I met Eoin Colfer’s writing for the first time in a collection of short stories called Guys Read: Funny Business.  In the story ”Artemis Begins”, Colfer describes his mischievous brother Donal, the “young criminal mastermind.”   In the story, Donal agrees, for a price, to help his baby brother Niall avoid punishment.  The plan: push Niall down the stairs so that his mother’s concern for his health will override her anger over a broken crystal plate.

Brilliant, yet cruel.  And from that, the idea for the Artemis Fowl series was born.

After reading “Artemis Begins”, my oldest son found and devoured every book by Eoin Colfer that he could find.  Sadly, it took me until December to finally indulge in more of Colfer’s writing.  I found Artemis Fowl on CD at the library and decided we could listen to it during our long commutes to sports practice.

Colfer didn’t disappoint.

A compelling lead

I both admire and cringe at Artemis Fowl.  He’s twelve, alarmingly intelligent, and obscenely wealthy.  He hatches deceptive plans of questionable moral virtue and executes them with unrelenting fortitude. Often, he lies.

And yet, I like this precocious kid.  A lead character must be one that readers can identify with, or pity, or admire.  I respect Artemis’s intelligence and his perseverance.  He likes to over prepare.   So do I.

Besides that, in book one, his father has disappeared, and his mother has gone a little psychotic because of it.  So pity pulls me in too.

Quick moving plot

With his father presumed dead, Artemis resolves to maintain the family’s wealth by stealing gold- from fairies.  His plan involves blackmail, kidnapping, and a hefty amount of dynamite.  To keep young male readers interested, Colfer also includes ample discussion of bodily functions.  One character, an earth eating dwarf, requires a “bum flap” in his pants.  I won’t elaborate here.

The climactic ending includes an epic battle between a troll and a well trained human body guard that kept every listener in my van extremely attentive.  Even the husband who usually sleeps to audio books and the six year old with limited attention span.

And if I haven’t convinced you yet, let me add that a witty and humorous tone runs through the entire book.  Plenty of word nerdy words and subtle meanings to keep your brain working.

I plan to get Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident for our road trip to Disney.

For more recommended reading for boys, see www.guysread.com.

Have you read Artemis Fowl or any of Colfer’s other books?  Can you think of another  lead that inspires both love and hate?

Thanks for joining the discussion!

Julia