Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident (Artemis Fowl, Book 2) - Hardcover

Eoin Colfer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786808551 ISBN 13: 9780786808557

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion, 2002

Synopsis

Book Two-Now available in mass market paperback Artemis is at boarding school in Ireland when he suddenly receives an urgent video e-mail from Russia. In it is a plea from his father, who has been kidnapped by the Russian Mafiya. As Artemis rushes to his rescue, he is stopped by Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police. But this time, instead of battling the fairies, he is going to have to join forces with them if he wants to save one of the few people in the world he loves. "A cracking good read."-Publishers Weekly "The world that Colfer creates is as vivid and fantastical as any shire, Gotham, or galaxy far, far away. . ."-Entertainment Weekly (review: A-)

About this title

About the Author

Eoin Colfer is the author of the New York Times best-selling Artemis Fowl series, which was adapted into a major motion picture from the Walt Disney Studios. He also wrote the critically acclaimed WARP trilogy, and many other titles for young readers and adults, including Iron Man: The Gauntlet, Airman, Half Moon Investigations, Eoin Colfer's Legend of . . . books, The Wish List, Benny and Omar; and Benny and Babe. In 2014, he was named Ireland's laureate for children's literature. He lives with his wife and two sons in Dublin, Ireland, where he is working on the next Fowl twins novel. To learn more, visit www.eoincolfer.com. He is also on Twitter and Instagram @EoinColfer.

Reviews

Grade 5-8 In this entertaining sequel, Artemis Fowl tries to rescue his father from Russian Mafiya gangsters. Here, the criminal mastermind teams up with Captain Holly, the same leprechaun officer whom he battled in the first book. He needs her fairy magic and technology to help with his mission, while she and her friends enlist the boy to aid them in preventing a goblin revolt. The action is brisk, with fiendish plots, ingenious escapes, and lively battle scenes. Though still diabolically clever, Artemis loses some of his edge as the story proceeds, and even commits a few selfless acts along the way. His own bafflement at these sentimental lapses is amusing, and he develops into a more likable figure. His unbridled greed and ambition were essential to his antihero appeal in the first book, and a gentler Artemis is not quite as engaging. Still, it's fun to see him run rings around a school counselor, and his verbal jousts with his fairy allies keep some of that spark alive. Many characters from the first book return, though none develop much beyond their basic personality traits. The satisfying conclusion resolves the fate of Artemis's father and sets the scene for future sequels. -Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rocketing readers back into a world of modern fairies (they pack heat and wear motorized wings), Colfer here reunites 13-year-old antihero Artemis with his former kidnap victim, Captain Holly Short, an elf officer with the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance) squad. As the erstwhile arch enemies join forces to squelch a power-hungry pixie's coup attempt in one world and to rescue Artemis's long-missing father in another (he's being held for ransom by the Russian Mafiya), the boy proves he has a heart after all, even as he builds his reputation as a world-class criminal mastermind. Once again, the roller coaster of a plot introduces a host of high jinks and high-tech weaponry as Colfer blends derring-do with snappy prose ("The broad grin disappeared like a fox down a hole") and repartee ("Hey, Mulch, if you listen really hard you can just about make out the sound of nobody giving a hoot"). The resulting fantasy hosts memorable characters, many of whom (such as the flatulent dwarf Mulch Diggums) reprise roles that helped attract fans to the first adventure. The author ratchets up the body count in this return engagement (perhaps too steeply for some tastes), and the high-concept premise may be a tad slick for others, but Colfer's finger is firmly on the pulse of his target market, and along with extra helpings of sly humor ("The sprite's breathing calmed, and a healthy green tinge started to return to his cheeks") he delivers a cracking good read. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786808551
• ISBN 13: 9780786808557
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 277