Artemis
Fowl
This series of novels written by Eoin Colfer, starring a teenage
criminal mastermind named Artemis Fowl II, the author once described the
series as "Die Hard with fairies. Then
that’s when one does not wonder why there are series in development,
although most details are unclear. The series has sold over 18 million
copies as of June 2008. Fowl, the main character, is a ruthless and
extremely intelligent young (human) criminal whose main goal is the
acquisition of money through a variety of often illegal schemes. There
are many settings in the series, including Siberia, Chicago, Taiwan, Morocco, France
and various places in Ireland. One main setting that has been in all
the books is the Lower Elements.
One of the elements that make the novel great is the fact that the
there is no obvious villain for the first book, as it is Artemis Fowl
vs. the LEP; Fowl could himself be considered the villain or anti-hero,
an unusual stance for a children's book. A minor villain is Briar
Cudgeon, who attempts to kill Artemis, Butler, and possibly Holly with a
troll.
There are six novels in the series so far, the first was published in
2001 and the sixth released in the United States on 15 July 2008. An
Artemis Fowl movie has been confirmed by Eoin Colfer. In an AFC
interview, Colfer stated that the screenplay was still being written,
but pre-production was at a standstill because of the recently-ended
WGA strike. He stated as a joke that it would be finished "two years
after he died." In an August 2008 interview, Colfer stated that "we are
finished writing it, now we are just waiting for the green light."