When I was young I fell in love with fairy tales and I always wished some of them were true. Not the original Grimm’s Fairy tales or Hans Andersen kind, but more Enid Blyton or Beatrice Potter-like. Then, I discovered Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl and with a bitter-sweet poignancy I wished all of it was true.
Artemis Fowl is an odd boy. He is villainous but he believes in fairies (like me, but I am very nice). Then, he catches one under an oak tree and all hell breaks loose in the fairy tale. The fairies in Eoin Colfer’s eight book saga gain their super powers from not just magic but advanced technology. They live in underground cities after being chased away by human toxicity.
Artemis starts off as the genius spoilt brat who picks on people weaker than him for his own amusement (read fairies) but during the course of eight books he slowly becomes a criminal with a reason for his crimes. A pint sized Robin Hood with a conscience. Unlike Harry Potter, Artemis has never been just a child hero in a fantasy novel. He has always teetered on the edge of being the anti-hero or the villain of the piece. All his dilemmas have been of his own making and the situations that he deals in are real world adult problems. Artemis Fowl II is a cross between William (Richmal Crompton), Richie Rich (Harvey Comics) and Peter Pan.
On discovering Eoin Colfer’s books I felt that I had found the perfect books. They had magic,
The Last of the series first published in hard cover in 2012 by Puffin books
crime and drama, my perfect ingredients for a good book. Also, the author managed to make each book more complex and gripping than the previous one. Unlike Rowling, who was telling one story in seven books, Colfer had seven villains (one made two appearances). So, you can actually start reading them in the middle of the series. The Fowl series are for all ages from 9 to 90 so, if you are strict about what your children read and are in the habit of reading the books they read, do pick these up. You will surely enjoy them. Just don’t bury an acorn in the moonlight yet!
My first copy of Artemis Fowl was stolen on a train in India. I bought another copy at an old bookshop. It wasn’t the same but I couldn’t bear to lose it. My love-affair with old books never ceases!
Find out more about Artemis Fowl and where to buy them.
Which fantasy series or book do you like best?
I had to start of my #atozchallenge with a bit of fairy dust. Stay tuned for more magic on The Book Drifter and adventures on the Drifting Traveller.
The Book Drifter 
Don’t you hate it when you lose a favorite book? A new one is never the same! 😦 Good luck with the challenge!
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I’ve been meaning to read the Artemis Fowl books for the longest time, but never seem to get around to it. I really should 🙂 Apart from Harry Potter, I also liked His Dark Materials a lot.
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Vanna Smythe I love Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials was the first Philip Pullman series I read. It must have been my first nearly-adult fantasy series. Do read the Fowl books you won’t be disappointed. At least you won’t have to wait for the next book to be written because its a complete series now!
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Alas, for me I could not commit to reading His Dark Materials.
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Great, another fantasy series I have to read. Thank you 🙂 I really dug the Percy Jackson series and for a more adult fare the Dresden Files. Look forward to more of your recommendations/assessments!
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Hello Evan, Thanks for your comment. I am a dedicated fantasy reader. I read all the various series Rick Riordan has written a well. So this April fantasy is my emergency stash for all the difficult letters of the alphabet 😉
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I find this book to always be in my library at school, and it sounds interesting, but I’ve never picked it up yet, ahah. Thanks to your post, I sure will!
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Hey Michelle, The Fowl books’ covers aren’t very appealing. I wouldn’t have picked up the rest if I wasn’t gifted the first as a teenager 🙂 You should read it.
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Hallo Amrita! 🙂
I wanted to drop by last night, but I was pulling so many hours to complete my thoughts on “To Live Forever” & Letter A; I simply had to duck into the dreamscapes to recharge! I’ve been blissfully restful today, as I work on Letter B!! I am a bit surprised at how well I am taking to the format of the A to Z Challenge as I had this initial fear I might not do as well with the ‘alpha’ prompt! Who knew!? I look forward to revealing my “B” a bit lateron tonight! And, thankfully I can now visit all the lovely alpha-writers who found me! 🙂
You enchant me with your passionate elocution on behalf of “Artemis Fowl”!!
I must admit, I was originally compelled to read this series but then, hesitated because I was caught in the middle of a lot of emerging books & series which were either wrapping me into their folds OR disappointing me greatly! 😦 I sort of worried too, that if I read Fowl I might not appreciate Harry as much as I was into the throes of Potter quite deep! I realise I hadn’t read all of the Potter books in time for the motion pictures, but Harry had an impact on me, and I think I was partial to hold off on reading Artemis until I was ready to let go of Harry Potter & the world of Hogwarts! (not that you’re ever able to say ‘good-bye’ but only to have a bit of distance between two series which are dynamically entwined with your heart!)
Oh, my goodness, we share a love of Beatrix Potter together! I know!? Who had to go and tell us Peter Rabbit & his friends weren’t really were they were meant to be found!? I had the same trouble enveloping the theory that David the Knome was not real as well! There is such a beautiful eclipse of freedom seeing fairy tales, folk stories, & magical worlds through the eyes as a child. In our innocence and theirs, a life-long impression & appreciation is curated! 🙂
I grieved with you the loss of your first Artemis Fowl novel! 😦 Books might be curiously replaceable to others, but to the bookish souls whose hearts are connected to the memory of which edition whose pages we’ve first flickered through enchanted; that particular book holds the key to our memories & in effect, our connection to the story. I am hoping that your second copy will help bridge the gap of the former and allow you to soak back into the world you have loved! 🙂
When the season arrives and I can dig into Fowl, I’ll have to return & let you know of my observations & impressions! I will put Artemis Fowl back on my TBR due to your inspiring post about the merit of his story being known! And, for that, I THANK YOU!
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Loved your comment. I think it is as long as my post, can I use it to write ‘C’ for Favourite Comment? 😀 My next post is on Enid Blyton and although I did not do a ‘theme reveal’, I am evidently revealing myself by posting about fantasy books and authors. Since I was reading Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl while both the series were being written, I didn’t have too much trouble picking one over the other. I read one while waiting for the next book of the other! Also, I am not good at waiting for a book, especially when it is part of a series. But I know what you mean Harry Potter did put Artemis Fowl to shade. There aren’t many people in the Harry Potter generation who also know about Fowl. I am catching up with all the A to Z posts tonight.
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I loved the Artemis Fowl books! My only complaint was that though I started very young, they are so spaced out in release that I barely remember the story line from the beginning as I read the new ones! As if I needed a reason to re-read them 😉
I’m part of the A to Z Challenge too!
Michelle
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I know what you mean! When the last book was released I had to read all of them before reading it.
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