SilverBear Books

Man, I’m glad I took the time to re-read this.

I first Read Artemis Fowl not long after its initial release waaaaaay back in 2001 (so I probably read it in 02) but I remembered almost nothing about it so I thought I’d give it a go. To have the courage to make your young protagonist (although there are arguably 3 POV characters, kinda 4 but one doesn’t come in until the very end of a rather short book) to be the villain? Brave, and I’m here for it.

Artemis Fowl is the more recent in a long line of villains, scoundrels and outlaws, and is also a child genius. He uses his massive intellect to discover that Faries are not just real, but they’re loaded. So he kidnaps one for ransom and… that’s it. That’s about the whole story. Everything centres around that event. And it’s great!

We have a relatable villain (he isn’t an anti-hero, at least not yet – and I haven’t read the rest to find out) but there are moments of vulnerability and humanity that allow him to not be completely without hope. Three magical beings (one without the magic), that are distinct, fun, almost tropey but in a good way. There’s a lot to recommend it.

It does suffer from ‘First Book’ Syndrome. Where the author is still getting a read on the world and how the characters are going to relate to one another, but I can see intentionality here that means I’m probably going to keep reading the series and I’m 25 years older than the target market.

3.5 Stars. Grab a paperback.

SilverBear.