Artemis Fowl (by Eoin Colfer)
I checked this one out on the recommendation of a fan of the Potter. "If you like Harry Potter, you'll love Artemis Fowl!" she said. It turns out that was a big lie.
I'm absolutely willing to suspend disbelief when it comes to elves and trolls and dwarves and all that stuff. And in fact the world of the fairies is clever and fun, and Holly is a cool character. But to have a twelve-year-old human talking with the vocabulary of Professor Moriarity and the intellect of Stephen Hawking is just ridiculous. I couldn't get past it.
On top of that, our titular anti-hero is a horrid little brat, and it is deeply unsatisfying that someone doesn't smack the teeth out of his head before the book is over. I wanted the Oompa Loompas to show up and exact Wonka-esque torments on him, he would have fit right in. You're supposed to find him precocious and charming and sympathetic, I think, because he loves his mommy. Oh boo hoo. Hitler loved his mommy too, I'm sure.
Thumbs down!
I'm absolutely willing to suspend disbelief when it comes to elves and trolls and dwarves and all that stuff. And in fact the world of the fairies is clever and fun, and Holly is a cool character. But to have a twelve-year-old human talking with the vocabulary of Professor Moriarity and the intellect of Stephen Hawking is just ridiculous. I couldn't get past it.
On top of that, our titular anti-hero is a horrid little brat, and it is deeply unsatisfying that someone doesn't smack the teeth out of his head before the book is over. I wanted the Oompa Loompas to show up and exact Wonka-esque torments on him, he would have fit right in. You're supposed to find him precocious and charming and sympathetic, I think, because he loves his mommy. Oh boo hoo. Hitler loved his mommy too, I'm sure.
Thumbs down!
posted by mo pie at 3:49 PM
9 Comments:
I read your book blog, Mo! And I'm not even K! Just so you know there are folks out there reading it and enjoying your recommendations.
Thanks, Sarah! You are awesome too!
I didn't care for Artemis either, to be honest, but that's the book I had on the airplanee, sso that's what I read!
Read Garth Nix's Sabriel - that's a truly excellent YA fantasy book.
I am K. And I haven't read Artemis Fowl, but he's never really appealed.
If we're on children's fantasy, can I recommend Diana Wynne Jones? The Chrestomanci series should appeal to any Potter fans, especially The Lives of Christopher Chant and Witch Week, which features a sort of anti-Hogwarts! And Fire and Hemlock is an amazing book.
Dianna Wynne Jone's early Dalemark Quartet is also very good, but I think I like Howl's Moving Castle the best.
Also, the Borribles have just been re-issued! The last one is the best - you could easily read it without the others. It's grotesque but gripping and great!
Dianna Wynne Jone's early Dalemark Quartet is also very good, but I think I like Howl's Moving Castle the best.
Also, the Borribles have just been re-issued! The last one is the best - you could easily read it without the others. It's grotesque but gripping and great!
I like Howl's Moving Castle the best too, along with Fire and Hemlock, which is wonderful - Chrestomanci was a specific recommendation for Potter fans. But I've yet to meet a DWJ book I don't enjoy.
So...you don't like the book because you don't like the charaters ( namely Artemis ) ?
Well, his personality is of course unbelieveable, but it's fiction, it can be as unbelieveable as possible. And as for the fairies and elves and so on, it's a nice way to use such fairy-tale creatures like that. I myself like Artemis Fowl, for it's originality. Oh well, if you change your mind, I'm glad for you.
Artemis Fowl... a face only Ayn Rand could love.
So I suppose you didn't enjoy "Searching for Bobby Fischer"?
Artemis Fowl was, to me, the story of what would of happened had Josh Waitzkin been tutored by Don Vito Corleone instead of Bruce Pandolfini.
Artemis Fowl was the Bobby Fischer of "Organized Crime"... perhaps not as far-fetched when described that way? And as "far-fetched" goes... there were freakin' fairies! You were honestly reading it for it's believability?!?!?
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