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Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer

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artemisfowl_eoincolferArtemis Fowl is the pinnacle series of the author Eoin Colfer. The books detail the adventures of Artemis Fowl, a genius child who already runs his late father’s criminal empire. He spends his days inventing new technologies and running illegal enterprises around the world with his trusty bodyguard, Butler. Until one day, he discovers the world of faeries hidden beneath them. Being the person he is, Artemis soon goes head to head with the Faeries’ elite LEPrecon police force as his money-making scheme involves kidnapping the Faerie officer Holly Short. Eventually, they join forces to stop a multitude of other evil forces out in both worlds.

This series is one of my favorites to read because it’s filled with action from beginning to end. Whenever there’s expositional dialogue, we can always expect it to be filled with witticisms and funny personality clashes. Also, the scenes are always fresh with new ideas, rather than repetitively showing the same fight scenes like other books. Artemis always finds solutions with ingenuity, while his friends employ bravery and combat training. The friendship and camaraderie between Artemis and Holly creates a lifetime team, which involves both life-threatening situations and everyday banter.

Over the course of the series, Artemis Fowl develops a lot as a character. Although he is introduced as a cold and ruthless genius, we learn he isn’t without some good inside. He learns to respect his closest friends, and is even willing to give his life for them. The main reason for this is that he never had any friends before that have earned his respect.
The setting for this book is also very notable. While most books are either sci-fi or fantasy, Artemis Fowl includes both. While the Faerie Folk have ancient magic, they have also developed extremely advanced technologies over the thousands of years. Their inventors have created flight suits, contact lenses with built in cameras, and other creations from our wildest imaginations. It was very creative and daring for Colfer to mesh these two genres together, and the result is a literary masterpiece.

When you have a chance, you should definitely give this series a read. Although Eoin Colfer has written many notable books, the Artemis Fowl series will always be one of his best. The fun storylines will have you burning through the books.

-Phillip X., 10th grade

The Artemis Fowl series is available for check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library and Overdrive. 

Book Review: The Hangman’s Revolution by Eoin Colfer

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hangmans_revolutionAccording to a whole lot of books and movies, changing the past can result in a completely different future.

Eoin Colfer’s book The Hangman’s Revolution takes this to a new level, as Colonel Box uses the FBI’s time machines to rewrite history. Bringing modern weapons, he quickly establishes the Boxite Empire in Victorian London, which would soon span the globe. In the changed future, Cadet Savano escapes an attempted assassination by the Boxites, and travels back to Victorian London. She slowly regains fragmented memories of her real life as FBI Agent Savano. There, she teams with her old friend Riley the magician and Otto Malarkey the gang leader. They set out to put an end to Box’s fascist empire before they bomb capitols around the world.

To me, this story is a great continuation to the first book of the WARP series, The Reluctant Assassin. The time travel aspect of the story is written and planned very well. Many future events are explained when the storyline jumps to the past. It makes the story fun to read, as if clicking puzzle pieces together. The story flows so smoothly, we know Colfer mapped this story thoroughly before writing.

The general writing style he employs adds to the story. Everything is described in detail, with subtle sarcasm here and there. It’s serious and intense during action, with funny dialogue to break tension. During lulls, it’s witty and quirky. He carefully shapes the empire, shaping each aspect whether majestic or funny. A picture is painted in the reader’s mind.

The characterization is extremely in-depth. The back story of each character is incorporated into the storyline, often explained in reminisces. I think the most interesting was Otto Malarkey’s story. At first he seemed a one-dimensioned crime boss, but even he turned out to be a colorful protagonist. As a third person omniscient story, the writing often shows the thoughts of each person in a realistic manner. Finally, like icing on a cake, the accents written into the dialogue perfect the characterization and mood.
Considering everything, you should be looking for a copy right now. It’s everything you could hope for in a thriller: action, comedy, storyline, and funny accents. Obviously you should finish the first book first. The ending both satisfies the reader’s craving and hints for a third book. Read on!

-Phillip X., 9th grade

Book Review: Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer

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half_moon_investigations_coverHey there Artemis Fowl fans! If you have already read (and reread) the Artemis Fowl series, another great book by Eoin Colfer is Half Moon Investigations.

Though we know Eoin Colfer best for his incredible portrayals in the Artemis Fowl fantasies, his realistic fiction Half Moon Investigations is truly astounding. Based in present day, this is an action-packed mystery you won’t soon forget. In this novel, Fletcher (Half) Moon, a private detective, gets involved in his most dangerous case yet. When Fletcher is employed by April Devereux to investigate the Sharkey family, specifically Red Sharkey, he gets much more than he bargained for. Fletcher is badly injured, accused of a severe crime, and must constantly try to determine where his trust should lie. The twists and turns, vivid descriptions, and intriguing story line of Half Moon Investigations are sure to satisfy any voracious reader’s needs.

One of this adventure’s greatest strengths is its ability to pull you in and not let go. I was completely engaged in Half Moon Investigations, and I felt like I was right there alongside Fletcher every step of the way. With phenomenal details and a spot-on view into the world of Fletcher Moon, this book is nearly impossible to put down. Eoin Colfer made all of the characters in his novel really come to life. It was almost as if you could pick up the phone book, find Fletcher Moon’s number, and have him describe the whole story to you in person.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the Artemis Fowl series or who is looking for a good mystery. What discoveries will Fletcher Moon make? It’s up to you to find out- by reading Half Moon Investigations.

-Alaina K., 6th grade

Book Review: Half-Moon Investigations, by Eoin Colfer

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half_moon_investigations_coverHalf-Moon Investigations, a mysterious detective story by Eoin Colfer, is about a boy named Fletcher Moon who walks straight into the wrong fighting ring.  The story starts out with Fletcher Moon, private eye, coming to school ten minutes early to find out he should have quit his detective business for good.  He walks into a fighting ring with a Sharkey fighting in it.

Now the Sharkey family is a rule-breaker family.  If there ever was a rule that was to be broken, the Sharkeys would go far out of their way just to break it.

This time in the fighting ring there was the tallest, biggest kid in the school and Herod Sharkey.  They were in a headlock waiting for Mr. Detective Fletcher to show up. They then send Fletcher on a life-changing case.

Fletcher believes he has solved the case, but every afternoon he is asked to visit a different person’s house.  He is working for many people when he discovers his badge is missing.  At this point in the story, I think the Mission Impossible theme song should begin.  There is a conspiracy appearing behind all of the smiling, innocent faces.  Fletcher goes out on his own exploration turning away from FBI to CSI.  He finds himself in the hospital the next morning with a small concussion and a broken wrist.  He is not done yet with his new CSI job.  He creeps out of the hospital only to find himself back in the hospital hours later with a burnt-out torch in his hand.  What is happening?  Fletcher makes an unlikely friend, is treated differently, and uses his smarts to solve the mystery.

He gets his badge back, mentors another detective-in-training, and is a hero to new friends and an enemy to old.  As a film, I would recommend the song Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson during the credits, because it reflects how Fletcher feels during the entire book.

I think Eoin Colfer did a fantastic job with this book!  I have his Artemis Fowl series, and I found a few connections between the different genres.  I love the detective aspect of this story, and Mr. Colfer wrote as though he was the detective.  I would definitely rate this book a 10 out of 10 for its wonderful detective characteristic and the superbly written story.

-Maya S., 6th grade

Event Recap: Eoin Colfer Author Visit

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Last weekend, a very exciting and rare event took place at the Mission Viejo library.    Mr. Eoin Colfer, the author of Airman, the Artemis Fowl series, and the newly released The Reluctant Assassin, visited the library, and spoke to many eager and excited kids and adults.

Before Mr. Colfer came out to speak, a magician entertained the audience with a few funny card tricks. The magician was quite engaging and had the audience in stitches.  Mr. Colfer was then introduced. He began his presentation by telling an entertaining story about the Irish sport of hurling. One day, he was in America talking about his books, and a little girl asked him what he liked to do for fun.  He responded by saying that he enjoyed hurling. It goes without saying that the little girl thought Mr. Colfer was referring to something besides the Irish sport. The whole conversation between Mr. Colfer and the girl went downhill from there.

eoin_colfer04Once the audience was laughing, Mr. Colfer began talking about the famous Artemis Fowl, and how he got the ideas for the characters. Artemis was based on his little brother, who was always getting into troublesome situations, like the time his little brother got out of art class by drinking water mixed with paint. Then, he told the audience that even though his wife did not want Mr. Colfer to base the character of  Artemis Fowl’s mother on her, he did it anyway. Mr. Colfer would get the character’s traits by asking his wife sneaky questions from time to time. Beckett and Miles, the two little brothers in the end of Artemis Fowl, are characters based upon Mr. Colfer’s sons, Finn and Shawn, even though Finn is now a teenager. However, Mr. Colfer admitted that Butler, Artemis’ butler, is merely a character which was born out of his imagination.

reluctant_assassin_coverMr. Colfer also spoke about the background of his first book in the W.A.R.P. series.  While he tried to make it scary, it did not turn out as scary as he hoped, even though one of the main characters is a psychotic killer magician who makes his apprentice murder people. Mr. Colfer ended his talk by reminiscing about his childhood, and how he was always bullied for reading. Mr. Colfer answered questions, one of them being from this author. I asked him if it was easier to write his Artemis Fowl books after he had written the first one, and he answered yes.

Mr. Colfer’s interview was very exciting, and was one of the most exciting events that I have attended. Mr. Colfer is a very entertaining speaker, and I would definitely recommend going to hear him speak next time he is in town.

-Will R., 8th grade

Event Recap: Eoin Colfer Author Visit

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Eoin Colfer, renowned author of the Artemis Fowl series, visited Mission Viejo this past weekend and made a very exciting presentation of all his experiences and books. Many fans in the audience flipped through his new book The Reluctant Assassin, anticipating the moment when Colfer would reveal himself. A serious mood hung over the room as we wondered what this famous writer was like in person. What would he tell us today? A humorous magician broke the silent anxiousness of the crowd, and also related to a magician in Colfer’s new book. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the moment we all had been waiting for arrived.

eoin_colfer01Turns out Colfer has a very bright and funny attitude, as proven when we were treated to hilarious tale after tale from his past (even one about his Irish accent). Amid our laughter, he explained about his process of writing, which includes putting real people and experiences into his book. For example, Colfer recalled basing Artemis’s mother on his own loving wife. We also had the privilege of learning about how he began writing. When Colfer was a little child, his father’s friend brought over his own book for him to review. After Colfer peeked inside, he immediately decided he wanted to become a writer too. Quite obviously, he succeeded, seeing as over twelve years he has created the world famous Artemis Fowl series.

reluctant_assassin_coverLucky for us, Eoin Colfer also introduced us to his new series called W.A.R.P. Inside the pages of The Reluctant Assassin, An apprentice named Riley struggles to evade the great magician Garrick, who has taken a liking to murder. Colfer shared with us how he tried to make him as sinister and terrifying as possible, and his experiences in writing the story.

Overall, we all had a very fun day, learning about the writing process and Colfer’s sources of inspiration. Book signings are definitely very engaging and fun, along with getting the signature of the author himself! I am very grateful to Eoin Colfer for coming all the way out here to inspire us with his stories and experiences.

-Phillip X., 7th grade