"Stay back, human. You don't know what you are dealing with."
Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a brilliant 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. These fairies are armed and they're dangerous. Artemis thinks he's got them just where he wants them, but then they stop playing by the rules.
...... Outer back cover.
FIRST SENTENCE (Prologue): How does one describe Artemis Fowl?
MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 34): In the station lobby, a kleptomaniac dwarf was busy picking the pockets of everyone else in the booking line, including the officer he was handcuffed to.
KEEP IT OR NOT?: No, I shall be passing this on.
Oh dear, it would seem I disagree with just about everyone I know who has read this series of books (this being the first one).
I couldn't put this down stated a friend of mine, also in her 40's I hasten to add.
Better than Harry Potter, I wish I had a friend like this, said another, err, slightly younger acquaintance.
Fantastic stuff from beginning to end, Artemis Fowl is a rip-roaring, 21st-century romp of the highest order claimed one review on Amazon.com.
Oh well, I suppose we all look for different things in our choice of reading materials AND this was written with an intended age range of 9 to 12 years of age AND I suspect more with boys than girls in mind - though that said two of the main characters are female.
I suppose it was an exciting enough read, perhaps a little too much so for the younger reader, but I just could not get beyond how much I disliked Artemis, it just felt sooooo wrong to dislike a 12-year-old this much but I couldn't help myself from wanting to 'have a few stern words' with this so-called boy genius who I found to be totally obnoxious, Fowl by name and foul by nature.
But enough of Artemis.
A read with its fair share of a rough-and-tumble, one of the reasons I think it will probably appeal more to boys, this first outing in the series is quite funny in places and I did enjoy the coded 'gnomic' symbols at the bottom of every page which can apparently be decoded. Not so enjoyable were the characters most of whom seemed to lack something or other, not anything I could put my finger on, they just didn't hit the right note with me - apart from Foaly, a geeky technology loving centaur who put me in mind of Q in the James Bond books/films.
A book exchange read, the 41st in my 100+ Reading Challenge.
18 comments:
Sorry you didn't like this book much. I haven't read any of his yet.
I've certainly seen these books around, but never really had any desire to pick one up. I was tickled by your comments about disliking the lead character. :)
you didn't like this book much? i wont either then..hey buddy...thanks ya..am lucky to have motivating friends like u..cheers n wishes always
Great, honest review, Petty. I like the idea of the kleptomaniac dwarf. I've heard of this book before but never really knew too much about it. :)
I read this book a few years ago, actually it's probably 10 years ago, so not really a few. While I can't really remember the book, I remember I like it back then, and I read quite a few in the series.
I kind of want to read it again now, just to see if I still like it or not.
sorry it wasn't a good read.
i haven't read any of this book series.
thanks for that interesting review. :)
hope you're having a great day!
big big hugs!
betty xx
plus: missing you already.
I'm sorry to hear you didn't like it that much--Artemis Fowl is one of my favorite series.
You know... I have read this one, but darned if I remember much. I wouldn't have said better than Harry Potter especially since I can't remember it. :)
Sorry you didnt like it too much. I do want to read this one at some point.
I'm one of the people who really enjoyed this series. Artemis does learn some lessons along the way and pay for some really poor decisions. I think I'll have to revisit them soon. I also really like the Alex Rider stories (which are a bit more James-Bondish).
Well, there are plenty of books in the world, so I'm sure you'll find something new and delightful before long.
hey thanks for the honest and great review.
I am also known to hate books loved by everyone (cough NightShade cough)
Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this one. But as you mentioned everyone has a different take on different books. And I respect everyones take on them. But so glad you gave the book a try. :) Thank you for the review. I do have it on the want list to read with my son at some point (if he ever decides to read, lol) Thank you!
Armed fairies ,well !Honestly ,i never heard of this series until now.Thanks for the review.
Aw shucks...I loved this series. Too bad. Just something to note, Artemis' character becomes more likeable as the series progresses....a lot of growth. Kudos for giving it a try...and happy reading.
My sister is a huge fan of this series. I think this book is not for me either.
Thanks for the review!
I couldn't get into this one either and usually I love this sort of book.
This one wasn't for me, either. It failed the 50-page test, so I didn't finish it.
I have read none of these books but will probably check them out as possible reads for the Little One. Honestly, the excerpts you shared appealed to me!
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