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Imagine
Batman as a criminal mastermind rather than the poster boy
for vigilante justice. He is still ridiculously rich and perhaps
even more ridiculously intelligent, and his parents are still
conspicuously absent from his everyday life. But now, imagine
him as a no-nonsense twelve-year-old Irish boy in a designer
suit, and you have the life of Artemis Fowl's titular
character.
Artemis
Fowl II is a boy genius savvy in everything from ancient history
to the very latest in computer technology. The Fowl family
has a long tradition in the Irish crime underworld, but things
haven't been well since the disappearance of its patriarch:
Artemis's father, Artemis Fowl Senior. Thus, the younger Artemis
is determined to continue in his father's place by pulling
off the greatest heist never recorded in human history: the
stealing of leprechaun gold.
The
idea sounds rather childish and precious, even to Artemis,
but he is a believer after he acquires "The Book": a combination
fairy Bible and handbook to magical creatures. Through it,
he learns that the word "leprechaun" is actually "LEPrecon"—the
Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Squad, a division of
the fairy world's law enforcement team—and the mythological
gold is not to be found in a cauldron at the end of a rainbow.
In actuality, it's ransom money used in hostage negotiations,
and no one has ever managed to keep even a singular coin of
it before. But that is what makes the challenge all the more
appealing to Artemis.
Accompanied
by his faithful bodyguard Butler—a martial arts and weapons
expert literally born to serve the Fowl family—Artemis
succeeds in capturing the LEP's first and only female officer,
Captain Holly Short, and brings her back to Fowl Manor to
await hostage negotiations. And, like any good action-thriller,
the police pull out all the stops, laying out an arsenal of
magical weapons that includes cranky trolls, nuclear technology,
and bio-bombs.
With
all of the combat and gadgetry, Artemis Fowl certainly
is, as author Eoin Colfer has allegedly described, "Die
Hard with fairies." And as the hostage-taker, Artemis
is even more calculating and well-dressed than Alan Rickman's
Hans Gruber. However, like every good antagonistic protagonist,
Artemis is far from evil. He is, in fact, driven by a love
for his family, which is evident by the helplessness the tries
to stifle whenever he sees his mother Angeline, who has been
suffering from depression and schizophrenia since her husband's
disappearance.
Supporting
characters such as Mrs. Fowl are all very well described by
Colfer, and they run the gamut from serious to screwball.
For example, Butler's devotion to Artemis pegs him as a surrogate
father figure, making him the Alfred to Artemis's Batman.
However, Colfer also provides plenty of comic relief, including
Foaly, Holly's centaur friend in charge of LEP technology.
Though smugly super-intelligent and always ready to deliver
a comedic jab, he is also rather paranoid and wears a tin
foil hat to deflect mind-probing rays.
All of
these characters come to life through the voice talents of
actor Nathaniel Parker. The voice acting isn't perfect—his
American accents, in particular, aren't necessarily well-suited
for the characters and seem a little too cartoonish at times—but
the imperfections are too few and far enough apart to be of
any consequence to what is an extremely strong first book
in a series.
Setting
a fast pace and interesting premise for the four books that
follow, Artemis Fowl is a refreshing fantasy take on
modern action adventures. Colfer's humor keeps it grounded
in familiar fun, making it a worthwhile story for adults and
children alike.
(July,
2007)
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