Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable and Original, 12 Aug 2003
As a Harry Potter grown-up reader, I've grown used to criticism in the lines of the recent Byatt review. But I do think that there is a lot of comfort and interest in reading children's books in adulthood. It was lovely reading Artemis Fowl. The ingenuity of the literal and technological inventions of the writer was refreshing. The main characters enjoyable and believeable, though a bit Hollywood-streotyped. Self-humour and well-built suspense add to the fun. It was nice to see a children's author choosing characters that are different shades of grey, as in real life, and not all black and white. All in all, for a bit of good, soul-cleansing escapism, a very recommended read!
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is totally brilliant!, 13 April 2001
By A Customer
The children are going to claim this book as their very own. It may become the best summer read ever. I enjoyed the leprechauns and their updated uniforms. How clever can a boy be? Get your hands on a copy of Artemis Fowl and find out!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, 25 Jun 2009
I've been trying to find a new series to hold me over until the next Harry Potter book--and I've finally found it. Meet Artemis Fowl the Second, a twelve-year old genius who doesn't want to go to school, is worried about his mother's fragile mental health, is preoccupied with his father coming back from the dead, and who is determined to add to his family's coffers by any means possible. In a word, Artemis is an evil genius, and you just can't help but love him. Or hate him. Or love to hate him. Or hate to love him. Or...well, you get the picture.
Artemis, along with his bodyguard/manservant/butler ironically named, of all things, Butler, Artemis sets out on his greatest, and most ambitious, scheme to date--discover the secrets of the fairy world, and relieve some of said fairies of their precious gold. After all, they have plenty to spare, and after Artemis Fowl the First lost a vast majority of their fortune, the Fowl family needs to pad the coffers.
So off Artemis sets on a world jaunt to discover the secrets of the fairies, and his ambitions and delusions finally pay off--he meets an alcoholic sprite who, in exchange for the return of her magic, lets Artemis get a good look at her Book. The Book, you see, contains all the mandates, rules, and regulations (along with a slew of secrets) of the fairy world--and now Artemis Fowl is able to hatch his nefarious scheme.
Artemis discovers that the fairies must adhere to very specific rituals to renew their powers, so along with Butler, he sets out on a stakeout to catch himself a fairy. Hoping, of course, that he can hold said fairy for ransom in exchange for some gold.
What Artemis didn't include in his calculations, however, was Captain Holly Short. A member of the LEPrecon Unit, Holly, although a small sprite, is very human looking--and can be extrememely wily and dangerous. As Artemis implements his evil plan, Holly uses her own military-type background to hatch her own plan of escape. The results are both disastrous and hilarious.
I read ARTEMIS FOWL in one sitting. Once you get started on this story of the human world of the Mud People mixing with that of the magical beings who live below ground, you just can't stop! The magical quality of the book is that it is all too believable--and so much fun! You envy Artemis his brilliance at the same time you can't believe how undenianably evil he is. You pity him, and you despise him. As for Holly Short, you love the fairy, admire her tenacity, yet hope at the same time that she spares the lives of Artemis, Butler, and Butler's sister, Juliet. I have to admit that I loved Foaly, the centaur in charge of computers and technical equipment. Actually, I loved ALL the characters of ARTEMIS FOWL, and can't wait to read the next book! Pick up a copy today!
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
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