Review: Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think this is going to be the year I re-read a lot of different series. I blame the awesome Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Oddly enough, despite this being the inspiration for deciding to re-read series, it was not the one I chose to start with. No, that honor instead goes to Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, starting with the first book, simply titled: Artemis Fowl.

Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old Irish boy, son of the Fowl family, known in the criminal underworld as criminal family who are always successful. Artemis himself is a prodigy, 12 years old but speaking with both the vocabulary and authority of an adult perhaps three times his own age. He is on a hunt, to find proof of the People - fairies - and plans to exploit them for the reserves of gold they are said to keep. The Fowl family motto is; Aurum Potestas Est. However, it is not just for the sake of power that Artemis is searching for the gold...

As you might have guessed from the summary, Artemis is a compelling protagonist, but he is actually sharing the stage with Holly Short, first female LEPrecon officer, who happens to be an elf. Holly is very likely my favourite character of the series, mostly because she always seems so very done with all the antics going on around her. Her being the first female officer - and thus subject to the Smurfette Principle - is actually deconstructed within her first few chapters. Her commanding officer - Julius Root, badass extraordinare - straight up states that she will be judged more harshly because people are waiting on her to fail, and frankly he would rather that didn't happen. It's a nice look at how that trope would actually work.

Supporting cast also gives us Butler, Artemis' bodyguard, and Juliet, who is Butler's sister. The Butler family has long served the Fowl family, and Butler in particular has been assigned to Artemis since the boy was born. They are as close as friends, with Butler being the only father figure in Artemis' life at the current moment, even if the man does have to obey his orders. Juliet is a typical teenage girl. albeit one with a high taste for wrestling and a great interest in trying her new moves out on nearly anyone. We also have Foaly on the side of the People - a centuar who is greatly interested in Science and seems to be single-handly upgrading and pushing the tech of the LEP into the future.

The story of the book is a kidnap and ransom one and it plays out very well. Artemis' plans keep him one step ahead of the People for the majority of the time, but he is not infallible, and cannot plan for everything. When something happens that he does not expect, we see him thinking fast on his feet, proving that his intellect is something almost scary to behold. That being said, when he does plan? He plans for damn near everything, even including extreme measures that you wouldn't think possible. It's amazing to read.

I first read this book when it came out and enjoyed it. Now, being older and (in theory) wiser, with more expanded tastes? I still really like this story. Colfer's writing style is a good mix of wit and fast paced action, keeping the scenes moving quickly but allowing for emotional impact when needed. The dialogue of the characters may not always sound as easily flowing as a normal conversation, but it always feels appropriate to who they are as people. This first book is always fun to re-read, and I'm looking forward to making my way through the rest of the series (again) and seeing what becomes of Fowl.

After all; if he wins, he's a genius. If he fails, he's mad. That's how the game is played.

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