The premise of the book, generally speaking, is fantastic. Artemis Fowl is the archetypical precocious boy genius, yes. But he also happens to be a criminal mastermind. With his father missing and his mother caught in a rapidly degenerating mental fugue, Fowl is in a state of desperation. He hatches an outlandish plan to return his fallen family to their former glory, and it involves the People (who humans have always known as fairies, trolls, leprechauns, and other figments of tall tales and dreams). Through trickery and bribery, Fowl manages to get his hands on a copy of The Book, which outlines the rules of fairy magic down to the smallest detail. Armed with forbidden knowledge, Fowl sets upon achieving something that no human has ever done before: to kidnap a fairy, and successfully walk away with a fortune in fairy gold as ransom.
The fact that the story’s protagonist is also the villain excites me to levels that I can’t quite put words to, as I’ve always been partial to villains. A good villain is good because they have motives and rationales that justify their heinous acts, and Fowl is no exception. Ostensibly, Fowl is attempting to replenish his family’s fortune, and re-establish the notoriety of its name. However, he is also a 12-year-old boy who misses his dad and wants his mom to be well, and that lies at the heart of everything he does. It makes for a great character, especially for teen lit. The fact that Fowl is the antagonist splits up the narrative in a strange way, but the multiple “heroes” in the book complement each other quite nicely. In fact, the characters are the best thing about this book, with each being distinct and likeable in their own way, even when they occasionally seem somewhat two-dimensional.
And that’s the crux of the book’s weak point: everything feels a little gimmicky. From the improbable grandiosity of the power and history of Artemis Fowl’s family to the complex dei ex machina of fairy magic/technology, everything in the book veers a little too much towards the witty and clever to be taken very seriously. Consistency takes a back seat to “isn’t that cool,” for the most part. Which is not to say that anything egregiously bad is going on; Artemis Fowl is highly readable, and I was especially taken by the first half of the book. But the story and its mythology, for all of the loving detail, is not very deep.
In fact, this is very much a book for teens and older kids, and is likely to lose older readers that are hunting for that magic YA Crossover effect. Poop humor abounds. Between that, the melodramatic dialogue, and a liberal sprinkling of James Bond-style action and gadgetry, I began to sense a very definite audience that I think might not include me. The last half of the story is much slower than the first half, too; the fairies use a “time-stop” at the beginning of the book’s third act, and I think it might have worked on me, too, because the pace seemed to slow to a crawl as I approached the book’s climax.
As a quick aside, I’ve seen more than one reader review that lambastes the book (in all seriousness!) for its “anti-human agenda” and its “environmentalist propaganda.” Really? I mean... honestly? Huh. Well, I don’t know if those reviewers intended to give such a revealing peek into their own psyches, but it sure goes a long way to explain why trying to discuss politics with anybody these days feels to me like repeatedly punching myself in the eye socket. Suffice it to say that, as with any story that involves nature-attuned spirits who live in the earth, Artemis Fowl has an undercurrent of environmentalism. However, Colfer handles this deftly, with no unnecessary moralizing other than the expressed prejudices of the fairies, and no hint of “teaching a lesson” to be found anywhere. Action is the name of the game in this book, and some of the characters (Holly Short and Butler, specifically) are quite fun to read in this regard.
So, no, not the next Harry Potter. In a rare reversal of how things usually go for me, I loved this one in the beginning, and then the magic started to wear off a little as I approached the end. But I’d still give this one a solid recommendation for fantasy fans who aren't picky about reading something meant for younger readers, and it’s a definite must-read for teens who like action, magic, and series books. It has its problems, but Artemis Fowl is definitely a fun read, and I liked it just enough to try out the next book when I get a chance.
Verdict: 3 / 5
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