19 February 2001 ARTEMIS FOWL by Eoin Colfer, Hyperion Books/Talk Miramax Books, May 2001

I crack open an Advance Reading Copy with quite a bit of skepticism, no, make that cynicism, any time a publisher implies in their cover letter that they're possibly turning me on to the next Harry Potter/Tolken/C.S. Lewis. So, as I began reading ARTEMIS FOWL by Irish schoolteacher Eoin (Owen) Colfer, I was an unusually tough audience. They've placed their chips on this one: Not only has the second book in the series been written prior to release of the first, but co-publisher Miramax already has the movie under production for a 2002 release.

It's not especially big news that this isn't the next Harry Potter. Thirty-five years later we haven't yet stumbled across the next Beatles, either. But ARTEMIS FOWL is a wonderful, high tech fantasy/adventure in which a 12 year old criminal mastermind goes after a secret underground civilization of fairies in the hopes of getting his hands on a ton of 24 carat Leprechaun gold..

On their side of this high stakes duel, the fairies are smart, armed, and determined to keep their gold, save their abducted officer, and maintain the secrecy of their civilization. There are some really charming and memorable characters, some interesting twists to the plot, and several handfuls of loose ends to carry us into Book II..

Some of the characters will remind you of characters you've met in other books. However, one who is quite unique and caught my fancy is Mulch, whom we first meet in a brief scene near the start of the book:

"In the station lobby, a kleptomaniac dwarf was busy picking the pockets of everyone else in the booking line, including the officer he was handcuffed to. Holly gave him a swipe in the backside with her buzz baton. The electric charge singed the seat of his leather pants.

'Whatcha doing there, Mulch?'

Mulch started, contraband dropping from his sleeves. 'Officer Short,' he whined, his face a mask of regret. 'I can't help myself. It's my nature.'

'I know that, Mulch. And it's our nature to throw you in a cell for a couple of centuries.' "

The book doesn't have the sophistication of a Pullman or a Tolkien; it is more of a straightforward, really fun read which is accessible to the 9-12 year old crowd while still entertaining older readers. And with many questions left unanswered at the conclusion of the first book, I, for one, am looking forward to what happens in Book II.

Richie Partington

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