Date Finished: 21/09/2012
My Rating: 4/5
I tell you what, fellow bookworm, reading a kids' book after Crime and Punishment was really lovely, and especially one that is as much fun as Artemis Fowl.
Artemis is a 12-year-old evil genius, who embarks on a mission to steal some fairy gold, holding a LEPrecon (see what he did there?) officer hostage in the process and almost waging a war on the little people. It was a real pleasure to read, well written, pretty exciting... like an action film for children in a readable format I guess.
I loved the humour... that rare balance of writing something that children will love, but adults will enjoy for a subtly different reason. I enjoyed the descriptions of life underground, the small side-steps from reality that make science fiction and fantasy so enjoyable, as opposed to completely unbelievable. The characters, both human and otherwise, were well developed and you even saw a slightly more humane side of young Artemis towards the end.
So, who should read this book? Well, young boys will love it I think. Most of the children's books on the list seem to appeal more to girls than boys, but this would probably bridge the gap. There's a strong female character (albeit a fairy), but that would be nice for the tomboys amongst us.
Next book: Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
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