Suspense: 5
Humor: 6
Relatability: 9
Originality: 10
Overall: 7.6
Comments: A true literary masterpiece of the modern age. Though slotted for a younger audience, Artemis Fowl and his genius shenanigans across supernatural borders is a delightful read for everyone. In this first book of the series, the audience is introduced to Artemis Fowl II and his manservant, known simply as Butler, for the first time. We find that Artemis is literally a genius, that he is the head of a world-class crime syndicate, that he controls a family fortune placing him at the top of any society—and that he is 13 years old. Having such remarkable talents and resources at such a young, perhaps impressionable age, Artemis decides to crack one of mankind's oldest and most scoffed at mystery: the faerie race. And once he's found it, he's going to exploit it in a way that will make him and his family fabulously rich. Too bad there's this one particular faerie captain of the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance (LEPrecon) who stands in his way…
Artemis Fowl is fun, witty, original, clear, dynamic, and satisfactorily deep in its own right. Even within the book itself, Eoin Colfer, the author writes: "Artemis was perhaps the only person alive who could take full advantage of his recent acquisition. He still retained a childlike belief in magic, tempered by an adult determination to exploit it," clearly showing the potential the book holds as literature that spans all ages. The characters are all well developed, as is the beautiful setting of the old Irish countryside amongst other places. The plot is straightforward enough to be easily comprehended, but holds just enough twists to surprise the audience when they least expect to be surprised. Anyone who enjoys magic, science fiction, or even adventure genres should definitely find this book and read it.
