Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Nov 07, 2011

Drew rated it:

I had heard some mothers in a bookstore talking about Artemis Fowl and how good it was, so I finally gave in and bought the first book. Artemis Fowl is a child genius/billionaire/criminal mastermind who has discovered that fairies and the like are real and is seeking to exploit them. He does this by kidnapping a LEPrecon (for Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance). The Lower Elements live underground, having been driven there by the Mud People (or humans). I decided that the book was not good in More...

36 comments like (38 people liked it)

Oct 17, 2007

Percy rated it:

i managed to decipher the code written below the book so for those who are interested...read on:

THE PROPHECIES OF OHM PHLEGM POT CLEANER TO FROND ELFEN KING:
I AM OHM PHLEGM POT CLEANER TO THE KING. BUT I AM MUCH MORE THAN THAT FOR I SEE THE FUTURE WRITTEN IN THE PHLEGM. FOR CENTURIES, WE PIXIES HAVE READ THE PHLEGM, BUT I AM THE BEST THERE HAS EVER BEEN. MY VISIONS ARE GENERALLY OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE. I FORETELL OUTBREAKS OF TROLL POX OR GAS SPASMS AMONG ELDERLY DWARFS. BUT SOM More...

20 comments like (51 people liked it)

Dec 10, 2011

Keely rated it:

Colfer has described this series as “Die Hard, with fairies”, which is a reference to an old Hollywood joke. After the phenomenal success of that movie, a lot of writers started pitching their scripts as ‘Die Hard, with [blank]”, such as Speed: “Die Hard on a Bus”, or Air Force One: “Die Hard, on Air Force One”, or, as the joke goes, the unfortunate who wanted to make "Die Hard, in a building".

If you have actually seen Die Hard, you might recall Hans Gruber, the wealthy, cu More...

17 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jun 19, 2009

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it:

Want to meet the guy who's smart enough to take over the world? Well he's twelve years old. And his name is Artemis Fowl. I have two words for this book: GREAT FUN.
If you are at all young at heart or you just want to read something different from your usual fare, then check out this book. Artemis will keep you entertained with his hijinks. At the age of 12, Artemis is keeping his family afloat as they suffer from grief at the disappearance of Artemis Fowl, Sr, his father. His mother h More...

11 comments like (29 people liked it)

Jul 20, 2011

Juan rated it:

First and foremost, let it be said that I am reading a book intended for someone half my age. Artemis Fowl is the kind of book that grabs a kid by the eyeballs because of the pretty, shiny cover. But once the cover's open and the story laid out, Artemis Fowl is an incredibly gripping story about growing up, equality and acceptance. This was exactly the case when I first read Artemis Fowl; I immediately loved the intelligent, resourceful, but ultimately unhappy Artemis. A better character a teena More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

May 13, 2008

Drew rated it:

Artemis Fowl, though entertaining and often well told, is one of those books that has bound itself with the shackles of pandering to a perceived audience and thus will never rise above a certain level. For example, the dwarf character defeats his enemies with the help of his terribly powerful flatulence more than once. The whole race tunnels with the power of poop. The main faerie character, Holly, is a girl trying to break her way through a glass ceiling that no one seems to notice throughout More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

Sep 04, 2007

Heather rated it:

I've seen these books in the stores for a while, but had actually steered clear of them because I thought they were just a Harry Potter knock off. The other day, I was in the kid section with Daniel while he was playing with the train table, and they caught my eye again. As they had the first 3 books in the series for $9.98, I decided to give them a try. Who am I to pass up a bargain?

Well, let me just say, it is not a Harry Potter knock off! Yes, it deals with sprites, dwarves, lepre More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Jan 17, 2012

Andrew rated it:

We were on holiday, and the little cottage we were staying in had a huge range of books. Unfortunately most of the adult books were colossal monsters that there was no way I was going to read in a week. So instead I decided to see what modern kids books were like and picked up Artemis Fowl, a book aimed at boys of about 11 years of age.

The character of Artemis is 12, and a crime lord. Helped by his trusty bodyguard Butler he has discovered that fairies are real, and also really do ha More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 02, 2012

Madeleine rated it:

I love the Harry Potter series, so i often compare book to Harry Porter.. The book Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer has been on the shelves for years now but i never had the chance to pick it up. People often encouraged me to read it,often times referring to the books as the next Harry Potter . While they have some of the same fictional ,imaginative , well written storyline doesn't mean they should be compared. Just because a book might be as highly liked as Harry Potter doesn't mean they follow the More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 16, 2011

Laura rated it:

This book would suit the age group of perhaps 9-12, however I really enjoyed reading it myself. It’s a modern fairytale but with action and adventure interwoven. This book is about fairies but it is not the friendly fairies that we have read about before, it explores all the different types of fairies and their universe. I believe that this book will open children’s imagination and get them thinking about different species and different aspects of the world.
These fairies are living under t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 04, 2011

Laura rated it:

2.5/5; 3 stars; B-

I listened to this book on two separate road trips in the last month. It stood up well to a 2 week gap in the middle.

Nathaniel Parker was a fantastic narrator/actor. His vocal interpretation of the story was very well done.

The magic system and world building were pretty good in this book and I think children and young teens would enjoy it. The one thing the book didn't do that left me feeling unsettled was it didn't help me connect w More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 14, 2009

Meridyforgot rated it:

To be honest I haven't read the whole book, and there is a slim chance that I might try to continue and so I post this review.

The problem is that the onslaught of cheap jabs at the "barbarian humans" destroying the earth is becoming extremely irritating. And miraculously Ireland is still nice and green, but give those humans a few hundred years and it will be destroyed. Please. It completely distracts from the story. Why do we have to spoon feed children dogmatic propaga More...

4 comments like (7 people liked it)

Oct 12, 2008

Keli rated it:

Synopsis

Described by the author as "James Bond....with fairies", Artemis Fowl is the story of a twelve-year-old criminal genius and his attempt to regain his family's billionare status by kidnapping a fairy police officer and holding her for ransom.

Review

This inventive, action-packed book is full of suspense. Anything could go wrong at any moment putting either side in a compromised position. There are no clear good guys and bad guys in this book. More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Apr 29, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

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 More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 12, 2008

Coby rated it:

I found this book rather lacking and unimaginative. The whole time while reading I couldn't help but think, "the author simply took the Harry Potter concept and tried to copy it with a few tweeks".

I didn't care for any of the characters. I never identified with any fo them, accordingly, I didn't care what happened to them.

The most annoying part was how pro-leftist this book was. I got tired of hearing how evil humans were. It starts off by 'The People' ( More...

4 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 29, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

The overwhelming Irish nationalism is ridiculous. The protagonist is an antagonistic little brat for whom I could feel nothing positive.

The professional response:
After learning of the existence of faeries, twelve-year old criminal-genius Artemis Fowl devises a seemingly fool-proof plan to steal their gold. However, his plan backfires and he must endure a series of unpleasant happenings before eventually emerging triumphant. This book includes several instances in which the n More...

6 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 29, 2007

Arun rated it:

I have long heard about Artemis fowl from online friends. I stayed away from it because it was written in a style that i was not particularly fond of at that time. On a recent visit to the library, I picked it up because I couldn't think of anything else to read.

It is an easy read but a fun and engrossing one.

Colfer's wit is a wry and very droll wit. Mixing genres and worlds, she pulls in her own take on the world of faerie by pushing them into an urban setting and also More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 22, 2007

Khalid rated it:

Artemis Fowl is a genius criminal mastermind who is only twelve years old. This book describes his first encounter with the fairies, and his ingenious plan to steal their gold. Sounds dull when put that way, but trust me; it is not.

Artemis Fowl is a very well written novel; and although directed mainly at children, the book has a very intriguing plot and a lovely and funny style. The world in which this story is based is quite interesting too, fantasy creatures with the same names we More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 04, 2011

Bluemoon rated it:

3.5

Ok this book was good. It's one of those books that I didn't know I was going to like until I was half way into it. I listened to it on audio so it was a pretty quick read, even if it did take me a week to finish it. ha! This was actually one of the first books I have read, with fairies in it that I liked. I don't really count The Spiderwick Chronicles because those are itty bitty.

I love Holly, I just picture her like tinker bell but with auburn hair and a knife around he More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 06, 2008

Micah rated it:

This series was a lot of fun! Some things were a little childish, but hey, it's a child's book, right?

I think that the author came up with a very clever idea (with the LEP Recon), and did a good job developing it.

I had Taylor (my 9 year old boy) start reading it, and he never got very far into it. His comment was "So why are we supposed to be fans of a criminal?" Good point.

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 10, 2009

Ben rated it:

I read on Wikipedia that Colfer calls the series "Die Hard with fairies." That's pretty acurate. Just the right mix of action, humor, and drama for my taste. Reads fast. No cookie-cutters involved. The creative energy reminds me a little of Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide..." or Matt Groening's "Futurama."

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 05, 2008

Andrew rated it:

Wow what a fun read. Enthralled me from the first page to the end. It also kept me guessing the whole way not because there was no foreshadowing but because the main character is the villain. There are not many books written from the perspective of the villain and this one was really fun to read.

The dynamics of the characters was, I thought, Very well done. You come to sympathize with the villain and dislike the protagonists. Which made the dynamics all that more interesting and a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 31, 2008

Sara rated it:

First off, I would like to say I listened to as opposed to read this book (I listen to the audiobook version). I think I may be slightly biased, because it is not at all what I expected. It was an interesting novel, with quite a few twists, however it is not what I expected and it certianly wasn't up to the caliber that I thought it would be. Granted not all the critics can always be right and it could be that this first novel is nothing compared to the rest of the series so I in my compassionat More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jul 11, 2008

Cheryl rated it:

Finally got around to reading a book this busy summer! Did it in one evening, albeit a late one...and thought this was an easy, quick read that kept my attention enough to stay up late to finish it. I was surprised at where the story went. Somehow I had a different picture in my head of what the story was about.
If you enjoy fantasy in general, or well-thought out details, you may like this one. I enjoyed the attention to detail when things came together and appreciate the intelligence More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 14, 2011

Travis rated it:

Fun, odd book about a teenage criminal mastermind who decides that the only way he can keep his empire going and track down his missing father is to steal some fairy gold.
Unfortunately, this leads to group of fairy commandos laying siege to his family's mansion.
Can Artemis outsmart a bunch of magic wielding, gun-toting fairies, get the gold and stop war from breaking out between the muggles... ahem... humans and magical creatures?

Very quirky and amusing. The only drawback is More...

8 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 09, 2011

Myfavoritegeorgie rated it:

I just re-read this book today (actually, re-listened-to).

It remains one of my favorites.

Artemis is a 12 year old prodigy who lives in Ireland. He is a genius at crime--and has the means and lack of parental supervision to carry out his various devious plans.

In this book, Artemis contrives to contact a fairy and steal a copy of "The Book" (the Holy Grail in the fairy world).

His plan--extort one metric ton of gold from the fairies who live below-ground.

His mental battles with the fa More...

0 comments like

Dec 09, 2009

Michele added it

Artemis Fowl kidnaps an elf, Captain Holly Short, in an effort to ransom gold to replenish his family's wealth. After his father's disappearance, his family fortune was completely drained. Artemis Fowl is twelve-years old and is quite the master mind. He exhibits extraordinary skills and utilizes fantastical technology to manipulate situations for himself. When he successfully kidnaps Holly, a rescue is attempted by the underground's elite LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police reconnaissance). A varie More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 03, 2009

Jenben8426 rated it:

I'm a little torn on this one. I will give it three stars for the story, but only 2 1/2 stars for the main character. This is a book geared towards kids probably ages 10-14ish. It is a clever story, fun secret code to deciper. A mastermind genius takes on a plot to learn the secrets of a hidden supposedly fake fairy world in order to get their gold and become rich. The catch is that the mastermind is a 12 year old boy. Good characters, interesting look at how the old legends of fairies wou More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 19, 2009

Shel rated it:

Colfer, E. (2001). Artemis Fowl. New York: Hyperion Paperbacks for Children.

Artemis Fowl is not only to tale of the ingenious and villainous Artemis Fowl, but also the Story of Captain Holly Short, the first female to protect the magical people by joining LEPrechaun force.

Artemis, whose mother is unwell since his father was lost in the Arctic, searches with his friend and protector, Butler, to restore the Fowl fortune. This leads Artemis into trouble with the magical world w More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 21, 2009

Gayle rated it:

This children's best seller and modern-day semi-classic by Eoin Colfer has, until now, not really been on my radar. Although I have always been a fan of children's literature, both picture books and chapter books, this one came along after my children were out of the market, so I'm a little behind. Of course, I have read the Harry Potter series and the Princess Diaries series, even The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (not the series, one was enough), but I am a little skeptical of what passes More...

0 comments like

reviews