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The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl #4)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 43,055 ratings · 988 reviews

The evil pixie Opal Koboi has spent the last year in a self-induced coma, plotting her revenge on all those who foiled her attempt to destroy the LEPrecon fairy police. And Artemis Fowl is at the top of her list.

After his last run-in with the fairies, Artemis had his mind wiped of his memories of the world belowground. But they have not forgotten about him. Once again, he...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Published January 1st 2000 by Miramax Books

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Aug 17, 2008 Nina added it

the code on the bottom of the pages says the following:

A recruitment letter from the centaur Foaly, technical consultant, to the lower elements police.
Trsuted ally,
If you have decoded this gnommish message, then you are a deputy officer in the lower elements police. You will not be aware of this fact because it is the custom of the LEP to mindwipe oour human allies. We do this so they cannot remember being recruited. If you cannot remember the fairy people or our underground city, then you can...more the code on the bottom of the pages says the following:

A recruitment letter from the centaur Foaly, technical consultant, to the lower elements police.
Trsuted ally,
If you have decoded this gnommish message, then you are a deputy officer in the lower elements police. You will not be aware of this fact because it is the custom of the LEP to mindwipe oour human allies. We do this so they cannot remember being recruited. If you cannot remember the fairy people or our underground city, then you cannot betray our existance to the greedy humans. Of course, not all humans are greedy. You, deputy, are a noble member of your species. And clever too. We only recruit the best. Our intellegence department has studied your file and concluded that you were suitable for LEP membership. At the moment, you are only a deputy officer. To become a fully fledged officer, you must complete four tasks. Number one, decode this message. Something you are well on your way to completeing. Number two, save the life of a member of another species. You can complete this task in any number of ways. Open a window to release a trapped fly. Build a birdbath in your garden. Release a mouse from a trap. Number three, acheieve a perfect score on a school test or homework assignment. In this job, you need to be smart as well as fit. Number four, wash yourself every day for a week. This is a difficult assignment, especially for human boys, who do not like contact with water. If you are going to work underground, often in crampted tunnels, you appreciate a partner who does not smell like a hermit dwarf. Once you have completed these tasks, you must summon your recruiting officer in the ancient fashion. Go to your back yard, or nearest green area. Make sure you are not being watched. Find a soft spot of ground and burrow a six-inch hole with a broom handle or a short stick. When the hole is ready, type out the letters LEP in morse code. The code is as follows:
L= tap-tap-wiggle-tap.
E= wiggle-wiggle-tap.
P= tap-wiggle-drill.
Do this at least a hundred times and our underground sensors will pick up the vibrations and send and LEP officer with your uniform and orders.
Good luck deputy,
Foaly

it repeats itself several times throughout the bottom.(less)

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Dec 22, 2008 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
By Eoin Colfer
342 pp. New York, New York
Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN 0-7868-5289-5
The boy genius is back at it again. With two years of fairy memories erased from his mind, Artemis Fowl is back to his criminal mastermind self. This time he has his eyes set on a painting that sits in a very secure German bank vault. But this theft is only the first of many adventures that Artemis takes in the Opal Deception. With trolls, gunfire, and a plot to expose the fa...more Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
By Eoin Colfer
342 pp. New York, New York
Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN 0-7868-5289-5
The boy genius is back at it again. With two years of fairy memories erased from his mind, Artemis Fowl is back to his criminal mastermind self. This time he has his eyes set on a painting that sits in a very secure German bank vault. But this theft is only the first of many adventures that Artemis takes in the Opal Deception. With trolls, gunfire, and a plot to expose the fairy world, Eoin Colfer keeps this book intriguing and suspenseful. You will have to make your self stop reading. Eoin Colfer seems to have a knack for adding one more piece of the puzzle in every chapter, enticing you to continue on. In his latest novel in the Artemis Fowl series, Opal Koboi is back-out of her self induced coma-ready to enact her revenge on all those that foiled her evil scheme one year ago. Those on her hit list include Commander Julius Root, Captain Holly Short, Butler, and none other than Artemis Fowl. But without his knowledge of the fairy world, will Artemis be able to save the entire underground world from a collision with the humans?
Some would say that Eoin Colfer is a very considerate author. I definitely would. You see, I’m sure there are people who’ve read Opal Deception without reading the first three books, so they have no idea what all this “fairy” stuff is about. Without making it as obvious as coming right out with it, Colfer “slips” the information in there. He finds a way to incorporate information from previous books into the character’s dialogue, so that the readers get at least a glimpse into Artemis’ past adventures. In Opal Deception, Holly Short, in a time of crisis, tries to jog Artemis’ lost memory to help them out of a sticky situation. Those memories include his father’s rescue and the cube of fairy technology that Artemis himself created.
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception is not without its share of themes. A major theme in this novel would have to be family. Now that Artemis Senior is back and the Fowl family is together again, Artemis the Second is torn. After losing his memory, Artemis resorted back to his life of criminal activity, but in the back of his mind, there’s this nagging feeling that he should be with his family now, being a normal teenager. On the other hand, how normal can Artemis’ life be? It could be argued that after the past two years, Artemis Fowl’s life can never be the way it once was.
While family is a very important theme, friendship is the basis of the Opal Deception. Every thing in this book revolves around friendships. Artemis doesn’t even remember Holly, but she claimed to be his friend and he felt an obligation to help her when she was in trouble. Their friendship was so strong that even when he lost his memory, he knew he had to help her. Some people think that they don’t need any friends, but everyone does. Friends are there when no one else is.
Aside from the heartfelt themes of family and friendship, the Opal Deception offers intrigue, suspense, drama, and adventure. Eoin Colfer’s style of adding piece by piece as the book goes along, traps the readers as it hooks on to your own intellect. I would even recommend reading the whole series, start to finish. Each chapter brings insight into previous chapters, giving you that “Oh Yeah” realization as you read on. If you love fantasy, pick up a copy of this action packed novel. Amidst the action, this book speaks on how you don’t have to get a reward for good deeds and being a good friend.

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Jan 19, 2012 Mark O'Neill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, fairies, fantasy, fiction, magic

Remember what happened last time? The LEP decide that Fowl is a security risk to the Fairies and so Foaly wipes the minds of Fowl and Butler. Then they rest easy thinking that is the last of Artemis and his schemes. But in this book disaster strikes. Opal Koboi has come out of her coma and she is vowing revenge on those who foiled her plans before. So that's bad news for Short, Root, Foaly, Mulch and of course Artemis and Butler.[return][return]Koboi frames Short for murder and Short therefore h...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Paula rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was glad that this book was able to not concern itself too much on the Fowl parents. Instead, it focused on Artemis's own transformation from criminal to hero as an independent decision based on his concern for others who are important to him.

Actually, there isn't all that much of Artemis in this story, but that's okay, too, as the nemesis from The Arctic Incident, Opal Koboi, is after everyone who helped thwart her last series of dastardly deeds. Not only does Artemis need saving (and remindi...more

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Jan 25, 2009 Jaemi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, faeries, favorite-series, ya-fiction

As a late-comer to the Artemis Fowl phenomenon, I'm glad I did eventually pick it up. These books are really fun and highly entertaining. The Opal Deception didn't disappoint.

Here we are, all mind-wiped and uncertain, everything under and above ground going crazy all at once, but still the heroic group pulls together to fight yet another battle. And quite the group at that: 14-year-old Artemis, his behemoth bodyguard Butler, the dwarf-thief Mulch Diggums, and the ever-fiesty fairy, Holly Short.

T...more

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May 13, 2013 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Young Adults

Once again, another five-star book. A three-star being the average and four being quite good, I believe that this book is truly amazing and certainly deserves to be rated as such.

I enjoyed Opal's escape scene and felt that it was suitably explained. Although it might seem like a slow beginning, I like the updated progress on Opal's condition. The fact she's been in a "coma" for about a year is amusing because in the second book she had seemed somewhat like an unstable character. In this, she see...more Once again, another five-star book. A three-star being the average and four being quite good, I believe that this book is truly amazing and certainly deserves to be rated as such.

I enjoyed Opal's escape scene and felt that it was suitably explained. Although it might seem like a slow beginning, I like the updated progress on Opal's condition. The fact she's been in a "coma" for about a year is amusing because in the second book she had seemed somewhat like an unstable character. In this, she seems like a mix between a completely unstable character and the most calm of them all.

The thing I like most about these books is the way everything comes together at the end. The main reason I like (clever) mysteries is the way certain things matter and then reappear later on when you least expect it. Such a thing can certainly be said about the Artemis Fowl series; I like the way that there is a lack of complete violence and nobody needs to die in order to have a clever turn of events. Fowl intellect is a wonderful thing in a novel.

Artemis' nature, although in the beginning of the series was a little intolerable, has become a marvellous thing. By the end of The Opal Deception, he has certainly become a better person. During this book, I found myself admiring many of the characters. I don't believe there is a single one that I disliked. From Opal to the Dr. Argon and the usual characters, I am pleasantly amused by each of them and their qualities.

The switching between perspectives is something that happens often during these novels. If it were a television program, movie or indeed a novel by anyone else, it might become a dull affair. However, Mr. Colfer does the perspective switches in such a manner that provides intrigue and one can often rely on such a scene change to explain the mystery of the events.
On a related note, I am impressed with the way many characters are represented in these scene changes. In other novels, the perspective is often only provided by main characters (either good or evil), but throughout the Artemis Fowl novels, the story is not only told by main characters. No, much of the information of comes from background characters such as Dr. Jargon and other people who we rely upon to gain a little more knowledge of the events.

This is definitely well worth a read, as is the rest of the series.(less)

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May 06, 2013 Ronny Diaz added it

hello its the book critic signing on today's book is Artemis fowl: the opal deception.this book is a massive improvement to the last one. it actually features a returning villain notorious pixie opal koboi from the second book.only this time she becomes human through surgery and sends a drill bomb down to the world of the fairies. As always its up to holly and Artemis to save the day and in another turn of events Artemis go his memory back due to an ingenious plan by bye creating a video diary a...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Austin Lockart rated it 5 of 5 stars

Eoin Colfer kept me constantly reading with all of the fast paced action in his "The Opal Deception". This book presents an obvious theme of materialism through the main character Artemis Fowl. Through the error of his ways he finds out that he does not need to be materialistic and can do things for other reasons than just money.
In the book the obvious theme is that you do not need to be materialistic. In the beginning of the story someone is trying to get his help and he tells them that he is...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Kayle Heideman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind, a billionaire, and after the end of the book, a sincere friend to three others. Throughout the book Artemis is questioning himself, asking whether he really wants to live the criminal life, or if he wants to go home to his parents and live a normal boy life.

The book opens with describing Opal Koboi and her past incidents and illegal acts. She led an attack on the LEP, the Lower Elements Police, and almost overthrew the entire underground city of Haven's def...more Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind, a billionaire, and after the end of the book, a sincere friend to three others. Throughout the book Artemis is questioning himself, asking whether he really wants to live the criminal life, or if he wants to go home to his parents and live a normal boy life.

The book opens with describing Opal Koboi and her past incidents and illegal acts. She led an attack on the LEP, the Lower Elements Police, and almost overthrew the entire underground city of Haven's defenses. Opal was in a "coma", but had previously had a plan. She was kept in a chamber cell, but not a prison, and was DNA swabbed four times a day. As days continued to pass, hope seemed to fall in her regaining consciousness. Guards that were watching her became fewer and fewer. Suddenly there is a power loss in the shelter, but no one suspected anything. What was really happening was Opal's plan, but this was only the start. Two of her former employes infiltrated her habitat, and replaced her with a clone.

As the story rolls on, Artemis, who had formerly lost his memories, longs to steal a portrait of "The Fairy Thief." He noticed that his interest in Fairies, and the underground, had spiked in the last month.

Opal's plan proceeded, and Holly was quickly made a suspect in the murder of Julius, her commanding officer. She left the cave where the incident had happened, to save Artemis, whom Opal would be after next.

Artemis, and his large bodyguard Butler, worked their way into a national bank in hopes that the painting that Artemis longed for was there. It was, and in fact easier to get to than previously thought. Artemis took the painting, and began to head home. He was kidnapped before returning home, and thrown together with Holly in a troll infested environment. They fought there way out, but Artemis' memories hadn't returned to him even so. Mulch Diggems, a fairy dwarf, saved them when timed seemed bad, and he was assisted by Butler. Mulch stole a LEP cruiser; he was a great thief before the law had caught onto him.

Only after another day did anyone realize what Opal's plan was. She had intended to make a shuttle that should travel to the middle of the Earth, and disguised herself as a human child, as ferries are very small. Using a real human as her "doll" she sent the shuttle downward, and the clock was against Holly, Butler, Artemis, and Mulch.

Opal and her Stealth Shuttle were undetectable to anything besides the human eye, but Artemis had his ways around the system. He told Holly to use the sensors of the LEP cruiser to search for any abnormalities in the air. There were a few, one with increased hydrogen, and others of the sort, but one stuck out in particular to Artemis. It was not an air pocket, in fact it was a pocket of absolutely no air. Artemis threw his own counter-plan into action. He had Mulch secretly invade Opal's ship, who's plan was to blow a hole into the side of the hole produced by the earthbound shuttle, redirecting the lava mass into the city of Haven, destroying it, but also exposing the fairy people to the humans. After inside, Mulch "stole" the charges. A high speed chase began, and Opal's assistants were told to send the detonation charges as soon as they were in range.

The real story behind Mulch's invasion was that he didn't steal the charges, but simply moved them. Opal began to speak with Artemis, who was eating a truffle, which was stolen from Opal's ship. This angered Opal, who went searching for more. She opened the box, which normally would have contained them, if Mulch would not have repositioned them ever so neatly. As she opened the box, the charge's detonation time started. With only 10 seconds, Opal hit the eject button, sending both of her assistants stuck to be stuck to the sides of the chute, and herself, nestled in a luxury pod, to the top of the chute.

The LEP seemed to understand the entire story, and found Opal a week later. Foaly was the computerkeeper of the LEP, and quiet smart himself. He knew that Holly was innocent, and after voting with their council, the vote concluded with a 11-1, claiming that Holly was innocent. Holly knew who the one was, and it was Julius' replacement on the force. He couldn't accept Holly for who she was, and so after thinking it through, Holly quit. She decided that she could benefit "The People" more as a private detective. Her upper officer scoffed and laughed, saying that she was bluffing, but she simply asked Mulch if he would like to join her, and they would split the money 1:1. Mulch gladly agreed.

The book ends with Artemis, who used to be his old evil self, donating "The Fairy Thief" to a museum to be viewed. Along with the painting was a note. The note read, "More to come."(less)

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Feb 11, 2013 Maythavee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Opal Koboi is back and she wants revenge on those who foiled her plans. I loved The Opal Deception. I admit I really liked Opal Koboi, she is one crazy pixie. Her plans were actually quite brilliant but alas, no one could outsmart Artemis Fowl. Can I say that I love how Artemis is trying to balance his goodness with his need to outsmart people? He can be a criminal mastermind without having to hurt other people. It was just really nice to have him back.

R.I.P. Commander Julius Root. You will be...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Leya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book

Opal Koboi is back and seeking revenge. She wants world domination and she wants Holly Short and Artemis Fowl to pay for their part in her incarceration. When Holly Short is accused of murdering Commander Julius Root, her mentor, she needs help to bring Opal Koboi back to justice, and the only person she trusts is Artemis Fowl. She just hopes that she can refresh his memory. In the previous book Artemis and his bodyguard Butler were mind-wiped.

This book was a re-introduction of sorts for Artemi...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl is back…and so is his cunning enemy from Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Opal Koboi. At the start of the fourth adventure, Artemis has returned to his unlawful ways. He's in Berlin, preparing to steal a famous impressionist painting from a German bank. He has no idea that his old rival, Opal, has escaped from prison by cloning herself. She's left her double behind in jail and, now free, is exacting her revenge on all those who put her there, including Artemis

...more

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7 -Identity fraud is at the heart of this fourth book in the series. To all appearances, Opal Koboi, pixie and archenemy of the fairies, is under close surveillance as she lies in a coma. Artemis Fowl, the brilliant 14-year-old criminal mastermind, has had his mind wiped clean of all knowledge of fairies, and, therefore, of all prior goodness he has learned. When the real Opal escapes and leaves behind a DNA-perfect clone of herself, her revenge against all those who opposed her commences with deadly fury. Among the barrage of high-tech gadgets and continuous action sequences and plot twists are moments that give even Artemis Fowl pause as he contemplates friendship, responsibility, and death. The prose is clunky and the characters speak in clichés, but those who enjoyed the earlier books won't care. The humor (heavily dosed with flatulence jokes) and creativity carry the narrative through the tight spots and impossible situations.-Farida S. Dowler, Mercer Island Library, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. The fourth book in the Artemis Fowl saga follows The Eternity Code (2003), in which Artemis' mind was wiped clean of any memories of the belowground world of elves, pixies, and dwarves. In this book, Artemis has reverted to his old life of crime. His archenemy, Opal Koboi, has been in a self-induced coma for a year, plotting revenge on all who thwarted her earlier evil doings. After cloning herself, she escapes and sets her plans in motion, going first to find LEPrecon Captain Holly Short and Commander Root, then taking on Artemis as she schemes to destroy the fairy world. As in all the books, this one has plenty of action as well as great humor and clever plot manipulations. Characters are once again fully realized, and fans will eagerly enter into the spirit of the action. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Jan 26, 2013 Sean Gardocki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Artemis Fowl The Opal Deception Written by Eoin Colfer is an Excellent book. It is about a Irish teen who is always getting himself in to trouble. He is considered a genius and is very witty and thinks on his toes. His arch enemy Opal Koboi, a fairy who has been faking a comma for sometime now under the control of humans, has escaped and wants revenge on young Artemis. He has to find a way to over come the obstacles thrown at him along the book.

Artemis was unaware of Opals escape and was focused...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Collin_x87 rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book that I chose to read was Artemis Fowl, The Opal Deception, by Eoin Colfer, a foreign author from Ireland. This book falls under the genre of fantasy, blending realistic elements with an underground society of creatures such as centaurs and fairies. This book is an installment in a multi part series, all of which revolving around Artemis, a young criminal mastermind, with this story revolving around his experiences with the evil fairy Opal.
The story begins with what would be expected...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Byron rated it 3 of 5 stars

In this fourth book of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, super genius and villain, Opal Koboi returns to enact her revenge against Artemis and his friends for foiling her past plots. The book begins with Artemis having forgotten his past adventures with the fairy world having voluntarily had his memories altered.

Readers expecting a book about Artemis' struggle to regain his memory will be sorely disappointed. Instead of writing a story about Artemis finding clues he cleverly left himself and pi...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Drew Hildebrand rated it 5 of 5 stars

Artemis Fowl is a boy genius. However, he took in his father’s foot steps and became a criminal mastermind at the age of 12. In some of his previous escapades, he came in contact with the fairy people in an attempt to blackmail them for gold. However, since then he has become a friend to the People and helped them with saving the world and protecting the two civilizations from coming in contact with each other. At the end of the book before this, his memory of the People was wiped from his mind,...more Artemis Fowl is a boy genius. However, he took in his father’s foot steps and became a criminal mastermind at the age of 12. In some of his previous escapades, he came in contact with the fairy people in an attempt to blackmail them for gold. However, since then he has become a friend to the People and helped them with saving the world and protecting the two civilizations from coming in contact with each other. At the end of the book before this, his memory of the People was wiped from his mind, but now they need him more than ever.
Opal Koboi, a genius and evil pixie, went into a coma after attempting to cause an uprising in the city. However, she is really in a deep meditation plotting her escape. Being the genius she does, she does escape, with a new plan to destroy the fairy people. After a few twist and turns she manages to kill the commander of the Lower Elements Police and frame it on one of the most famed officers, Holly Short, who happened to be a big part of her downfall in the uprising. Holly, being a fugitive, runs away to save her other friends who helped bring down Koboi, Artemis Fowl and Butler, his giant bodyguard. She manages to narrowly save their lives, but they are mind wiped and do not remember.
Opal’s plan involves getting surgery and a pituitary gland to make her appear as a human. She will use fairy technology to melt a huge hematite orebody to send it down as a core probe. It will come close to a chute that leads to the city of the fairies. Once it gets close she will blow a whole in the chute, allowing a million tons of molten metal to go on a free fall to Haven City, becoming an unstoppable force that will obliterate the city. The probe, being a human probe, will get notice something and the humans will find out about the People’s existence, and they will start a war killing millions of people.
Artemis’s journey through this story is from a criminal mastermind to a normal teenager. He doesn’t fully make the transition, but he is getting away from his criminalistic ways. This is a very meaningful thing because it shows us that he may have had money and gold with crime, but he has friendship now. In the end, friendship trumps being a criminal. (less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Charlie Meserve rated it 3 of 5 stars

Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl remembers nothing of his fairy adventures and has returned to his ciminal ways. He is in Germany to steal a priceless painting when every thing starts to go wrong...

In the fairy world there is a tragedy at bay. Julia's Root is murdered and Holly Short has taken the blame. But she does not stay and explain what really happens for Artemis is in trouble and he does not know enough about the fairies to do anything about it. Has the geni...more

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May 30, 2012 Jan McClintock rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl #4)

Pixie Opal Koboi is a nasty bad guy in this fourth volume on the Artemis Fowl series. She's out for revenge and will stop at nothing to get it. Everyone seems destined for trouble, as Holly Short (Fairy cop) is about to lose her career, Artemis has no memory of The People, and one of the main characters is not going to make it through this book alive.

Although this book also included action and surprises (some good, some bad), I thought it went way overboard wi...more

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May 21, 2012 Stephanie Wright rated it 5 of 5 stars

For those of you who have read Eoin Colfer's series about Artemis Fowl, you will understand the possibility for addiction. That is also true for those who have read J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books and Lemony Snicket's books written by Lemony Snicket and Brent Helquist. You read one book and the author transports you to a realm that is far away and filled with wonder. You do not have to be a child or young adult to be drawn in. That is the case for me with Eoin Colfer's books. Books 3...more

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May 12, 2012 Jerome rated it 5 of 5 stars

But, despite all my enthusiasm, surprisingly, I had a few problems with it. Probably the biggest was that Artemis, the wonderfully complex teenage genius who you could never quite understand, who was always in the middle of heavy turmoil inside himself trying to decide whether to do good or do bad has finally come to the decision to do more good than bad and it has finally been admitted that Artemis and the strange underground people are FRIENDS! WHEW! What a run-on sentence! But Artemis' change...more But, despite all my enthusiasm, surprisingly, I had a few problems with it. Probably the biggest was that Artemis, the wonderfully complex teenage genius who you could never quite understand, who was always in the middle of heavy turmoil inside himself trying to decide whether to do good or do bad has finally come to the decision to do more good than bad and it has finally been admitted that Artemis and the strange underground people are FRIENDS! WHEW! What a run-on sentence! But Artemis' change in feelings sort of takes away from the character in a way and makes him a little LESS interesting and makes it like every other book where it is good vs. bad, and the good always wins.

But even though Artemis went a little soft, the book is still great! Opal Koboi has induced a coma on herself and had her two little pixie helpers replace her with a completely identical clone which would just lay there exactly as she herself had for about a year. Then she began her plan for revenge. First up to get Opal's revenge special for the day were Commander Root and Holly Short. According to Opal's plan one of them is going to be dragged down slowly and suffer, but the other one was going to have to be a sacrifice. This is where the horrendous death scene takes place. I hate to tell you this, because I knew about it before reading the book and it sort of made the effect weaken, but Root is the sacrifice and Holly is the one who is to be dragged down in slow misery. Opal told Holly there was a way to save her commander and she did it, but as one would expect from Opal, she lied about that as well and it really made Root die faster and Holly look like the murderer. Holly was heart broken and filled with rage as Root's final seconds ticked away quickly. But Root, knowing there was no way for him to cheat death this time, gave Holly one last order as commander: SAVE ARTEMIS AND BUTLER. (since they were also on the revenge list) and then with some final last words the commander blew up. Holly then began to cry which it was strange to think of the butt-kicking female corporal crying. Holly decided to honor her friend and commanders dying wishes and save her human friends who have now been mind wiped and don't remember any of the fairies. They are now in the middle of trying to steal a famous painting and Opal has planted a surprise for them. The now-criminal Holly does manage to save Artemis who was mortally injured but together they are captured by Opal and THE PLOT THICKENS!

For most of the book Artemis and Butler don't remember the fairies or their adventures and you just want to scream at them REMEMBER!!!!! REMEMBER!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!! They do eventually, thanks to Mulch, who has also come back to help them and plays a big part in the plot with his bodily functions. Together the avenge Root, and save fairydom from Opal once again.

The book is really funny and really, really good except for a few really unbelievable parts, but that's why you read books, right? To escape reality.(less)

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Feb 23, 2011 3omar rated it 2 of 5 stars

Artemis fowl: the opal deception
By :Eoin Colfer
The story talks about a pixie who trys to take over the world but couldn’t her name is opal koboi and the hero who is called Artemis fowl. It takes place in the lep building.
Opal koboi was in a coma after her last try to dominate the world but failed. She was looked over by surveillance and her blood was taken every 4 hours, but she was faking it. She was also under 24 hour surveillance because she doesn’t escape. The brill brothers tried to make he...more Artemis fowl: the opal deception
By :Eoin Colfer
The story talks about a pixie who trys to take over the world but couldn’t her name is opal koboi and the hero who is called Artemis fowl. It takes place in the lep building.
Opal koboi was in a coma after her last try to dominate the world but failed. She was looked over by surveillance and her blood was taken every 4 hours, but she was faking it. She was also under 24 hour surveillance because she doesn’t escape. The brill brothers tried to make her escape by changing her place with a clone and in the end they succeeded the only thing is that a clone had a dead brain.
Opal then lures captain holly and commander Julius root into a building alone. She then kills commander roots and trys to frame holly. She then launches a bio-bomb against artemis fowl and his body guard but it fails.
She then goes and help an environmentalist named Giovanni. in opals plans she wanted to send a probe downwards to try to make the humans see the fairy's and to make them go to war. To make the humans eliminate them.
Artemis was saved from the bio bomb by holly who trys to refresh his memory after it was wiped in the revolution. He had no memory of meeting the fairies. Holly told him that he wanted his help and he said yes but for a fee. Opal koboi then captures holly and artemis and throws them in a troll park. After a while they are rescued by former criminal mulch and butler. Artemis then becomes friends with holly and then he starts to help her without money.
After being rescued, Mulch gives Artemis the disk that had been passed off as a gold medallion. Artemis views the disk and regains his memories. He is overcome with guilt of what he had done to the fairies but to Holly the most and for the first time, he apologizes for kidnapping her. He realizes that Holly, Butler, and Mulch were the only friends he had. Together, the four friends take on Opal Koboi, knowing that they are the only ones that know she's escaped. It becomes a more difficult task with the LEP on their tail, who still thinks Holly is the one who killed the Commander. The new Commander refuses to believe anything, despite the fact that everyone knows Root was like a father to Holly.
The probe that was sent then misses the chute. Koboi then is detained by the lep and holly then is cleared of charges. Holly then resigns and starts her own investigation with the help of mulch.
Artemis then donates the fairy thief painting to the louver museum when he stole it before the bio bomb.
The story was interesting but a little bit boring because it didn’t have anything to capture the reader. From my view I didn’t like it that much I think it was boring but it had some thrilling parts like when opai killed commander roots and when the probe missed its target. The bad part is that it had a bad ending not a thrilling one. There was a code in the book which said "dna never lies"
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Nov 20, 2010 Kevin Li rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Nov 07, 2010 Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars

In this great novel by Eoin Colfer, there is mystery fantasy and science fiction all in the same book. So all of those components put together make this an exciting book to read. From the start there is action so you will never get bored. When you see Artemis outsmart arch-nemesis Opal Koboi, Fairy billionaire, he just gets stuck into another one of her traps. But in the fourth book of this series we all know the characters very well because he explained them in the first book and second, etc. S...more

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Mar 31, 2010 Lavelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Dec 13, 2009 Jason_W. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade-ir-book-rick

This book is part 4 of the 6 book series. Reading book 3 before this it was sort of a mystery of what happened to Artemis Fowl, a 13 year old criminal mastermind, who was brainwashed or mind wiped of his fairy memories so that he would not be a threat to the fairy kind. Fortunately Artemis has actually been leaning towards the good side before being washed, helping the fairies with his vast knowledge and eliminating other evil masterminds. Artemis, now brainwashed has now gone back to his crimin...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Cyndy Aleo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: boys, middle-grade, fairies

I'm reading Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books starting from the beginning thanks to the folks at Disney Hyperion, who are offering them through NetGalley at the rate of two a month in preparation for the launch of the final Artemis Fowl book at the end of the summer. I've just finished Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception , the fourth book in the middle grade series, and so far, it's my favorite of the lot.

As the book opens, Artemis and his faithful bodyguard Butler have had all their memories of the...more

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May 29, 2012 Nash Nordin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Book Review: The Opal Deception @ai-books

I love this book! I was really looking forward to read this book after The Eternity Code. I couldn’t help but wonder what will happen to Artemis as he had his mind wiped up of any memories of the fairies. I wonder how Artemis will remember the fairies. And I’m glad that I continued to read the saga. The Opal Deception is full of surprise! Eoin Colfer did a good job portraying the emotions of character. I really like how Eoin Colfer made Holly dealt with a...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, read-in-2009, young-adult, young-readers

The fourth in the Artemis Fowl series has the whole gang coming back. As I've said before, at this point, I'm mainly reading it for the characters, not the plot. This one was probably my least favorite of the series so far. I still enjoyed it a lot but there were more points in the story where I felt like the plot and vilians were cliche. Also, there's A LOT of toilet humor in these books. I feel as though whenever the characters get in a tight spot and Colfer has to decide how to get them out,...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Kris added it · review of another edition

Even with memory loss, Artemis Fowl is a brilliant genius. Then again, he always was the master criminal.

When his memory is wiped at the end of book three, I knew that couldn't be the end, and I was right. There is more to his adventure, and he has planned far ahead of the faeries to ensure that his memory loss won't be permanent. I must admit that it was fun seeing memory-wiped Artemis being dragged into faerie adventures, not knowing what's going on and having to go with the flow. Of course,...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, fantasy-and-sci-fi, young-adult

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About Eoin Colfer

Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father and mother, who were both educators.

He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the A...more

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