I make an effort to read books that are the basis for a movie before the movie comes out. True, I don’t always manage, but I do make an effort. Quite frankly, of late, I’ve only really been successful doing so with books aimed at younger readers.
But my point is, yes, I did finish the first Artemis Fowl novel in time for the (delayed) movie to come out on Disney+ this weekend. I’ll probably have a review for the movie in a couple days, but for now, here’s some thoughts on the first book.
Artemis Fowl is 12, the genius heir to an ancient line of criminals. His father, Artemis Fowl Sr., is believed dead, and his mother hasn’t taken it very well, locking herself in a dark attic room and waiting for her husband’s return. As such, Artemis has taken it upon himself to take over the family business, and since the more legitimate businesses took a hit, the wealthy Fowl family is not as wealthy as it used to be. As such, Artemis and his loyal butler Butler (plus Butler’s teenage sister Juliet) are going to commit a robbery so the Fowls can be billionaires again.
Yeah, he’s rich but not as rich as he wants to be, so he decides he needs to steel stuff. Sure, that’s a sympathetic figure right there…
As it is, Artemis at 12 is young enough to believe in fairies but also old enough to thoroughly plan robbing such beings. And, it turns out, Artemis is right. Fairies do exist, they do have gold, and Artemis has just the plan to rob them. He has one of their Books, the outline of all their rules and laws and society, and if he can kidnap one of the People, then he may very well get the payday he believes he deserves.
To cut to the chase a bit, this book was not written for a man my age. Some books for younger readers are fine to be read by older readers. Artemis Fowl is not one of them, but I recognized that and looked to see if it might be something kids could enjoy on their own. I think the answer there is yes. There are some fun ideas, some flatulence humor, and a kid outsmarts a bunch of adults. I’m sure that will appeal just fine for kids.
But I’m not a kid. So what did I think? Well, author Eoin Colfer did do something well with his title character. As much as Artemis’s initial plan isn’t the stuff of sympathetic protagonists in 2020, we see he has some doubts because, as much as he likes being a criminal, he doesn’t want to be cruel or evil. He has regrets for the things he must do to succeed at his plan. If anything, he’s actually the blandest of the book’s main characters. Butler, a man of very deadly proficiency, keeps needing to remind himself not to use lethal force while knocking fairy heads together. Juliet may be a typical teenage girl with a love of pro-wrestling. And the various fairies, particularly the centaur tech support guy Foaly, are rather creative creations, playing up modern sci-fi tech with old stories.
So, all things being equal, this is a decent enough introduction to the character and his world. Will I read more of it? Probably not. It’s fine, but isn’t the sort of thing I would go out of my way for. I will be grading this a bit on the curve and maybe offering the book to my nephew for whenever I see him again. But for now, I think I see the appeal, and I’m ready for the movie, however good something that’s been pushed back twice might be. Still, the character of Artemis Fowl has enough cultural name recognition, and he got a few more books in this series, so it’s always a good idea to know what that Artemis’s basic deal is if nothing else.
Grade: B-
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