Artemis Fowl

Author: Eoin Colfer
Genre: Children - Fiction
Publication Date: April 1st 2003
Age Range: 9 to 12 years
Pages: 396
Date Scoot Read: August 2010
Source: Audiobook

Scoot's Rating: 8- Really good!

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Eoin Colfer describes his new book, Artemis Fowl, as "Die Hard with fairies." He's not far wrong.

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to put his plan into action, he doesn't count on the appearance of the extrasmall, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance) Unit--and her senior officer, Commander Root, a man (sorry, elf) who will stop at nothing to get her back.

Fantastic stuff from beginning to end, Artemis Fowl is a rip-roaring, 21st-century romp of the highest order. The author has let his imagination run riot by combining folklore, fantasy, and a fistful of high-tech funk in an outrageously devilish book that could well do for fairies what Harry Potter has done for wizardry. But be warned: this is no gentle frolic, so don't be fooled by the fairy subject matter. Instead, what we have here is well-written, sophisticated, rough 'n' tumble storytelling with enough high-octane attitude to make it a seriously cool read for anyone over the age of 10. --Susan Harrison

Scoot’s Review:

Artemis Fowl is just pure entertainment. This is the first in a series of books based around Artemis Fowl and his evil-genius adventures. The book is a fun read with lots of action and witty dialogue. Artemis – despite his ‘evil’ persona - is an instantly likeable character. Artemis is young and basically growing up without parents, so you feel for him – but at the same time think he deserves to be knocked down a peg or two on occasion. The story plotline was creative and filled with well developed magical and strong side characters. Artemis Fowl is classified as a children’s book, but I feel it is a great read for all ages.