Artemis Fowl
by Eoin Colfer · first published 1999
33% recommend62% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Fast-paced, witty young-adult fantasy with a clever criminal-mastermind protagonist and a blend of fairy lore and technology; praised as a great read for kids and teens, and for parents reading aloud.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Artemis Fowl is the first of a series of semi-realist novels produced by Eoin Colfer. They document the adventures of a precocious prodigal child of the criminal empire, Artemis Fowl. In this book, accompanied by his huge and loyal bodyguard/sidekick/advisor Butler, Artemis engages in a series of surreal activities; the absence of his missing father and the mental disorder of his mother allow him to pursue the unlikely position of a criminal mastermind. However, Artemis soon encounters more than he bargains for when his attempted capture of a member of the underground 'fairy' civilization goes
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What Hacker News says
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This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (out of print, yet much more worthwhile in my opinion than other dystopic novels) Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond The Books of the Fey by Kristine Kathryn Rusch Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer The Deathgate Cycle by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗Eoin Colfer generally writes science-fantasy appropriate for older kids / young adults. See: "the Supernaturalist", the Artemis Fowl books, the WARP trilogy. "Escape to Witch Mountain" (by Alexander Key) is a classic.
on “Ask HN: Sci-Fi book recommendations for kids?” ↗…fantasy with hard magic systems[0], I highly recommend anything by Brandon Sanderson. The narrators for the Mistborn and Stormlight Archives are pretty good. I can also heartily recommend the first 5 or so Artemis Fowl books. They also have a great narrator. [0] A hard magic is very understandable by the reader and can be used to resolve conflicts. Personally, I love them. See https://brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-first-law/
on “Analyzing Hacker News book suggestions in Python” ↗I have read Eoin's Artemis Fowl trilogy and found it quite good -- but it's not anywhere near the same writing style used in Hitchhiker's Guide. If they wanted the same Hitchhiker feel they probably should have gone with Terry Pratchett…
on “New Hitchhiker's Guide book "not very funny"” ↗…whatever. I want there to be more tentpoles with room for more people underneath.” There already are? Deltora Quest, The Old Kingdom, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goosebumps, Percy Jackson, Keys to the Kingdom, Artemis Fowl, Tamora Pierce, David Eddings, Robin Hobb (depending on reading level and expectations) ... And there are plenty of non-series books for that age group as well - Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving…
on “Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun” ↗…on (Darren Shan?). Benny and Omar is a fantastic debut novel and a great introduction to class and cultural distinctions in the Islamic world as viewed through the eyes of a surly western teenager. The Artemis Fowl debut as well is a perfectly inoffensive fresh IP with an interesting take on putting a cyberpunk spin on Irish Mythology - although marred somewhat by an appalling cinematic adaptation. To then cite…
on “"None of These Books Are Obscene": Judge Strikes Down Much of FL's Book Ban Bill” ↗I have daughters that love nancy drew novels, read to them before bed, currently on book 28. for a boy the Hardy boys is the equivalent.. Also depends on the age but other good ones are: Artemis Fowl Alex Rider Berenstain Bears
on “Children and young people's reading in 2025” ↗Artemis Fowl? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Artemis-Fowl-Eoin-Colfer/dp/01413121... though just get it from your library (which may have a different cover).
on “Ask HN: Books on hacking (Fiction)” ↗The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beautiful-Poetry-Donald-Trump/dp/17... Artemis Fowl https://www.amazon.co.uk/Artemis-Fowl-Eoin-Colfer/dp/0141339... Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a Fk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thug-Kitchen-Eat-Like-Give/dp/07515... The Idea in You: How to Find It,…
on “Ask HN: What books have you given as a present in 2017?” ↗Wow the was... bad. I can get scientists want to bring SciFi to life, but this is a stretch. In the second Artemis Fowl book, there is a centaur who uses a human laptop (magical creatures live in a technologically advanced society underground), and the first thing he does is mute it. He complains that humans are unevolved…
on “Disseminating the New Kilogram: An International ‘Dry Run’” ↗…And I believe that from a bio-mechanical (muscular, skeletal) point of view, insect-like wings capable on sustaining flight are not possible on a human back. For an interesting take on this, see the Artemis Fowl series of books where fairies don't have actual wings but are much more advanced that us regular humans, and fly thanks to technological winged backpacks, and this is the origin of the human myth of fairies…
on “Sherlock Holmes May Not Have Been a Real Crime-Fighter, but His Creator Was” ↗I have read the first 4 Artemis Fowl books. Does the quality drop after the fifth one?
on “Analyzing Hacker News book suggestions in Python” ↗…couple of examples I can remember from popular fiction are the entrance to CBS Master Control in The Insider (1999) and the executive suite of Seatec Astronomy in Sneakers (1992). There were a few in the Artemis Fowl and Alex Rider books. There is a mantrap with no access control between the main floor and the butterfly wing at the Milwaukee Public Museum to keep the air conditioning out and the butterflies in. Haven't…
on “You can no longer just leave Syracuse airport [video]” ↗There have been modern kids authors that focus on boys: Darren Shan's vampire series, Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books, Rick Riordan, the Artemis Fowl series, etc. Jon Scieszka did his Time Warp Trio books for example. Dav Pilkey did Captain Underpants and various other series. There's the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and more. However, the massive…
on “Why are boys academically underperforming? [audio]” ↗…the kids series "Pendragon". One of the books centers around the blowing up of the hindenburg. I guess the author was onto this as a conspiracy and decided their own explanation! (If your child liked Artemis Fowl, they might like this series)
on “A quick note on airships (2020)” ↗