur and Mulch the amazing digging dwarf, but this time there are also new and exciting characters. There's Minerva Paradizo, a twelve year old French child genius who can give Artemis' brain cells a challenge, Doodah Day, a thief who's the Michael Schumacher of the Pixie world, Imp No. 1 the non-warping demon, and the megalomaniac Leon Abbot, but that's not all folks.

Way back when humans and fairies were fighting over the island of Ireland, the eighth fairy family, the Demons, refused to go live underground with the others, instead choosing to take their island home of Hybras into another time dimension until they were ready once again to attack the humans. Unfortunately, something went wrong with the transfer, and the whole island, demons and all ended up in Limbo. However, even time spells don't last forever, and as it unravels, demons begin appearing in the present, and even Foley can't work out exactly where the next one will pop up.

As you may have guessed, Artemis has already figured it out, and starts staking out the sites where demons are due to appear, but is thrown for a loop when he realizes that someone else has done the math, and that the demon he's been stalking has been demon-napped under his very nose. To make it worse, his new rival is a girl, albeit a very pretty one.

Book five has all the elements for an exciting read, including time travel, volcanoes, mercenaries, magical creatures (including a Yoda-like Warlock), and weapons - lots of weapons. There's also the code that runs along the bottom of each page, and I can tell you that it has to do with scrolls, demons and the slapping of rude body parts, but the rest is up to you to find out.

Another great addition to the Artemis Fowl series from Eoin Colfer, certified genius.

Amanda Richards

I saw this book splashed all over a table in a local bookstore and had to buy it - I didn't bother looking at the sleeve notes as any Artemis Fowl story is loaded with action from humans and fairies alike. Another rollercoaster ride for the Irish genius - dealing with another child prodigy, a new race of the people and battling with puberty. Has Artie met his match? Eoin Colfer does it again - and as an adult who finds it difficult to understand grown up books it gives me a chance to be whisked away into a new reality, like "the Discworld" or "the Edge". The plot twists and turns as Artemis thinks on his feet to avoid another disaster - with the aid of Butler, Holly and Mulch along with some new characters.

Keep up the good work Eoin