Artemis Fowl

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Colfer, Eoin. 2001. ARTEMIS FOWL. New York: Miramax Books. ISBN 0-7868-0801-2.

PLOT SUMMARY
Artemis Fowl, twelve-year-old child prodigy and genius, uses his vast financial resources and keen intellect to gain access to a book that contains the secrets of "The People" - fairies, leprechauns, and trolls. He uses this knowledge to kidnap a fairy for ransom. The underground forces of the fairy community launch an attack on the Fowl family estate to rescue their comrade. They are outwitted and defeated by the clever Artemis and retreat to their realm deep within the Earth where they vow vengeance and retribution.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This engaging fantasy tale features two main characters, Artemis Fowl, a child with a soft spot for his mentally ill mother, and Holly Short, a female officer in the squad of LEPrecon, "an elite branch of the Lower Elements Police". Eoin Colfer fashions a story of intrigue, cunning, and courage that is populated by humans, the "Mud People", and fairies, "The People". These characters, human and fairy, display feelings and behaviors with which young readers will be able to identify. In his father's absence, Artemis assumes the responsibility for the welfare of his family, particularly his depressed mother. He wants to restore the family's wealth, but more than anything else he longs to restore his mother to mental health. He aches for the mother that no longer exists.

Eoin Colfer has created a world that incorporates familiar objects like computers, cars, and guns with detachable, gas-powered fairy wings and titanium travel pods propelled by thermal blasts from the Earth's core. The elements of fantasy and reality are interwoven into a believable world where the themes of loyalty, love, friendship, duty, courage, and sacrifice are played out. He touches on the issues of conservation and pollution by describing the contempt of the fairies for the "Mud People" and their abuse of the Earth. For example: the solution for the disposal of human waste in the form of indoor toilets, "...taking the fertile out of fertilizer,..." is especially disgusting to the fairies who prefer to return minerals directly back to the soil. The proclivities and distinct language of the two opposing factions help to define their respective worlds. The universality of the emotions of the fairies and humans exemplifies the commonalities between the two disparate groups and shows that beings who look very different can still be very much alike.

AWARDS

Galaxy British Book Awards - 2002

Massachusetts Children's Book Award - 2003

Young Reader's Choice Award - 2004

Garden State Teen Book Award - 2004

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: "Colfer's anti-hero, techno fantasy is cleverly written and filled to the brim with action, suspense, and humor."

Library Journal: "Fun to read, full of action and humor, this is recommended for all public libraries and to readers of all ages."

CONNECTIONS
>Read the other books in the Artemis Fowl series.
>Visit Eoin Colfer's website at http://www.eoincolfer.com to learn more about the author and play the Artemis Fowl Inner Circle Game.