I didn't discover the delight that is the ARTEMIS FOWL series until a week ago, when I read ARTEMIS FOWL in one day. So, of course, I had to pick up a copy of THE ARCTIC INCIDENT right away, to see if it was as good as the first. It definitely is, and in my own humble opinion, I think I liked it even better than the first book. There are points throughout the book where Artemis, now thirteen, shows a softer, more vulnerable side that I truly enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, he's still an evil genius, but he's an evil genius with heart, and you can't help but love him.
Now that Angeline Fowl is out of her depression, thanks to some fairy magic from Captain Holly Short, she's sent Artemis back to Saint Bartelby's School for Young Gentlemen in Ireland. Artemis is having quite a large amount of fun flummoxing the school's counselor, Dr. Po, when he gets an urgent message from Butler, his bodyguard/butler/majordomo--it seems that Artemis Fowl the First is alive, being held for ransom by the Russian Mafiya.
Young Artemis, of course, immediately sets out to devise a scheme to rescue his father. It's been almost two years since Artemis Senior was last heard from, and his son is most eager to bring him home. Before he can work out a devious scheme, though, he's visited by none other than Captain Short and her superior, Commander Root, and brought down to Haven City and into Police Plaza. It seems the goblin triad, the B'Wa Kell, have a human counterpart aiding in their smuggling, and Artemis the Second is, quite justly I believe, suspected of being that human.
The fairies soon realize, however, that this time Artemis Fowl isn't the bad guy in this problem. But now they'd like Artemis and Butler's help in figuring out who is behind the alliance between the goblins and the Mud Men--and Artemis is quite willing to help them out, in exchange for the fairies help in rescuing his father.
What follows is an action-packed story of good versus evil below ground, with deceptions, backstabbing, and revenge taking center stage. As Holly, Root, Butler, and Artemis race to save Haven City from being destroyed, some of the same characters from the first book make appearances--Foaly, Mulch Diggums, Cudgeon, and Captain Trouble. There's also a new foe in THE ARCTIC INCIDENT, Opal Koboi, to be dealt with.
I highly recommend the ARTEMIS FOWL series to anyone and everyone. Highly enjoyable, thoroughly entertaining, and not soon forgotten.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
