Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl comes from a long line of criminal masterminds. How this family managed to elude Interpol
so many times is beyond me. But one thing for sure, young Artemis is not about to put an end to this legacy.
After the tragic disappearance of his father, Artemis had been helming the family''s criminal ventures whilst his mother slowly slips into insanity. No longer a billionaire, the family is still far from being poor. In order to restore the family''s fortune, Artemis set his mind on some gold - fairy gold, to be precise. Thus, in keeping with the family motto: Aurum potestas est , ''gold is power''.
But fairy gold will not come cheaply - nor easily at that! First, Artemis had to prove his theory that
fairies exist, and that they actually own gold to be stolen in the first place. Enlisting the help of his trusty bodyguard (whom had been his charge since birth) and his bodyguard''s sister, Artemis''s adventure for fairy gold begun.
Enter Holly the elf, a member of the underground police force called LEPrecon. Or LEP, for short. In another story, Holly would easily be a celebrated hero; gutsy, intuitive and with an unyielding attitude matched only by her piloting skills. A gifted soldier, Holly is the only female member of LEP and proud to be it. However, being the only female member has its downside, like being picked on constantly by Commander Root for one.
When Holly met Artemis, ''rough first impression'' would be an understatement. Soon after the initial meeting, they both realized that they were involved in a battle that was beyond what each anticipated.
Holly did not anticipate that she had been outsmarted by a human and Artemis certainly did not expect that a troll would run rampant in his house.
What''s most interesting about this story is the anti-hero hero and the hero-like ''antagonist''. It may get too wordy at a certain point, but there''s no doubt that it will hook you at the end of every chapter. You might say to yourself, ''I''ll stop at the end of this chapter'', only finding yourself still reading, five chapters on.
It has been enjoyable because there are not many stories out there that pit an anti-hero against fairies with big guns and laser beams. I mean, where else can you read about a centaur wearing a tin foil hat, paranoid that the CIA is probing into his mind?