'Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident' by Eoin ColferPersonal Response: I thought the book was very well written and had great plot to it. I was interested throughout the entire read. The read was worth it.Plot: The book starts with Artemis at a boarding school psychiatrists office for a mental examination. Throughout the examination, Artemis toys with the doctor into thinking that he is the patient and Artemis the doctor. A phone call arrives for Artemis from Butler saying that an email has come in from people saying they have his father. Once Artemis was at his house, Holly Short of the LEP was laying in wait. Holly mesmerized Butler and went back to the car where Artemis was. Artemis knew at once that something was wrong when Butler didn't do his mandatory checks or come back with the items that were needed. Holly tells Artemis that there is something going on in the Lower Elements. She also promised that if he helped her then she would return the favor with finding his father. Down in the Lower Elements, Artemis is tested to see if he's dealt with goblins before at any given time and came out negative. Once back on the surface; Artemis, Butler, Holly, and Commander Julius Root head to the arctic circle to a Russian ship graveyard that's coated with radiation: death to all fairies. While at the Arctic, Holly nearly dies from a giant flying door and a small squad of goblins while Butler and Root are stuck in a literal icy prison. After dealing with that, the four unlikely allies go to Los Angeles to find a dwarf escapee known as Mulch Diggums. This dwarf is needed because he is the only person to have ever gotten into and out of Koboi Labs alive. About this time a crisis is going on in the Lower Elements. Opal Koboi and previous LEP commander are both convicted of attempted mutiny of an entire city but the old commander is thrust into a radioactive pit by Opal and dies horribly for a fairy. Opal on the other hand is completely incarcerated into a high maximum security prison. With the take-over taken care of and eradicated, the four head back to the arctic to pull a final rescue plan for Artemis Senior. Once in the general area of the drop off point, Artemis tells the group what his crazy plan is. With everyone in place Artemis gives Butler the go-ahead. A shot sounds off and hits the hostage in the shoulder. Little did the kidnappers know that it was only blood spatter round and not the real thing. After seeing the hostage die, the kidnappers throw the seemingly lifeless body over into the open arctic ocean. Holly sees this happening and after finishing her duties -heads in that direction to rescue the now freezing to death Artemis Senior. After much internal debate, Holly goes under radioactive waters and brings Artemis Senior back to the surface and heals him so he wasn't freezing to death. After the rescue of Artemis Senior and the escape from the Russian Mafia, Holly drops Artemis Senior off at a hospital to see about his blind eye and missing leg while Artemis heads back to school. Once back at his boarding school, Artemis is asked to go to the psychiatrists office again to finish on the previous subject that they were covering: Artemis' lack of respect for anyone alive but himself. Artemis currently respects a total of five people that he had a short adventure with: Holly, Butler, Root, Foaly, and Mulch. This is where Artemis then receives another call from Butler, completely known by Artemis, that his father has been found and is being treated as he and Butler speak.Characters: Artemis Fowl, Butler, Holly, Foaly, Mulch, Root, and Opal. Artemis Fowl is a boy genius who has a secret no one else on the planet except Butler knows. Butler is Artemis' personal bodyguard and loyal friend. Holly is a fairy who is a frenemy to Artemis. Foaly is a fairy genius who is apart of the Lower Elements Police and their technician. Mulch is one of the only people that Artemis is truly intrigued by and is a dwarven outcast of the Lower Elements. Root is the current commander of the Lower Elements Police and is the only person to still think that Artemis is a criminal. Opal is the main villain behind the scenes in the Lower Elements who is also Artemis' arch rival.Setting: The place is Earth, above and below the surface. The time is in the 21st century.Theme: The author, Mr. Colfer, infers that no matter what you have to do it will always be worth it if it's for someone you love. This fits in to the book for Holly because she is reluctant to help Artemis find his father even though her belief says that she must forget the past, in which Artemis held her hostage for gold. She helps him anyway because she is starting to develop a love for Artemis when he tries to save his father like she tried to save her mother.Recommendation: I'd recommend the entire series to all ages and genders because it gets your mind going. The book is people friendly and is full of adventure for all readers.
These are simply fun books. I remember picking up Harry Potter back in college and flying through the series, eagerly waiting for the next one to come out. They were addicting brain candy and I've always enjoyed looking for character driven series in the same vein since then. First came Riordan's books (read!) and then I stumbled upon Eoin Colfer. The Artic Incident is the second book in the series. It's not a series in the conventional sense when compared to HP and Rick Riordan in that reading the preceding book isn't a prerequisite to reading the next. They are more encapsulated books than those other series. That doesn't mean you won't miss out on some nuances that stem from the preceding books, it just means you can pick up one of the books and enjoy it.This book focuses on Artemis' search for his father which ends up coinciding with helping out the faerie's search for an internal mole. The story moves at a great pace that pulls you alone and doesn't let you put the book down. Artemis and Holly Short are great protagonists that Colfer has created a unique give and take between.The thing I take away most from this book when I compare to Rowling and Riordan is the character of Artemis. He's a young James Bond with the mind of Einstein who likes playing around on the wrong side of the law. There really isn't a character like him in fiction. I highly recommend picking up these books.
What do You think about The Arctic Incident (2004)?
So i started this series with one thought in mind: a 12-year-old as a master of crime? interesting.i liked book 1, but this second book is even better.So Artemis Fowl is cold and hardened on book 1, but it was good to see him in a different light on this sequel.He never gave up that his father is still alive. He and Butler keep on searching and searching. at last, a sliver of a clue came to them. or rather, a ransom video. it may terrify any kid, but not Artemis Fowl. he was giddy, for this video only represented one thing: HOPE.Seeing him softened when he talks about his father, looking at how he manages to cooperate with Holly and other LePreCons to get the job done – it was a whole other side of his character and i liked that. the author did not bother to lengthen the mystery of how Artemis became a criminal mastermind. piece by piece (although it’s not all there yet), i begin to understand why Artemis is what he is.A new character is introduced, Opal. The arch rival of Foaley. Ha! She is one quirky character and i’m looking forward to seeing her in the later books.There is still a whole lot of action, and a whole lot of manipulation (by Artemis, of course). It was a fun read. I’ll definitely continue reading this series. So on to book 3!
—Maria
Since I liked book 1 so much I thought I'd try book 2. Since Artemis is no longer the villain its remarkably different: someone else is causing trouble but he still has his own plan separate from Holly, who is still the actual hero of this story. There weren't quite so many scheme battles as before and the plot is less straight forward, however it is more complex and builds upon the first book. It has the same humor and development and was fun to read. Since the (now teenage) genius can't stay in his mansion he seems different than in the first book. He can't sit in his chair watching Butler do all the work. He has to go along and, well, he's not suited to do more than think. He comments on this himself at numerous occasions. The relationship between him and Holly is a fun one. She hasn't forgiven him for kidnapping her and making her a laughing stock among the LEP. He, on the other hand, isn't one to apologize. At times it seems like they'd rather fight each other than the true villain, especially since Holly thinks he IS responsible for The People's current troubles. This book is just as good as the first but I wouldn't give it the last star for two reasons: one because the book summary was misleading. Though rescuing Artemis' father is important to the plot its more of a side note to what's happening in the Fairy community. How its brushed aside early on and resolved in less than a chapter at the end gives the impression that its just a device to get Artemis involved in the main plot. Reason number two is how the villains are dealt with. I won't say too much but the solution was far neater (read Villain Ball at TVtropes.org) than I expected. I'll be reading more of the series later, after I clean out a back log of other books.
—Brian Wilkerson
This was a disappointing sequel. It just lacks the compelling conflict of the first book. Back then you didn't know who to root for! It was thrilling to see Artemis as both villain and champion of humanity, a cold-blooded swindler and yet also a young boy outsmarting mythical creatures to save his family. But in this book, humans and fairies suddenly team up in a very contrived manner against B movie villains. Boring. (And of all things, dwarf digestion makes a reappearance as a major plot device! WHYYYYY.) I probably won't be reading further in this series, though I'd still recommend it as standing WAY above the crowded fantasy-adventure market for the intended age group.
—Rebecca
