A Criminal Genius, Bum Jokes and Fairies. (Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel - Eoin Colfer)

Name: KingHerrod

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel - Eoin Colfer
Date:	06/07/02 (1249 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See text

Disadvantages: See text

In some weird twist of fate, myself and my good lady friend Lorraine appear to have assumed guardianship over a young mohican giraffe named Geoffrey. Now, we are not sure what age he is exactly, although it is "that difficult age" whatever that may be in mohican giraffes - but young Geoffrey is currently into reading adventure books. Occasionally, I will pick one up that Geoffrey has been particularly enthusiastic about (this usually means that he has decided to re-enact parts of it round the house, with all the ensuing mess that this creates).

In this case it was Artemis Fowl, by the debut Irish author Eoin Colfer, which had been shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's book of the year and received critical acclaim across the board. This was one of those children's books that was deemed more than just that - a book for all and after Geoffrey had been so enthusiastic, I had to give it a go myself!

Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind, in fact a twelve-year-old genius criminal mastermind. Our young Artemis is so clever he is one step ahead of most humans. However, in order to restore his families fortune (all of the previous Fowls have been criminal masterminds) Artemis hits on a different plan. The sort that only a twelve year old would believe in enough to take seriously. Artemis kidnaps a fairy creature, Captain Holly Short of the LEP("Lower Elements Police")recon force, and asks for fairy gold as a ransom. Artemis doesn't fully appreciate what he has landed himself into, these fairies are not the fairies from traditional fairy tales - these are advanced fairies, leprechauns, dwarves, centaurs and sprites with attitude. These fairy people know how to kick butt and Artemis's butt is the target. Furthermore, these people are pissed off with humans and their destructive greedy ways that have forced the magical creatures to live below ground and hide from humanity's wicked ways. Artemis may have bi
tten off more than he can chew!

The concept is the traditional children's adventure story with a twist, our hero is a criminal and the supposed good side are not quite as clean and clear-cut as in traditional fantasy books. This is traditional fantasy adventure with a huge twist. Colfer may have used the traditional figures of fantasy and magic, but he has bought the traditional bang up to date with real vision and creativity. What is left is a mixture of myth and modernity, packed into a roller coaster thriller of a plot line - which has originality to it, which is a hard thing to achieve in any form of writing.

My main worry about Geoffrey reading such a book was the morality of having the hero or anti-hero as a criminal mastermind - I was afraid that Geoffrey would put on hold his plans to be either a footballer or a tennis player and decide that what he really wanted to be was a criminal genius. I was expecting extortion and racketerring amongst his panini sticker collecting friends! But Colfer spreads pretty sensible messages to kids - crime is not glorified at all, who is good and who is evil is not clearly delineated as in so many of the shallow children's adventure books around and moreover, Colfer paints an ugly picture of the greed and selfishness of humanity, coupled with the damage that this attitude has wrought to our planet and co-creatures.

"Although she was enjoying the night air, Holly could taste traces of pollutants. The Mud People [humans] destroyed everything they came into contact with."

"It was an ugly craft, this one. The smell of death and pain lingered in the blood swabbed decks. Many noble creatures had died here, died and been dissected for a few bars of soap and some heating oil. Root shook his head. Humans were such barbarians."

"That would spell the end of everything, unless the Mud People had learned to co-exist with other species. And if history
had taught him any lessons it was that humans couldn't get along with anyone, even themselves."

Kids love bum jokes and pong jokes and the book abounds with that kind of innocent childhood humour, I laughed out loud on a few occasions and was amused throughout the whole book - "Of course, no one said anything, their boss being touchier than a septic bum boil". Added to this there are a few jokes aimed at the adult audience; some wonderful slapstick style comedy and banter; and some wonderful James Bond style piss takes - which should and do to my mind make this a book that will amuse all, well anyone who is still even remotely in touch with their childhood.

The plot is wonderfully paced and absorbing, but with, at times, real depth and message about how people should behave to other animals and the environment that they live in. The characters are fantastic and bought to life by wonderful simple writing and a wacky air, which make every one a clearly delineated person, with different quirks and habits. The book flows, is easy to read and is the most absorbed I have been in any book for a long while. For those of you who feel that fantasy is not your thing - this is not pure fantasy, this is a great children's book that will feed their imagination and perhaps get them to ask themselves some interesting questions about the world around them. Naturally Geoffrey being a mohican giraffe and all that with some of his own magic powers, the existence of a fairy race was not news to him, but he did say that he though that MrColfer had, more than any other human writer, portrayed them closer to their actuality. Fantastic explanations abound for all sorts and there is the most plausible explanation for Santa Claus that I have ever read.

Children's fiction is cool at the moment and Geoffrey says that this a cool book, I would have to agree, this is streets ahead of Harry Potter, but not quite as philosophically deep a
s Philip Pullman's Dark Materials, which makes it ideal for all kids from about the age of 8. The most original and witty children's book that I have read in ages, but despite all this praise it is missing a spark that the Dark Materials had to make it an all time classic for both adults and children - but that doesn't make it a bad book, just more of a children's book than Pullman's.

Published by penguin.

Priced: £4.99.

ISBN: 0-14-131212-2.

279 pages long, but they fly by.

Further details of all penguin books are available at www.penguin.com.

Summary: