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Artemis Fowl
(Artemis Fowl #1)
by
Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius, and above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories—they're dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.
...more
Paperback, 396 pages
Published
April 1st 2003
by Disney-Hyperion
(first published April 26th 2001)
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Reghan
Yep I answered my own question... Yes it is the BEST book series EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Start your review of Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1)

(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Ironically, it's the supernatural characters that follow familiar archetypes, while the humans are strange and atypical. ...more
Notes: Ironically, it's the supernatural characters that follow familiar archetypes, while the humans are strange and atypical. ...more

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 SOMETIMES EVEN A POOR ...more
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 SOMETIMES EVEN A POOR ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

It´s the setting, the fantasy sci-fi crossover mix, the humor and the good oldfashioned badass smartass character trope that make this series an entertaining read. I´ve so far read no children books author who made such a mix and I would, in general, like to see more tech and Sci-Fi there instead of just fantasy all the shelves up and down.
The tech is not broken down to ridiculous simplicity, but not too complex and perfect for speeding up and slowing down the plot, some character development pr ...more
The tech is not broken down to ridiculous simplicity, but not too complex and perfect for speeding up and slowing down the plot, some character development pr ...more

Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1), Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl is a series of eight science fiction fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer.
Artemis Fowl is the first book in the Artemis Fowl series.
It follows the adventures of Artemis Fowl, a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind, as he kidnaps a fairy for a large ransom of 24-carat gold with the help of his bodyguard, Domovoi Butler and his sister, Juliet Butler, to restore the Fowl family fortune.
After multiple attempts by the LEP (Lower ...more
Artemis Fowl is a series of eight science fiction fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer.
Artemis Fowl is the first book in the Artemis Fowl series.
It follows the adventures of Artemis Fowl, a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind, as he kidnaps a fairy for a large ransom of 24-carat gold with the help of his bodyguard, Domovoi Butler and his sister, Juliet Butler, to restore the Fowl family fortune.
After multiple attempts by the LEP (Lower ...more

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, cunning, erudite, Europe ...more
If you have actually seen Die Hard, you might recall Hans Gruber, the wealthy, cunning, erudite, Europe ...more

Oct 24, 2008
Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books)
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
The sophisticated reader of YA books, Faery lovers
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 has retreat ...more
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 has retreat ...more

Artemis Fowl: Artemis Fowl, Book 1
By Eoin Colfer
Narrated By Nathaniel Parker
I borrowed this book from the library. I figured everyone in the world has read this but me and thought I would catch up. What a hoot! Loved it! I don't know what I thought it was going to be but I didn't expect a 12 year old genius villain! My goodness, I thought it was great! The fairies, dwarves, trolls, and the silly things that happen, I giggled so much. It was so silly I can see why kids love this book. I am defini ...more
By Eoin Colfer
Narrated By Nathaniel Parker
I borrowed this book from the library. I figured everyone in the world has read this but me and thought I would catch up. What a hoot! Loved it! I don't know what I thought it was going to be but I didn't expect a 12 year old genius villain! My goodness, I thought it was great! The fairies, dwarves, trolls, and the silly things that happen, I giggled so much. It was so silly I can see why kids love this book. I am defini ...more

Aug 21, 2020
Sofia
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of middle-grade fantasy
Here's the deal with masterminds: they're hardly ever fleshed-out characters. I'm all for the conflicted genius trope, but people have to make mistakes, otherwise the plot will never move forward, because the antagonist won't make any ground.
And that's precisely the problem.
Since they have to mess up at some point, you run the risk of making them seem like they were never a mastermind in the first place. One error is fine. Two mistakes is still okay. They were confused, they were out of their e ...more
And that's precisely the problem.
Since they have to mess up at some point, you run the risk of making them seem like they were never a mastermind in the first place. One error is fine. Two mistakes is still okay. They were confused, they were out of their e ...more

From the get-go it appears Artemis Fowl is going to be about Artemis Fowl, a criminal boy genius with Sherlock Holmes-like powers of deduction, but then bomb squad-esque faeries take over the story and we end up spending just as much time, if not more, reading about them. That's fine since they're interesting and their story moves with a good dash of fun and excitement.
This is another of those books with a redeemable bad-guy protagonist. We shouldn't, but we do root for him, at least in some wa ...more
This is another of those books with a redeemable bad-guy protagonist. We shouldn't, but we do root for him, at least in some wa ...more

99c Kindle sale, Oct. 11, 2018. A solid, amusing start to this YA fantasy series, about a twelve-year-old millionaire evil genius. Okay, he's not really evil, but he is into criminal heists, especially since the family wealth is gone, his father has disappeared, and his mother is mentally ill, out of touch with reality. So Artemis, having used his brilliant mind to figure out that fairies are real, decides to restore the family fortune by kidnapping a fairy and holding him or her for for ransom.
...more

Apr 06, 2018
Alaina
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
young-adult,
sci-fi,
fiction,
fantasy,
mystery,
contemporary,
favorites,
humor,
paranormal,
2018
Okay, so this is my second re-read of this series. I think? I'm pretty sure I listened to the audiobook beforehand so diving into the KU ebook version was a bit of an eye opener. It was like this time around I just saw things I didn't hear or see before. Which makes re-reads all the more fun because things start clicking into place.
Now Artemis, he's an interesting guy who finds himself in trouble. I mean he's a genius so he probably knew all the outcomes before they even happened. Which for me, ...more
Now Artemis, he's an interesting guy who finds himself in trouble. I mean he's a genius so he probably knew all the outcomes before they even happened. Which for me, ...more

Dec 31, 2016
Ahmed Ejaz
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2016,
full-lengths
SPOILER FREE review if you will not open the spoiler tags
WORLD-BUILDING
All the fairies, elves, dwarves, goblins, trolls live in the underground world. This world has its own technology which is beyond our comprehension and have their own laws.
CHARACTERS
Artemis Fowl [ of course ]
(Doesn't this name sounds Awesome!!!)
No need to say, he is a super genius criminal. You know how old he is? Just 12 Y ...more
How does one describe Artemis Fowl? Various psychiatrists have tried and failed.
WORLD-BUILDING
All the fairies, elves, dwarves, goblins, trolls live in the underground world. This world has its own technology which is beyond our comprehension and have their own laws.
CHARACTERS
Artemis Fowl [ of course ]
(Doesn't this name sounds Awesome!!!)
No need to say, he is a super genius criminal. You know how old he is? Just 12 Y ...more

For some odd reason, I've been avoiding reading this book (or the whole series) despite it being well-beloved in general.
Why? I mean, I like a good heist novel and the cockier and the more headstrong the character, the more interesting I find it. So this should be right up my alley, right?
Well, it's YA. MG, even. Okay. So that's a big thing.
Even so, I thought I ought to finally GIVE IT A CHANCE. After all, wasn't there a big movie was made for it?
*crickets* *embarrassed shuffling over at Disne ...more
Why? I mean, I like a good heist novel and the cockier and the more headstrong the character, the more interesting I find it. So this should be right up my alley, right?
Well, it's YA. MG, even. Okay. So that's a big thing.
Even so, I thought I ought to finally GIVE IT A CHANCE. After all, wasn't there a big movie was made for it?
*crickets* *embarrassed shuffling over at Disne ...more

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 t
...more

Well, looks like my 14-year-old was right--it was as bad as I remembered. The concept was nice, but terrible execution and the plot got too muddled in the middle. It tries to be funny but fails. Epically.

And Artemis struck as a wee sexist. He doesn't want to hurt a girl because she reminds him of his mother and his friend, Juliet. The author might be trying to show that Artemis is actually a nice guy, but the way I see it, there are only two options: Oedipus Complex or sexist jerk.

It's gotta be ...more

And Artemis struck as a wee sexist. He doesn't want to hurt a girl because she reminds him of his mother and his friend, Juliet. The author might be trying to show that Artemis is actually a nice guy, but the way I see it, there are only two options: Oedipus Complex or sexist jerk.

It's gotta be ...more

3 Silver Stars
Warning:
it could be a Ranting review,
so if you're a hardcore Fowl fan, don't continue.
It was interesting & usually funny, but I couldn't exactly feel connected to this story for some reasons:
first & most important one; why is Artemis a boy? I think you might say it is an Irish name." or something, (or is it?) but I've grown up with the myths of Artemis goddess of the moon, so... yeah, I can't register that.
2) I don't think about stories of fairies or leprechauns; in other word, it' ...more
Warning:
it could be a Ranting review,
so if you're a hardcore Fowl fan, don't continue.
It was interesting & usually funny, but I couldn't exactly feel connected to this story for some reasons:
first & most important one; why is Artemis a boy? I think you might say it is an Irish name." or something, (or is it?) but I've grown up with the myths of Artemis goddess of the moon, so... yeah, I can't register that.
2) I don't think about stories of fairies or leprechauns; in other word, it' ...more

May 23, 2015
Rusty's Ghost Engine (also known as.......... Jinky Spring)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
fantasy-or-paranormal,
faeries
Back in 2015 when I first read this these were my opinions.....
What a complete waste of time. I almost dnfed this, well I kind of did as I skimmed through the last pages.
I can't believe this was almost made into a movie and I can't believe this was given 5 stars by 2 of my friends. The only reason I didn't dnf this is cause it was leant to me by one of the 2 friends I mentioned so I felt I had to finish it well sort of.
The characters were really unrealistic and had no depth to them. plus I felt ...more
What a complete waste of time. I almost dnfed this, well I kind of did as I skimmed through the last pages.
I can't believe this was almost made into a movie and I can't believe this was given 5 stars by 2 of my friends. The only reason I didn't dnf this is cause it was leant to me by one of the 2 friends I mentioned so I felt I had to finish it well sort of.
The characters were really unrealistic and had no depth to them. plus I felt ...more

Ok so my friend forced me to read this and, ummm... WHERE WAS THIS SERIES WHEN I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL bro I would've been obsessed with this shit. This was really fun, and that ending honestly made me smile. I now want to read the rest of the series and see this little bastard grow up :,)
...more

Feb 11, 2011
Stephanie (Bookfever)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
young-adult,
owned-physical-books,
favorite-authors,
fae,
humor,
magic,
paranormal,
middle-grade,
fantasy
"A genius. A criminal mastermind. A millionaire. And he is only twelve years old."
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer is my favorite book ever. EVER! I read it for the first time when I was fourteen years old and have been reading the series ever since. I've re-read the book over and over again. I can't even remember how many times I have read it but by now this book feels like an old friend and it's just as amazing as when I read it the first time. Now that I've re-read it once again, I think it's ...more
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer is my favorite book ever. EVER! I read it for the first time when I was fourteen years old and have been reading the series ever since. I've re-read the book over and over again. I can't even remember how many times I have read it but by now this book feels like an old friend and it's just as amazing as when I read it the first time. Now that I've re-read it once again, I think it's ...more

Apr 06, 2019
Brittany
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
z2019-challenge,
fantasy-paranormal,
fiction,
mystery,
middle-grade,
reviews,
paranormal,
teen
Well what to say, This book definitely had a younger audience in mind, but I still really enjoyed Holly. I definitely found myself on the side AGAINST Artemis right away. Artemis' attitude and the way that he talks to and treats others made him really hard to like. I wasn't a big fan of his.. Any redemption was too little too late for me unfortunately.
The created world IS interesting, but it's not a series that I will rush to continue. ...more
The created world IS interesting, but it's not a series that I will rush to continue. ...more

Reading this started out as a dare. *lol* I had heard about it when the movie came out, then discovered one of my colleagues and her partner are big fans, but somehow the idea of a child master-thief somehow involved with magical creatures such as goblins and faeries and dwarves just didn't appeal to me. I can't even remember if I ever even only saw the movie trailer. But then there was this bet and ... *sighs*
12-year-old Artemis Fowl II lives in a huge manor with his mentally unstable mother. H ...more
12-year-old Artemis Fowl II lives in a huge manor with his mentally unstable mother. H ...more

I had to Dnf it. No offense if you like this it. This is not a bad book. It had a fairly interesting plot. Mind you, it had a very interesting plot that i could NOT READ. I tried, i honestly did. I loved some of the characters, and the world was intriguing. But my mind could not grasp it.
I asked myself "Why am i reading this book?" I had no answer. The writing style was not for me at all, and while the plot was well written, i did not understand it. And at one point, i was reading the words, an ...more
I asked myself "Why am i reading this book?" I had no answer. The writing style was not for me at all, and while the plot was well written, i did not understand it. And at one point, i was reading the words, an ...more

جلد اول و دوم کتاب رو با هم خریدم ولی از اونجایی که از جلد اول خوشم نیومد هیچ وقت سراغ جلد دوم نرفتم
پ.ن1: خوشم نیومد چون مناسب سن من نبود ، اگه چند سال زودتر خونده بودم شاید کلی لذت می بردم از کتاب
پ.ن2: اقتباس سینمایی کتاب هم امسال اکران می شه ،به نظر جالب میاد
پ.ن1: خوشم نیومد چون مناسب سن من نبود ، اگه چند سال زودتر خونده بودم شاید کلی لذت می بردم از کتاب
پ.ن2: اقتباس سینمایی کتاب هم امسال اکران می شه ،به نظر جالب میاد

"If I win, I'm a prodigy. If I lose then I'm mad. That's the way history is written."
Okay, so...I liked this, but I didn't love it.
There's nothing really wrong with this book. It's actually pretty entertaining and easy to read, with its simple yet witty writing and interesting characters. However, I couldn't help but feel a little detached from the story and even bored at times, but I guess it's my fault for jumping into this story after a couple of royally good fantasy books that won't eas ...more

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 but love him ...more
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 but love him ...more

“If I win, I'm a prodigy. If I lose, then I'm crazy. That's the way history is written.”
“Confidence is ignorance. If you're feeling cocky, it's because there's something you don't know.”
It is such a delight to note that Artemis Fowl excels in characterisation and storytelling that both young and old alike will enjoy being trapped amongst its pages. The plot is a bit reminiscent of Die Hard, only with magical creatures and high tech weaponry. At only age 12, young Artemis Fowl exerts a genius-l ...more
“Confidence is ignorance. If you're feeling cocky, it's because there's something you don't know.”
It is such a delight to note that Artemis Fowl excels in characterisation and storytelling that both young and old alike will enjoy being trapped amongst its pages. The plot is a bit reminiscent of Die Hard, only with magical creatures and high tech weaponry. At only age 12, young Artemis Fowl exerts a genius-l ...more

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 propaganda? Don't get me wrong. ...more
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 propaganda? Don't get me wrong. ...more
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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
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
Other books in the series
Artemis Fowl
(8 books)
Articles featuring this book
Irish author Eoin Colfer is best known for his wildly popular middle grade series
Artemis Fowl
. So, readers may be a bit surprised that his...
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“Confidence is ignorance. If you're feeling cocky, it's because there's something you don't know.”
—
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“It's like learning to ride a unicorn. You never forget.”
—
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