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I'm currently reading The Eternity Code and I LOVE IT. I love everything about this series. I love the characters, I love the world... I love the writing and I love Artemis Fowl's personality. I may end up liking this book series as much as I like the Ender series. Not trolling here... but after I read the Ender and Shadow series I thought that book series was the best ever but I'm starting to really like the fantasy world of this book series and how the Eoin Colfer portrays humans in the book.
It's just amazing to think what another sentient life form other than humans would think of us and what we did... and it's equally amazing the way that fairy technology is described. I personally think this book series is better than the Harry Potter book series.
What's your opinion on the series? I love it so far. It's very cool especially if you're into fantasy like me.
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Blayne Bradley
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Damnit, as silly as your earlier thread was I must high five you.
*high five*
The series is Good, very good, extremely good, its what Harry Potter is to other people that Artemis Fowl is to me BUT-!
It seems to be Artemis is under used in the later books yes, hes comes up with the plans, but the books make this really hard and convincing effort to say hes a super genius on part with any battleschooler and yet in the later book while he is still Artemis he doesn't quite have that intelligence or uses it.
I think Artemis is coasting, like Ender, he needs a challenge, not a predictable psycotic control freak he needs a rival someone with his intelligence half his capability but makes up for it with his earlier ruthlessness and determination but is morally ambigious enough to be sympathetic with enough honor that he can be beaten but only just barely and not permanantly.
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Why does that matter?
Posts: 450 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Blayne Bradley
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OSC writting is better at connecting on an emotional level and is definately more (ie written for an older audience without patronizing teenagers) while Artemis Fowl while has the vocubulary of an adult book is more stylized for teenagers however doesn't mean that its a horrible book that cannot possibly be compared to Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow.
And no it is most definately not written for preteens, preteens imply 9 years to 14 years range, i doubt a 14 year old would know what a quantum computer is or understand alot of the jargon.
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I agree. I just read the Eternity Code earlier... I don't think a pre-teen would really be able to understand what an eternity code was or why it was so important. I like the series mainly for the same reasons why I liked the Ender series except for the action.
The Ender series after Ender's Game centered mainly about his relationships and the descolada. Whereas, the Artemis Fowl series shows a lot more character development in Artemis Fowl, it takes an interesting look at a criminal family, and it really describes the action very well.
I personally think Ender lacked a personality in most of the series (besides the newest book Ender in Exile and in Ender's Game) but Artemis Fowl has a clearly distinct personality. Artemis is a genius...
I haven't liked a character or characters this much since I've read the Bean series.
That's just my opinion. I liked the Ender series, I'm not saying Ender's character was bad, but that he lacked a personality. He was kind of like Mario to me.
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posted
I read the first book in the series a few years ago but I honestly can't remember much about it. I have a vague feeling that it was ok but I didn't rush to read the next one and now...I guess it was forgettable.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
I tried reading the first Artemis Fowl book years ago, but gave up when the author made it clear this was going to be one of those books where characters make choices on what the plot dictates at the moment, not because it makes sense for the character.
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quote: Whereas, the Artemis Fowl series shows a lot more character development in Artemis Fowl, it takes an interesting look at a criminal family...
You know, this is actually my major source of disappointment in the Fowl books: there really isn't any look at his "criminal" family. Yes, the police disapprove of them. Yes, they're legendarily scummy. But we don't actually see any of this scumminess in practice.
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Blayne Bradley
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Spoiler Alert Spoiler Alert
Spolier Alert
Thats explained, his father was somewhat scummy and hired scum but when he when MIA with most of the fortune with it all Artemis had left was Butler who had a conscience.
The Artemis after his dad went MIA and prior to book one was very ruthless but this outlook gradually faded to someone who couldn't quite rationalize screwing good people over but nonetheless opted to screw over rich people who don't deserve their money or massively pollute the environment. (influence of his mother)
After his dad is found this is engraved in as his father in an effort to make family first decides that the Artemis Fowl Empire would go the legit further forcing Artemis to do some soul searching.
Thus Artemis went from Neutral Evil to Chaotic Good gradually in the course of two or three of the books.
There IS character development Graff and I do like the characters but I feel Artemis is underused, the writer wrote himself in a corner where he wrote "this character is a GENIUS" and aside from a consistently mature personality (props to you cloifer) and many other attributes of a smart person he can't write about genius children, only smart children and this is made worse by compensating by making the villain while also allegedly a genius is insane, cruel beyond reason or rationality and lacks common sense and only redeeming quality is being able to invent stuff but this is even cancelled out by the supporting character (Folly) being equally or better genius or simply better funded who knows?
This leads to the next problem, Artemis despite his genius constantly leans on the Faerie technology to get through nearly every problem, obviously there are obvious exceptions but it seems the writer isn't as good as Card at writing about genius children and this is my pretty much only disappointment.
However the books are still massively fun to read.
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quote:the writer isn't as good as Card at writing about genius children
Here's the thing: the easy way to make a character appear to be a genius in spec-fic is by making sure he's one step ahead of his opponents (and at least two ahead of his adoring allies), making his predictions come true, and making sure that any direct confrontation turns out in his favor.
Anyone can write geniuses when they're willing to compromise the apparent wisdom of the opposing forces.
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quote:Originally posted by Blayne Bradley: Spoiler Alert Spoiler Alert
Thus Artemis went from Neutral Evil to Chaotic Good gradually in the course of two or three of the books.
There IS character development Graff and I do like the characters but I feel Artemis is underused, the writer wrote himself in a corner where he wrote "this character is a GENIUS" and aside from a consistently mature personality (props to you cloifer) and many other attributes of a smart person he can't write about genius children, only smart children and this is made worse by compensating by making the villain while also allegedly a genius is insane, cruel beyond reason or rationality and lacks common sense and only redeeming quality is being able to invent stuff but this is even cancelled out by the supporting character (Folly) being equally or better genius or simply better funded who knows?
However the books are still massively fun to read.
*spoilers* I agree. It's a shame that all the chaotic good stuff had to go at the end of the book. But yeah, I was kind of disappointed to see his personality develop so much, and then it seemed like the author didn't care much about that version of Artemis and wanted him to go back to square one. I think it'll be interesting to see how the author is going to reset his personality back to how it was before. I'm curious as to what his motivations will be. I'm about to read Opal Deception... and I agree these books are massively fun to read. The author may not be as good as OSC but I think the author is good in certain aspects. All in all they're really interesting reads.
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quote:Originally posted by Blayne Bradley: And no it is most definately not written for preteens, preteens imply 9 years to 14 years range, i doubt a 14 year old would know what a quantum computer is or understand alot of the jargon.
I have to disagree, if only from personal experience (Wow, it's been a while since I've posted ... funny that Artemis Fowl would bring me back). If we're making the assumption that Ender's Game is more complex and more adult than Artemis Fowl, but that Artemis Fowl is too complex for 9-14 year olds, how is the fact that I (among several other people on this board I think) read Enders Game prior to being 9 and still understood it quite well? I think it's an insult to the intelligence of 9-14 year olds to say that Artemis Fowl is too "adult" for them. Maybe for some, but not for any of my little sisters, who read the books when they were that age.
I enjoy the books quite a lot and definitely read them as soon as they come out, but they are no Enders Game and I would say that they are written not only for a 9-14 year olds, but that 9-14 year olds can read them and enjoy them.
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Blayne Bradley
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I hereby disagree once more, something can still be too complex and still be fun to read even when 9.
However Ender's Game is a book that I would say is better understood, better appreciated with each rereading, while AF is fun to reread especially when getting ready for the next iteration it doesn't become better understood, it doesn't become more appreciated, the different between Ender's Game is what when someone rereads AF they better understand the jargon, they do not better understand the characters.
in Ender's Game the most you needed to understand was what "math" was and what "lasers/missiles" were, the jargon was simple as the only time jargon was spoken was by an adult to a child, the entire book was from a child's POV. Each rereading allows us to better understand Ender, and those around him. Which is why as children when we read it we understood and sympathized with Ender we WERE Ender in some way.
We cannot connect with AF in this way.
This is not the case with Artemis Fowl. There is no doubt that I consider Ender's Game a better novel even considering they're different genres, however I still stand that they are comparable as being books about child genius's.
A better comparison might be Shadow and the Hegemon/Puppets vs AF to see where AF pales and is better to understand and illistrate my point. AF is a good book, a fun book but I am disappointed that Coilfer(?) wasn't able to quite write Artemis to be the genius he is described to be.
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Blayne Bradley
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Better explanation, I am dissapointed mostly because in comparison to Ender's Game it is not as good and i wish it were more like it, or more like the Shadow Sequels.
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I see what you're saying. I haven't gotten that far in the book series yet. I'm currently at Opal Deception and I sort of feel the same way. It's like Colfer is holding back Artemis... but yes, I would agree that the book is more comparable to the Shadow series. Would you say that you could compare Artemis to Peter?
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posted
The Artemis Fowl series it totally and ridiculously unbelievable, but that is what gives me such a great thrill when I read it. Because as unbelievable as it is, I still believe it, and I'm thrilled that I believe it.
I've read every book in the series several times. Each book is filled with mystery, suspense, and a ridiculously good time.
I only have one criticism that somwhat spoiled the series for me. That is when the author, Eoin Colfer, slightly fudge the time line. In The Lost Colony near the beginnging of the books, and in order to establish the timeline, a line reads "...the fourteen-year-old Irish boy..." refering to Artemis.
In the first book, Artemis is 12 years old, now 5 books later we are to believe that only two years have passed? Those must have been a VERY BUSY two years. But I think the author wanted to keep Artemis young a cute, because that's mostly how the story works. It IS cute when a 12 year old takes on all these miraculous adventures, but if he is 16 or 18, it's not so cute.
It is like Boy Bands, they only hold up as long as the members have a boyish innocents. Once adulthood is upon them, all hope is lost.
Still, I enjoyed the adventures, and loved the stories, it just seem unbelievable that Artemis could only be two years older in the 5th book.
The books are relatively short; the 'Lost Colony' is only 380 pages. They are an easy read, and they have the most fun characters. Holly Short and Mulch Diggums absolutely crack me up again and again.
And we do see a very real transition in Artemis's character. I think, in a sense, it is a boy genius growing up. It is easy to sustain the illusion of a bad guy when you are 12. But when 16 starts approaching, the world is not so black and white, you simply can not act and ignore the consequence to those around you.
Still, I think there is only one more Artemis adventure to come, and I will certainly be first in line to buy and read it. Again, one of the great joys of reading these books is that a totally absurd premise is presented in the most believable way, and each book really does have a deep mystery to be solved and a lots of suspense. They are an engaging fun read.
I also liked the Supernaturalist and really like the fun adventure of Half Moon Investigations.
posted
My pre and early teenage nieces are reading it and have been for a while.
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Blayne Bradley
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My D&D voice keeps yelling at me when I read them. Much like when I yell at people talking about Santa's "Elves". THEY"RE FRIGGIN GNOMES!
I think an 18 year old Artemis can still be as entertaining as a 12 year old Arty. Except now with greater wisdom and ability to get Adults to do what he wants.
They're better be more books. This is simply the only one with a cliff hanger.
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I enjoyed reading Artemis Fowl and the sequels, but I would consider them to be "junk food" reads - yummy but not much substance.
Which is why I can see how Lanfear feels that it's "horrific" to compare the series to the Ender books. The difference in literary quality is definitely notable.
With that said, though, I thought it was a very fun read.
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