Artemis Fowl: Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl, #1)

by Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old villain, Artemis Fowl, is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. His bold and daring plan is to hold a leprechaun to ransom. But he's taking on more than he bargained for when he kidnaps Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Unit). For a start, leprechaun technology is more advanced than our own. Add to that the fact that Holly is a true heroine and that her senior officer Commander Root will stop at nothing to get her back and you've got the mother of all sieges brewing! If you had to describe this book in one sentence, then it would have to be: ARTEMIS FOWL - DIE HARD with fairies.

• ISBN10: 0563527447
• ISBN13: 9780563527442
• Publish Date: 1 January 2001
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 23 January 2010
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: AudioGO Limited
• Imprint: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
• Language: English

Reviews

[bookperson]

it was okay, but not spectacular.
really enjoyed the fact that artemis wasn't redeemed in the eyes of the narrator and all of his wrongdoings were still bad

Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old millionaire, child prodigy and criminal mastermind. After his father's disappearance and the deterioration of his mother's mental health, he plans to save his family from bankruptcy and reclaim his family fortune after he discovers that fairies are real.

Artemis Fowl is an interesting character. He's a genius and a mastermind, but instead of using his abilities for good, he turns to a life of crime and evil. He's always one step ahead and he's the type of genius who leaves hints about his plans in the hope that other people with figure them out and try to stop him. While he does some terrible things that no normal 12 year old would even consider and has questionable motives, he still has limitations - weaknesses and lines that he won't cross. I'm excited to continue the rest of the series and witness his gradual change from villain to hero.

The other characters - Butler, Juliet, Commander Root, Foaly and Mulch are interesting and lovable characters, but for the most part, they are quite one dimensional with rare glimpses of character depth under the surface. I'm hoping that they become more developed characters in future Artemis Fowl books. This reread of Artemis Fowl also reminded me about my love for Captain Holly Short, the first female officer in the LEPrecon division.

The Fairy World that Eoin Colfer creates in Artemis Fowl revolves more around science. The fairies live underground because humans have polluted the planet surface to such an extent that it's become poisonous to them. There's elves, dwarfs, trolls, goblins, sprites, centaurs and pixies. The world that Colfer creates is quite interesting and the technological advancements and gadgets are quite cool. However, Colfer tries too hard to push his eco-friendly agendas in Artemis Fowl

I'm obviously not the intended target market for the Artemis Fowl series and Artemis Fowl feels quite juvenile and I'm not a fan of toilet humour and low verbal insults, but I still have fond feelings towards a series that I loved when I was younger.

It's been awhile since I've read Artemis Fowl and I had forgotten how good it was. It was an action packed adventure. I'd forgotten though how unlikable Artemis is. Even Holly and that aren't really very likable. Still, it was an enjoyable read and it moves very quickly. And there were some funny lines throughout.

3 stars from me. 4 stars for target audience. And I do remember that I would've rated this around 4 when I initially read this.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

While I love the Artemis Fowl series, book two has never been one of my favorites. The second book in the series is all about getting Artemis's father back from the Russian mafia, with a much more entertaining subplot of a goblin rebellion underground. It's necessary in that it sets up much of the events of the rest of the series (with its directly to The Opal Deception and The Time Paradox, and that's just off the top of my head). However, Artemis really shines when he's plotting, and plotting is minimal in this one.

Fortunately, the faeries are excellent in this one. In particular, Mulch Diggums and Foaly shine as strong, individual personalities and they held my attention. You have to know that a series that went on as long as Artemis Fowl has some good content, so there's bound to be a book here or there that isn't shiny. For me, the series gets boring whenever Artemis is with his family. Thank goodness he spends more time with Butler and Holly.

[mitabird]

2.5 stars

[sstaley]

My teen son and I listened to this together and we really liked the narrator of this audiobook. He is a very entertaining reader with a great voice. This book is a super read for middle grade readers. They'll love it because it has a lot of potty talk. My son seemed to like this book more than I did. Granted, it took us longer to listen to this than we normally do and I felt lost while trying to follow the story. I just never became attached to the main character or cared about his mission. My son is excited to read the next book in the series, but I'll be passing on it. There are too many other books I really want to read. I can see how tween and teenage boys will like this book the most.

[boghunden]

I was just gonna check out the audiobook to see if I liked it or not. I ended up finishing it in just two days. Yay! I think I finally get audiobooks.

I knew next to nothing when I started it, I mean, I didn't even know that Artemis wasn't the hero of the story, but rather the villain. Imagine my surprise! He and his 'servant' Butler made for a very good and fun team and I just really liked Butler, he was just right up my ally.
Another character I really loved was Holly Short. I loved her right from the beginning and I found myself wondering what part she'd play in this story. I really really loved her!

The world building was pretty good, I think. Had I known fairies was a (big) part of this book, I probably wouldn't have picked it up, but to my surprise I really liked them and their world.

The overall plot was simple and easy to follow, and even though it was somewhat predictable, there was still some twists and turns that kept me interested the whole way through.

I'm wondering if Holly will be in the next book as well? I certainly hope so!

[nitzan_schwarz]

To read more reviews and fun things go to my blog; Drugs Called Books!

Well, Artemis Fowl has been on my To-Read list for about... six years, when I was twelve myself. And, in all fairness, had I read it back then I would've enjoyed it... not so much now, though.
The only reason I picked it up--aside for the conviction I had to at least read the first of this loved series--was because I found myself in school, waiting two hours for a friend to finish her class - and was bored as hell. A quick swift around the library proved to come up with nothing interesting to pass the time with, aside for Artemis Fowl, and so I figured I can kill two birds in one stone - pass the time with a book and cross this one of my list, once and for all.
It wasn't a very good way to pass the time, though. It is not a bad read, but I can't say it was a good read, either. I had to struggle with the pages, while chanting to myself "finish this book! Don't give up!". The fact I had to convince myself to continue lowered the stars dramatically.
The idea behind the characters is intriguing enough, I'd give it that; A genius criminal of twelve years old, fairies and Centaurs, Trolls and Bodyguard butlers... But I had not seen any development in any of the characters, and felt that many times - the book was plain boring. It got to a point where I said: Okay, I won't be able to read this book at home while I have so much better things to read, and I started reading through this book, a few pages at a time, in school breaks and free periods, where I had nothing else to really do. That says something.
Again, in all fairness, I would've been pretty satisfied--even given it more stars--had I read it when I was twelve, which is the main audience of this book. But I didn't, and at my age, 18, this was no longer something I could really enjoy reading. Too bad, really, but hey - at least it's off my list now...

[celinenyx]

Artemis is such an interesting boy, I would like to meet him in person.