Customer Reviews

Artemis Fowl Boxset With Gift

5 star:		(348)
4 star:		(135)
3 star:		(52)
2 star:		(42)
1 star:		(43)

 

 

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, is none other than a classic. Not as intoxicating as the illustrious Harry Potter series, but it has that special flair that die-hard Harry Potter fans will enjoy! It's a modern day story combined with magic and mayhem. The creativity of this book flows from its very pores. Colfer has a unique way of explaining the human misperception of folklore. Like for instance, the myths of the Leprechaun; humans have actually been saying it wrong for centuries, it's actually L.E.P. Recon. They're not short men who go around with pots of gold, waiting for you to find them at the ends of rainbows, but they're a special elite police force who patrol and control the safety and security of Haven, the underground society of magical beings and other such folk, known as the People. Holly Short is the only female officer of the L.E.P.; she has a bit of an edge to her that reflects that, 'I'm not just a chic' kind of attitude that is important for our heroine. Oh, I'm, giving too much away. Meanwhile a wealthy young man, Artemis Fowl, without a steady father figure, filled with Lex Luther tendencies, is a child prodigy of may sorts. He seeks out criminal activity to his own delight and his own self-proclaimed quest for struggle and challenge. He seeks to expose and take advantage of these forgotten People. He learns their language and uses his newly acquired knowledge of the People, along with his technological advancements and rather large bodyguard, to capture a member of the People, hold him or her hostage and make himself some fairy gold in the process. Only his plans don't go as well as he had hoped, because he messed with the wrong elf, Holly Short.

Well, as one can tell this tale is highly original, and dynamic. It's an easy read for those of you who have difficulty reading books and/or novels. It's easy to follow and it makes sense, in the same way that J.K. Rowling's writing does. A reader doesn't get lost or confused as easily with high-class mumbo-jumbo, such as in Philip Pullman's published works like the Golden Compass. The wording is made to make sense, not to confuse. Children with reading related learning disabilities will have no problem getting through this book. Plus, there's a little added bonus in the book. There is a fun code that runs along the bottom of the book, it is in the ancient language of the People. It isn't too difficult to decode, but if you pay attention to the book, and fill in the wholes, you're bound to figure it out. It foreshadows the entire Artemis Fowl series, in a prophecy. Excellent book as well as a series, I highly recommend it! Definitely one of my praised literary keeps.

Like the first individual reviewing this book, I too was excited by the possibility that I might be able to read something comparable to Harry Potter. Certainly the hype surrounding this book led me to believe that this might be the case. Much to my great disappointment, I found Artemis Fowl to be far less entertaining, or imaginative than Harry Potter. Eoin Colfer does have a talent for description. He paints with words beautifully. Unfortunately, most of his leading characters lack a great deal in the "likeability" department, especially the main character, Artemis Fowl. His last name should actually be "Foul". Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but I really don't find a twelve year old child who lies, cheats, steals...and even tortures some of the other players in this story...endearing...even if it's in an attempt to replenish his family's diminished fortune. This is due to the fact that his father, a notorious criminal, has been missing for months and is presumed dead...murdered...and his mother is in a drugged stupor in a darkened upstairs bedroom, unable to recognize her son or surroundings. Nor do I find tunneling dwarfs who use exploding farts...(yes, you read that correctly)and other secreted bodily fluids as weapons as entertaining. However, to give Colfor his due, the characters of Holly, Root and Foaly are winners. Had he written the book entirely about them, I would have enjoyed it a great deal more...to say the least. This book is only the first in what is obviously intended as a series. A "Leprechaun" code which appears at the bottom of every page can be decoded to win prizes, the first prize being a part in the already planned movie. So, even if this is far from being great literature, it will have it's avid fans and followers, I'm sure. I for one will not bother with the next book and will instead wait patiently for the next Harry Potter.

The Harry Potter references don't apply to me; I read this book before I even touched a Harry Potter book. Thus, I think my review is Potter-free.

That being said, I really, really didn't like this book. The idea was good: Boy genius, modern update of mythology (LEPrecon = Leprechaun, etc), an attempt to steal fairy gold. The problem with the book is the terrible writing style. It's just...boring. It reads like it was written *by* a 9-year-old, not *for* a 9-year-old. By contrast, other children's books are written in a style that doesn't coddle the reader and instead focuses on moving the story along in plain English. Maybe something got lost in the translation from Gaelic to English.

The end of the book left me unsatisfied and annoyed. I liked Holly Short, but she's the most underused character. Instead, we get lots of garbage about Root and Butler. Butler is cool, if a little overblown, but Root is annoying and completely uninteresting. It was impossible to really care about any of the characters in the book.

My final slam: The book fails at suspension of disbelief. It's written so poorly, it's impossible to go into the world of the book and read it is if the story was really happening. Suspension of disbelief is the cornerstone of good fantasy, and this book just doesn't have it.

WHOOP WHOOP! Artemis Fowl is one of the best characters I've followed on the YA front for some time. Brilliant, and hell-bent on becoming the worlds most nefarious criminal mastermind. I like all the supporting characters and the plot lines. Starts off with a shot and keeps up the suspense right to the end.

I must say I'm not typically a fan of omnipotent narrators and vastly prefer 3rd person, but this is just so well done I hardly even noticed.

Who should read this book? Everyone. Honestly, it's not quite as engrossing as the Harry Potter series, but this one is quickly becoming one of my top choices. so close to getting a 5/5...we'll see about book 2

Nicely done Mr. Colfer, nicely done!

Artemis Fowl
I started reading Artemis fowl when my uncle got me the first three books for my birthday. I could not put the book down! Artemis Fowl is about a teenage criminal mastermind [Artemis] abducting a fairy to get it's gold. The plan worked well.

Artemis, Holly,Butler,Root and Mulch are the main characters. Artemis is very intelligent but not physically fit. Holly is very determined and very athletic. Butler is at least 7 feet tall and is beyond belts in every martial art. Root is an LEP commander and the closest Holly has to a father. Mulch is a dwarf and a criminal. Root has caught him a couple of time's.

I think Artemis Fowl is the best book I have ever read! Full of adventure and fantasy I think you'll love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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 since 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 extremely wily and dangerous. As Artemis implements his evil plan, Holly uses her military style 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 and at the same time you can't believe how undeniably evil he is. You pity him, and you despise him, yet you adore 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 truly 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"

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 since 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 extremely wily and dangerous. As Artemis implements his evil plan, Holly uses her military style 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 and at the same time you can't believe how undeniably evil he is. You pity him, and you despise him, yet you adore 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 truly 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"

Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind, intent on stealing gold from the fairyfolk. The 1st twist is that he isn't mad: fairies do exist, even though they have managed to stay hidden underground for a long, long time. The 2nd twist is that our intelligent delinquent is merely 12 years old :)

Artemis will have the help of his loyal bodyguard Butler in his "little project", that involves kidnapping a fairy in order to ask for a ransom in gold. The problem is that when Artemis puts his plan into action he kidnaps no less than the equivalent of a human police officer, plucky Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance Unit. After that, trouble arises soon enough, escalating quite quickly when the fairyfolk realize one of them has been captured. Who will win?. Well, to know that you will have to read the book !!!.

On the whole, I can say that I recommend this book. It doesn't have much to do with traditional fairy tales, but it takes some of their magic and mixtures it with an enterprising young crook without too many remorses, and some worthy opponents worth their salt. Your children (and even you) are highly likely to like this oddly original book, and its strange anti-hero !!!.

Belen Alcat

My dad bought me this book quite some time ago & I must admit that I was sceptical at first, since I had never heard of Eoin Colfer. But after reading an on-line review by a prestigious book club, I decided to go on and give it a read with an open mind. Till today I have not come to regret it even one bit. Eoin Colfer has produced a gem of a charecter in Artemis Fowl. The book breaks the traditional views of the fairy world that we have and proposes something that is radical, yet ingenious. A must read.

I have rarely heard such an excellent narration of a book. Nathanial Parker gives Artemis and Butler Irish accents - but oddly enough Root is like a NY cop.

Definitely enhances this fun childrens' book.