BIBLIOGRAPHYColfer, Eoin. 2001. ARTEMIS FOWL. New York: Hyperion Books.
ISBN: 0-7868-0801-2
PLOT SUMMARY
Possibly the greatest criminal mastermind of all time, bold beyond comprehension, and accompanied by a faithful companion (who also happens to be quite lethal), Artemis Fowl intends to restore the coffers of his family’s dwindling fortunes—and he happens to be twelve years old. ARTEMIS FOWL, Eoin Colfer’s introduction to the popular character, set the stage for the series that followed. Colfer introduces the reader to Artemis, his faithful retainer Butler, Butler’s sister Juliet, and a underworld of faeries and supernatural creatures. Along with excitement, Artemis’s life holds sadness as well. His father is missing and his mother is greatly altered by his absence.
Artemis is no ordinary thief; no boring bank jobs or museum heists could challenge his brilliance. He wants “the pot at the end of the rainbow”—the fairy gold. But first, he must unlock the mysteries of the magical world by possessing the Book that reveals all. Through cunning, guile, and his computer, Artemis unlocks the enigma. He and Butler use the knowledge to trap a fairy who has come to Ireland to renew her powers.
The extraordinary young rouge Artemis has not captured an ordinary fairy, however, he has captured Captain Holly Short, the first female member of the elite police force, LEPrecon. Artemis and his crew are almost undone by the technology savvy group of faeries that will do anything to rescue one of their own.
In the end, Artemis’s brilliance crafts the ultimate outcome. The family is rich again and his beloved mother’s health and mind are restored.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In many ways, Eoin Colfer’s ARTEMIS FOWL reads like a Mickey Spillane paperback. The characters are a bit one-dimensional, the dialogue is abrupt, and in the end, you aren’t quite sure if the good guy won or not. Artemis Fowl is no Harry Potter—his battles are not based on good versus evil. He simply wants to relieve an unsuspecting leprechaun of her fortune. He’s a kidnapper, albeit a twelve-year-old who has been thrust into the position of caretaker for his family’s home and his addled mother.
The plot moves quickly and the story is at its best when Artemis matches wits with the clever Captain Holly Short. He didn’t expect the leprechaun to be “so human” and a female. Although Holly is the victim, she shows compassion for her captors—creating a complexity in the relationship between her and Artemis.
The fairy world, set deep in the bowls of the earth, is dark and a bit gothic. In a funny subplot, the faeries contend with an inadequate infrastructure and social bureaucracy. The faeries are largely portrayed as heroic and intelligent (although the dwarf Mulch is an exception) while the “Mud People” (humans) are responsible for polluting the planet.
Overall, ARTEMIS FOWL is entertaining and, for many young readers, it is great fuel for the imagination.
REVIEW EXCERPTS AND HONORS
Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, May 2001
The fairy characters are mouthy and eccentric, but Artemis is too stiff and enigmatic to be interesting; the story bogs down when the focus is on him. The combination of choppy sentences and ornate language will appeal to some readers, although not necessarily to Harry Potter fans; the emphasis here is more on action (some of it gory), technology, and deadpan humor than on magic, and only one character (Artemis) is a child.-Eva Mitnick
Review from THE HORN BOOK, July/August 2001
It is a relief to see fleeting chinks in Artemis's James Bond--style cool, as when he thinks about his mother, who has become severely depressed and delusional since the disappearance of Artemis's father. Still, the long stretches devoted to the fairy world's maneuverings, which only readers fond of technical detail will find appealing, overwhelm these moments.-C.M.H.
Review from THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, June 17, 2001
I'm troubled by the fact that though the prose lacks luster, it doesn't lack lust: a spicy, nonerotic, slobbering bloodlust. . . . Colfer adopts the rhythms of macho banter from television police dramas . . . and B-grade buddy war films. . . . Nevertheless, young readers may thrill in seeing that the clandestine mysteries of faerie are, like all aspects of our culture, subject to decay in the light of day. . . . What Colfer has done, and very ably, is to pitch a great movie idea.-Gregory Maguire
CONNECTIONS
Since Artemis “cracked the code” of the Book, have students study code-breaking. Here’s a lesson plan from Education World for ideas:
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/00-2/lp2207.shtml
A study of Irish faeries would be a great connection. Here’s a lesson plan with ideas:
http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/unit226/lesson20.html
Character and quotes matching activity:
http://www.teachit.co.uk/attachments/9305.pdf
Great website by the author includes videos (the author’s one-man show), links to other books, games, and many other features.
http://www.artemisfowl.com/
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