Artemis Fowl

Unabridged
Author: Eoin Colfer
Narrator: Nathaniel Parker
Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy, Juvenile and Children's, Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Listening Library, Inc.
Date: April 2004
Length: 6 hours, 7 minutes
Ratings:
Formats:
  • CD

Overview

Artemis Fowl is a one of the greatest criminal minds the world has ever seen. He is heir to the Fowl family empire—a centuries old clan of international underworld figures and con artists. He is arguably the most cunning Fowl of all. He is also twelve years old.

Artemis' interest in mythology and an obsession with the Internet leads him to discover proof of the existence of "The People"- otherwise known as fairies, sprites, leprechauns and trolls. He learns every fairy has a magical Book. If he can find the Book, it will lead him to "The People's" vast treasure of gold.
With his brutish sidekick, Butler, he sets his plans in motion. Artemis tricks a drunken old fairy woman into loaning him her Book, a tiny golden volume, for thirty minutes. He scans it with a digital camera and emails it to his Mac G6 computer. Back in his mansion in Ireland, he is the first human to decode the secrets of the fairies.

Artemis needs a leprechaun to help him with this plan. He and Butler hunt down Holly Short, a tough, female LEPrecon, part of a gung-ho Fairy commando unit, who is on a reconnaissance mission.
He kidnaps her, and a major battle begins. It's satyr against gnome, man against elf, and for the first time in his life, Artemis must decide what he values most.

For fans of J.R.R.Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Philip Pullman, Artemis Fowl is a high-tech fantasy, mixing faries, leprechauns, and computers, in a brilliant, thrilling story that is destined to become a cult favorite.

Reviews (38)

Lots of fun

Written by Justin on October 12th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

When I put this in my list, I thought I might be too old for this book and thought seriously about deleting it. Glad i didn't, it was a great listen and made me want to go on to the next book in the series.

Artemis Fowl

Written by BearW on June 11th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 4/5

While this is touted as a "children''s book", it is anything but "just" a children's book. Interesting, intriguing and exciting. While the end seemed all too easy and "happily ever after"-ish, this is a wonderful story, all the way around. I highly recommend it for children of all ages (beyond 10 years of age, or so).

Artemis Fowl

Written by Anonymous on January 5th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 1/5

The synopsis sounded much better than the actual book.

great storyteller

Written by Mark S on December 4th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Very well done. The storyteller is very engaging and the story is very well written. This was great for a long car ride to the beach :) Highly Recommended

Great for kids - not so much for me

Written by Troyanne from Ft. Myers, FL on November 29th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 3/5

I usually enjoy young adult and children's fantasy, but I couldn't make myself care about the characters in this story. Artemis' charm comes from his status as an absolutely brilliant, benignly amoral twelve-year old criminal mastermind who bests everyone with his intellect. It's a fun twist on the usual hero profile that will delight young readers, but this adult needs a protagonist whose adventures include at least a couple of struggles to dig deep and grow emotionally or morally along the way. It's great entertainment, but it doesn't have the power of Pullman's or Rowling's work.

Artemis Fowl

Written by TVVesselsJr from Petaluma, CA on July 23rd, 2008

  • Book Rating: 5/5

WOW! What an imagination Eoin Colfer has: magic, fairies and all of those mythical creatures. I loved the Lep-Recon operatives, the story within the story. I loved all of it, every bit: the boy-master-mind of crime, the elves and ... everything. What a great read, or listen in my case. Thank you. I am delighted to learn there are four more in the series. T.V. Vessels, Jr. - author.

Artemis Fowl

Written by Tony Ca. from Anaheim, Ca, CA on July 8th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 4/5

This is a great story, really enjoyed it, was just to short, but he has more Artemis Fowl, so I have a couple more comin. Kinda cool about Fairies, etc; and I am an old guy too.

Worth the read

Written by Diana Conley on April 29th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 3/5

This was a fun book, but it just didn't live up to all the hype.

Artemis Fowl

Written by Anonymous on April 13th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 4/5

This was a good book to listen to, I have acutally bought two books since. I really like the idea of the fairys underground taking care of us

Artemis Fowl

Written by Laura Larson on January 29th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 4/5

I am in my late fifties and I loved listening to this imaginative adventure while commuting to work. Great fun!

Author Details

Author Details

Colfer, Eoin

Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father (an elementary school teacher, historian and artist of note) and mother (a drama teacher). He first developed an interest in writing in primary (elementary) school with gripping Viking stories inspired by history he was learning in school at the time!

After leaving school he got his degree from Dublin university and qualified as a primary school teacher, returning to work in Wexford. He married in 1991 and he and his wife spent about 4 years between 1992 and 1996 working in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. His first book, Benny and Omar, was published in 1998, based on his experiences in Tunisia; it has since been translated into many languages. A sequel followed in 1999, followed by some other books (see below). Then in 2001 the first Artemis Fowl book was published and he was able to resign from teaching and concentrate fully on writing.

He says, "I will keep writing until people stop reading or I run out of ideas. Hopefully neither of these will happen anytime soon."

He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.