Eoin Colfer’s bestselling middle-grade adventure mystery novels chronicle the lives of twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl. In the first Artemis Fowl novel, we meet our eponymous character, who is more devious and clever than most adults. The novel follows Fowl after he attempts to catch a fairy in order to obtain gold for ransom. His main motive for this is that the fairy gold will be able to restore the fortune of his esteemed family after the disappearance of his father. Artemis successfully manages to capture a fairy, but he is sorely challenged when the fairy launches an attack on Artemis, his friends and his own family house. The fairy deploys an army of goblins, trolls and other fairies to conduct a major siege.
To preface, I will say that I did not enjoy this novel. I feel as though I, as an adolescent reader, have completely moved past the demographic that this novel was intended for. The characters in the novel were few, and there was rarely any development, which is a necessary component of all storytelling, no matter what your intended reading audience actually is.
Artemis is a thoroughly dislikable protagonist–he can be mean, hedonistic and rarely displays any virtues that other protagonists from children’s books seem to have. I understand that no hero is perfect, but by failing to discuss or reveal why this is, the titular character of this novel falls completely flat on his face. I also felt no attachment to any of the other characters in the novel, as I felt they were too shallow and not developed enough over the 277 pages.
Another problem that I had with the novel was its inclusion of fairy characters. The problem I had with this was that the fairy world–which lives under ours–was too different from the real world to be believable. It made no sense that there were fairies and other magical creatures in a seemingly normal story, and while novel such as Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments is able to develop an interesting and intriguing contrast between these two worlds, Colfer fails once again.
Overall, this novel was a weak start to the story. I expected adventure, jokes and heart, but I was sorely disappointed. This novel, in my opinion, is better suited for children in primary school, and readers who are older and more prolific in their literary skills will find Eoin Colfer’s novel a bore.
Marcus Zusak’s captivating debut novel follows the story of Liesel, who witnesses the death of her younger brother while on a train through Germany. When she discovers a novel hidden in the snow while standing by her brother’s grave, Liesel pockets it, despite the fact that she has not acquired the ability to read. When …
Eleni Hale’s Stone Girl is an incredibly powerful and honest story about the Australian foster care system. Drawing on elements of Hale’s own childhood, the novel is a confronting look into the troubling conditions faced by the children most in need of care. When twelve-year-old Sophie is moved to a foster home after the death …
The Wishing Spell follows twin siblings Alex and Conner Bailey, who grew up with fairy tales read to them by their grandmother. But when Alex and Conner are magically transported inside their grandmother’s fairy tale treasury, they will be thrust into a world where all their fairy tale characters are extremely real. The two will …
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …
The absolutely electrifying Australian crime novel ‘The Tell’ by Martin Chatterton weaves a wickedly satisfying tale of Raze Tanic, an upper-class Sydney student whose family-run an illustrious crime ring in the heart of the Australian city. Raze has everything he could ever want, except the relationship with his father, who has been jailed in a …
Meet Me at the Intersection is a rich short story anthology written by a diverse range of Australian authors and lovingly edited by Rebecca Lim and Ambelin Kwaymullina. The anthology aims to showcase the experiences of marginalised groups through “own voice” stories, whose authors fit into those groups. The first thing about the anthology that …
Book Review – Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
To preface, I will say that I did not enjoy this novel. I feel as though I, as an adolescent reader, have completely moved past the demographic that this novel was intended for. The characters in the novel were few, and there was rarely any development, which is a necessary component of all storytelling, no matter what your intended reading audience actually is.
Artemis is a thoroughly dislikable protagonist–he can be mean, hedonistic and rarely displays any virtues that other protagonists from children’s books seem to have. I understand that no hero is perfect, but by failing to discuss or reveal why this is, the titular character of this novel falls completely flat on his face. I also felt no attachment to any of the other characters in the novel, as I felt they were too shallow and not developed enough over the 277 pages.
Another problem that I had with the novel was its inclusion of fairy characters. The problem I had with this was that the fairy world–which lives under ours–was too different from the real world to be believable. It made no sense that there were fairies and other magical creatures in a seemingly normal story, and while novel such as Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments is able to develop an interesting and intriguing contrast between these two worlds, Colfer fails once again.
Overall, this novel was a weak start to the story. I expected adventure, jokes and heart, but I was sorely disappointed. This novel, in my opinion, is better suited for children in primary school, and readers who are older and more prolific in their literary skills will find Eoin Colfer’s novel a bore.
RATING:
Plot: 5/10
Characters: 3.5/10
Writing: 6/10
OVERALL: 5.5/10
Related Posts
Book Review – The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Marcus Zusak’s captivating debut novel follows the story of Liesel, who witnesses the death of her younger brother while on a train through Germany. When she discovers a novel hidden in the snow while standing by her brother’s grave, Liesel pockets it, despite the fact that she has not acquired the ability to read. When …
Book Review – Stone Girl by Eleni Hale
Eleni Hale’s Stone Girl is an incredibly powerful and honest story about the Australian foster care system. Drawing on elements of Hale’s own childhood, the novel is a confronting look into the troubling conditions faced by the children most in need of care. When twelve-year-old Sophie is moved to a foster home after the death …
Book Review – The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
The Wishing Spell follows twin siblings Alex and Conner Bailey, who grew up with fairy tales read to them by their grandmother. But when Alex and Conner are magically transported inside their grandmother’s fairy tale treasury, they will be thrust into a world where all their fairy tale characters are extremely real. The two will …
Book Review – Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …
Book Review – The Tell by Martin Chatterton
The absolutely electrifying Australian crime novel ‘The Tell’ by Martin Chatterton weaves a wickedly satisfying tale of Raze Tanic, an upper-class Sydney student whose family-run an illustrious crime ring in the heart of the Australian city. Raze has everything he could ever want, except the relationship with his father, who has been jailed in a …
Book Review – Meet Me at the Intersection edited by Rebecca Lim and Ambelin Kwaymullina
Meet Me at the Intersection is a rich short story anthology written by a diverse range of Australian authors and lovingly edited by Rebecca Lim and Ambelin Kwaymullina. The anthology aims to showcase the experiences of marginalised groups through “own voice” stories, whose authors fit into those groups. The first thing about the anthology that …