S.W. Lothian – Author

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Artemis Fowl has been on my radar for many years but never quite made it to my reading list. So when the Disney movie was released earlier this year, it popped up again. The first thing I did was watch the movie, which may have been a mistake. Although the effects, some cast, and the style looked very impressive, the actual movie was nowhere near what I was expecting. I thought the acting was wooden and it was a struggle to watch.

Given my disappointment, I found myself doubting that it would be worth reading the books. So, I did what any person does these days and I asked social media for the answer. The Instagram replies I received told me to forget the movie and read the books. Thankfully, I took the advice.

Book one, Artemis Fowl, introduced me to the world of Fowl. I thought it was an interesting spin that the main character was on the wrong side of what we normally term as right. Artemis is a crook, and I don’t think I’ve ever read an MG/Teen book that is from that point of view.

He’s highly intelligent (beyond his years), rich, devious, endearing, loyal to his family, respectful to the family ‘help’, and there wasn’t really anything that stood out that I disliked about him (Although I couldn’t stand him in the movie as he seemed very cocky and one dimensional (maybe it was how the actor was directed to be)).

The story is based around his devious plan to make some money from the very secretive, highly organized, and tech-savvy fairies who live hidden away from the world of surface-dwelling humans. It seems that there has been a rivalry and dislike of each other for a very long time … from both sides.

Even though Artemis is the main dude in the series, the actual story focused more on the the characters on the other side. My perception was that we shared most of the time with Captain Holly Short, the fairy who was trying to gain favor with her superiors, but somehow ended up in the clutches of Artemis. Everything is all about her rescue and it was like Artemis (the core series naming character) only pops into the story at various times. It’s something I’ve never really consciously noticed in other series.

Also, something to note is that the movie has the whole ‘missing dad’ arc that’s totally different in the book. The movie adaptation seems to have twisted it so much that it’s like an alternate story.

Given how late I am to the Artemis Fowl party, I expect that most people who read this review will have already read the Artemis Fowl books long before me and have their own opinions. It’s nice to finally be onboard. I did enjoy the book way more than the movie and it looks like I have a lot more reading to do to get through this series – 6 more books to go. Plus there is a new series called Fowl Twins, of which I’ve already bought the first book and have it parked to read early in 2021.

A good start to a series that I know is already a winner with a bazillion readers. Recommended for readers who are after a bit of magic and fantasy mixed into a teen-spy-criminal type character with money to burn.

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