Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian

Well, wow! That’s one grand finale to a pretty grand series of books. (I gather you should use the word ‘grand’ to make it sound more Irish. Genuine, like.)

Eoin said on Tuesday that he wanted to put everything into his last Artemis Fowl story, and he certainly has. We’re back to an – almost – compos mentis Artemis. Sometimes I believe we never got back the Artemis we started with, on account of his encounter with the fairies did something to him. He became nicer. More human. At the beginning, even the fairies were more human than Artemis.

He’s got over his fear of four, just about. Things are looking promising, and then quite suddenly things are looking anything but. The destruction of everything, Haven and Earth, looks set to happen imminently.

What to do? Well, some reckless behaviour never hurt. It did, actually. But they engage in it all the same. They are the usual bunch of people we know and love, and we know – or hope – that between them, Artemis and Holly, Butler and Foaly might come up with something.

As always, there is very little time. What to do, when you only have seconds to think of a solution?

The minor Fowls get to play a not inconsiderable part, and enough to make the reader fall in love with Beckett, and even with Myles.

The problem, as always, is Opal Koboi. You have to admire the woman. She can come up with the most fiendish plans under the worst conditions. This being the last book, might Eoin let her succeed? And will he kill off one or several characters?

The Last Guardian feels more tightly written than some of the Artemis books, and the humour is second to none. I’d love to quote you a few choice lines, but can’t. It’d give it away. (In fact, the only hints you’ll get can be found in the report on Eoin’s talk in Preston three days ago.)

Speaking of love; there is romance in this book. I almost wondered why Eoin spoke at such length about finding love, but I think I know now. He was referring back to the great Foaly. I didn’t know he had it in him, to be honest. Foaly, not Eoin.

Thank you, Mr Colfer, for years of fun with the intelligent child villain and your adorable fairies. Just as you mentioned that children can read adult books and enjoy them, we oldies can read Artemis Fowl. You don’t grow out of him. Admittedly, I had my doubts after the first book. I wasn’t sure I could continue reading about such an immoral and cold, cruel boy. But now, now I feel ready to go back to the beginning and start all over again…

About these ads