BookBrowse:

Plenty of action as well as great humor and clever plot manipulations. Ages 10+

From the book jacket: Criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl is back . . . and so is his brilliant and dangerous enemy, Opal Koboi. At the start of the fourth adventure in the Artemis series, Artemis has no memory of the fairy people and has returned to his unlawful ways. He is preparing to steal a famous Impressionist painting from a German bank, having no idea that his old rival, Opal, has escaped from prison by cloning herself. She’s left her double behind in jail and, now free, is exacting her revenge on all those who put her there, including Artemis.

Meanwhile in the Lower Elements, Opal has planted a trap for Captain Holly Short and Commander Root of the LEPrechon fairy police. Tragedy ensues, and Holly is framed for a heinous crime she did not commit. Instead of staying around to defend herself, Holly rushes to the surface to rescue Artemis. But before Holly and Artemis can get away, Opal arrives and abducts them both. Faced with a world he does not believe in, Artemis may have finally been outsmarted. . .

Comment: This series comes highly recommended by our 12 year old son, who's been hooked on it since he was about 9. Believe you me, my credibility rating as a mother soared the day I delivered him a copy ahead of publication, and he was heard cackling long into the night for some days after!  I haven't read The Opal Deception but have read a couple of the earlier books and can attest that Colfer's blend of impossible twists, continuous action, high-tech widgets and potty humor is right on target for ages 10+.

"The author is very adept at weaving humor throughout the story and readers will be hard pressed to put the book down once they have started to read it....I highly recommend this book." - Children's Literature.

Colfer says that when he conceived the character of Artemis he imagined a cross between his brothers and Professor Moriarty!

This Fall, he will publish the fifth Artemis Fowl book and the third in his Legend series for younger readers. See his biography at BookBrowse for a bibliography.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in July 2005, and has been updated for the April 2006 edition. Click here to go to this issue.

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access become a member today.