Customer Reviews

Artemis Fowl (The Opal Deception)

5 star:		(142)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If it were not for the occasional appearance of Mulch Diggums, the dwarf with f*rts so explosive they can propel him safely from an underwater submarine all the way up to the surface of the ocean, the adult reader would find this the equal of any thriller written for adult eyes.

In the present volume, the evil child genius Artemis Fowl has forgotten all about his friends the fairies, and is occupied stealing a famous painting from a bank vault in true Mission-Impossible style. His triumph is interrupted by his archenemy pixie Opal Koboi, who has a plot (perhaps this won't surprise you) to destroy the world. Without giving away any of the rapid-fire plot developments, let's just say that Artemis, accompanied by Holly Short the intrepid LEPrechaun, Foaly the tech-wizard centaur, Artemis' bodyguard Butler, and the strangely compelling Mulch, fouls her plans (ok, sorry).

The intriguing list of gadgets and devices author Eoin Colfer employs to move the plot forward includes: cloning, creatures who shed their entire skin and use it later as a disguise in a prison break, retinal imaging, 100 million tons of molten iron, heat-seeking missiles, spacesuits with helmets that carry biometric information back to the center of the earth, handguns that bond with their owners, etc.

The ending promises a change for Holly, but a future with lots of Mulch and Artemis in it - and possibly some romance in later volumes.

The excitement, pace, and humor would be precisely like the best PG-13 thriller you will see at the movie theatre this summer, were it not for the fact that many of the characters are fairies, pixies, trolls, and dwarfs. And just like those movies, a few parents will wish there were less, well, military hardware in this series. A few of the more humorless moms will wish there were fewer f*rts. If those things don't bother you, you should not let the kids keep it to themselves; it's a great fun read for all ages.

There's a sinister plot afoot to expose the fairy world, but who could be behind it? Surely not the most dangerous pixie criminal of all time? Opal Koboi has been in a coma for almost a year, and is in a secure mental institution under constant guard, yet as the title reveals, Opal has quite an arsenal up her virtual sleeve, and a hit list for revenge.

Systematically and coldly carrying out her calculated plan, Opal leads her arch enemies at the LEPrecon police into a trap, and only instincts and pure dumb luck can save Captain Holly Short this time.

Artemis has had his brain wiped after his last fairy encounter, and has returned to a life of crime, but with niggling undercurrents of niceness that even he can't explain. Suddenly, just as he succeeds in stealing a valuable painting, his world gets ripped from under him, as the fairy world collides unceremoniously with his own.

Lots of action in this one, weapons, trolls, gadgets, magic and Mulch, and Artemis needs all his cunning and the retrieval of his memories if he wants to survive. It's his most physically demanding role yet, but he has to be at his strongest to match minds with Opal.

You should really read books one to three before attempting this one, but you won't regret it for a second.

Amanda Richards, May 3, 2005

I just finished reading this fabulous book, completely unexpectedly, as I had no idea a new one was on the way. Very pleasant surprise to say the least. As usual the characters in this are fantastic!! We don't get as much from some of my favorites, like Foaly and Butler as we have in previous books, but they are still very strong presences. Colfer does a great job of telling one moment in time from various view points so the reader is always in the know (as much as anyone can be in regards to a criminal mastermind like Artemis Fowl, that is)

(Spoiler warning)

It does sadly have a character death, though it was handled very well. Artemis' thoughts and insights are great, and he and Holly share their special chemistry even with him not having his memories for most of the book. The last little blip in the book, an 'article' seems to promise alot more from my favorite 'reformed' child-mastermind, and the next book will be taking the characters in very different directions, it seems, than they have been traveling in the previous books. Not just the reformed Artemis, but Holly as well--and in some degree together.

Awesome read!!

This book is so good, I do not know how to begin. First of all I would like to mention that a major character dies, and I am still in shock, but I will not tell you which major character it is. So if you do not like sad books, just don't read this.

True to its name this book is about Opal Koboi's revenge on everyone who destroyed the B'wa Kell Uprising for her in the second book. This pretty much includes Artemis, Holly, Butler, Foaly, Commander Root, and Mulch.

This begins when Holly and Commander Root are investigating a case about some irritating goblin that fooled Foaly's sensors. When they do this, a major character gets killed by Opal Koboi, and Holly is framed. It is shocking and sad, but Eoin Colfer handles it very well. By now you've probably guessed who the major character is, and that is my main big spoiler.

Meanwhile Artemis Fowl is attemping to steal a famous painting, Opal springs a trap, and Holly runs up to the surface to save him. However Artemis has no memory of the People.

Then Mulch gets involved, and things become really chaotic, although the chaos really didn't have much to do with Mulch.

If you would like to find out how this great book ends, then I advise you to read it. And the ending is very suprising.

If you have read the other Artemis fowl books, then I do not need to tell you how good this book is. You already know what the other Artemis Fowl books are like. If you haven't read the Artemis Fowl books, the I think you should start by reading the first one. It will make much more sense.

This fourth book of the Artemis Fowl Series was outstanding. Artemis, having recently being mind-wiped, returns to his life of crime. But his most feared enemy, Opal Koboi, is after revenge on the people that foiled her early plan. This includes Holly Short, Julius Root, Artemis Fowl, Butler, and of course Foaly. Artemis does not think he is in any danger because he doesn't remember Opal after the mind-wipe. When Holly and Root are up against Opal, they finally meet their match. After an unfortunate event, Holly seeks out Artemis and Butler to try and save them from the bio-bomb but to do thatshe must introduce herself to them all over again. Now they are all on a quast to find Koboi so they can stop her. But will her evil plan actually work this time. She spent a year in a coma(as we would call it) plotting her revenge on Artemis and Holly. Holly, Artemis, Butler, and Mulch(the dwarf) have to foil Koboi's plan without any help. Holly is suspected of murder and cannot seek Foaly's help. Will Koboi's evil plan to expose human's to fairies work, or will Artemis come up with yet another brilliant idea. Find out in this excellent book.

Opal's back!

(Don't worry--only very minor spoilers, to give you a sense of the story arc--no major details are revealed!)

In the fourth installment of the Artemis Fowl series for children by Eoin Colfer, the villain from The Arctic Incident returns to plague all the characters we love, including fourteen-year-old Artemis Fowl, manservant Butler, the elf Captain Holly Short and her commander Julius Root, the centaur Foaly, and the notorious criminal dwarf Mulch Diggums. (Juliet Butler is notably absent from this volume. I think she might be at bodyguard school.)

Like the other Artemis Fowl books, this was enjoyable to read and featured the usual character growth, high-speed chases, amusing conversations, and (of course) tons of fairy gadgets. My one complaint is the same as ever: Mr. Colfer tends to brag about his fictional inventions and devote too much time to explaining how they work. But that's easily overlooked, considering how much effort was spent on character development and the usual intricate plot.

I noticed a bit of a lean on the description, too; things were a bit more visual. And to his credit, Colfer manages to take away the "it's a kids' book" security he had laid in the previous books--that feeling that nothing to horrific can happen to the good guys--and he kills off a major and fairly beloved character who doesn't come back from the dead to make everything hunky-dory at the end. (I won't reveal who it is in my description of the book below, in case someone reading this fears spoilers.) All in all, very recommended, but not without reading the first three first. Without the background of the first three, you'll still enjoy this story but you won't be as affected by the losses and gains of the story and the growth of the characters.

And, happily, another code graces the bottoms of the pages, just like in the first Artemis book. Fans of the books who have bothered to learn the Gnommish alphabet can translate and read a second little story along the bottom of each page. I of course did this. It informed me that I've been recruited as part of a human branch of the fairy police, except I don't remember it because they mind-wiped me. I'll bet! It gave me instructions on four things I have to do to join up with them again and how to contact them when I've satisfied the requirements. One of the requirements is to take a bath every day for a week. I dunno about that. . . .

Here is a short synopsis, followed by some quotes I found most amusing.

Villain Opal Koboi rises again from her apparent year-long coma, determined first to punish her enemies and second to take over the world. She focuses first on the LEP officers Holly and Root, managing to make most of the fairy world believe Holly is a bad guy before pointing her weapons at Artemis and Butler as they "innocently" try to steal a painting. In the last book, both the humans had their minds wiped by the LEP, but now of course they are again ensnared in a fairy mission beneath the earth, trying to stop Opal from wiping out half of Haven City with a fast-moving probe (and alerting humans to the existence of whatever fairies won't have died in the atrocity). Artemis, after reacquiring his memories, is surprised to find his personality changing back a bit to the way it was, finding a happy middle ground there between hardened juvenile criminal and charitable friend of human and fairy people alike. There is much character growth for Artemis especially, and Holly makes some difficult and surprising decisions before the end. It's entertaining to watch Opal Koboi go up against Artemis Fowl once again, to see that battle of wills and root for good to come out on top . . . whatever "good" is.

My favorite quotes:

Descant Brill: "By the gods, this is the last time I break the boss out of a clinic and replace her with a clone."

Artemis Fowl (pretending to be a typical teen): "It's a game box. They were invented so teenagers wouldn't have to talk to grown-ups."

Artemis Fowl, mocking Opal Koboi: "How can you fail to take over the world with a booty box full of truffles?"

Narration, point of view of Artemis Fowl: She appeared to be conversing with a posterior. And then, even more amazingly, the posterior appeared to answer.

Opal, to her goons: "I assumed Artemis Fowl was dead once before, and I spent a year in a coma as a result."

Opal, to her goons: "You're looking directly at me. That's very bad for my skin."

Opal, to Artemis as she attempts to kill him and realizes he's robbed her: "My truffles?" . . . "You took them. That's just mean."

Everyone! Read-read-read!

OK, so here's what I think...........REALLY GOOD!!!!!!! READ IT!!!!!!!!!!! But, despite all my enthusiasm, surprisingly, I had a few problems with it. Probably the biggest was that Artemis, the wonderfully complex teenage genius who you could never quite understand, who was always in the middle of heavy turmoil inside himself trying to decide whether to do good or do bad has finally come to the decision to do more good than bad and it has finally been admitted that Artemis and the strange underground people are FRIENDS! WHEW! What a run-on sentence! But Artemis' change in feelings sort of takes away from the character in a way and makes him a little LESS interesting and makes it like every other book where it is good vs. bad, and the good always wins.

But even though Artemis went a little soft, the book is still great! Opal Koboi has induced a coma on herself and had her two little pixie helpers replace her with a completely identical clone which would just lay there exactly as she herself had for about a year. Then she began her plan for revenge. First up to get Opal's revenge special for the day were Commander Root and Holly Short. According to Opal's plan one of them is going to be dragged down slowly and suffer, but the other one was going to have to be a sacrifice. This is where the horrendous death scene takes place. I hate to tell you this, because I knew about it before reading the book and it sort of made the effect weaken, but Root is the sacrifice and Holly is the one who is to be dragged down in slow misery. Opal told Holly there was a way to save her commander and she did it, but as one would expect from Opal, she lied about that as well and it really made Root die faster and Holly look like the murderer. Holly was heart broken and filled with rage as Root's final seconds ticked away quickly. But Root, knowing there was no way for him to cheat death this time, gave Holly one last order as commander: SAVE ARTEMIS AND BUTLER. (since they were also on the revenge list) and then with some final last words the commander blew up. Holly then began to cry which it was strange to think of the butt-kicking female corporal crying. Holly decided to honor her friend and commanders dying wishes and save her human friends who have now been mind wiped and don't remember any of the fairies. They are now in the middle of trying to steal a famous painting and Opal has planted a surprise for them. The now-criminal Holly does manage to save Artemis who was mortally injured but together they are captured by Opal and THE PLOT THICKENS!

For most of the book Artemis and Butler don't remember the fairies or their adventures and you just want to scream at them REMEMBER!!!!! REMEMBER!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!! They do eventually, thanks to Mulch, who has also come back to help them and plays a big part in the plot with his bodily functions. Together the avenge Root, and save fairydom from Opal once again.

The book is really funny and really, really good except for a few really unbelievable parts, but that's why you read books, right? To escape reality?

There's just one question..... WHAT HINT OF A ROMANCE IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT IN THE REST OF THESE REVIEWS?????? WHAT DO THEY THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FIFTH BOOK??? I GUESS I'M JUST DENSE, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT!!!!

oh well, these are just my thoughts on the book, I hope they help to encourage you to READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!! :)

When I first saw this book in the store I was shocked. I had no idea that there was a fourth Artemis Fowl book. I picked it up on the spot and took it home to read.

It was as great as I thought it would be. If you are a fan of the first three books than you will also be a fan of this one. It captures the characters and adds new twists and developements to the overall storyline. All the old characters {except the goblin gangs} make an appearance and help to further or hinder the solution to the new Opal problem.

If you haven't read any of the Artemis Fowl books I strongly suggest you give one a try. Read it in a bookstore. Borrow it from the library. What have you got to lose. You may just like it.

Once again great book. Try it.

opal koboi is back! remember her from the previous books? this time she won't be so easily defeated... in this volume, she is in a coma. while being unconscious for almost a year, she invented an ingenious scheme: to let the worlds of the people (fairies & elves...) and humans unite. artemis fowl is doing one of his favourite past-times, stealing. there is the famous painting "the fairy thief" drawn by a famous artist, and everyone is after it. no one has kept it for very long, however; there is always someone looking for it, and this time it's artemis fowl. once he steals the painting, he immediately puts it somewhere for safe-keeping for the time being. "the fairy thief", which contained a bomb, exploded, leaving artemis and butler injured. this was when artemis re-encounters a somewhat familiar figure, with auburn hair and large brown eyes, someone whom he had imprisoned in exchange for a ransom.

opal koboi sets up many booby traps for everyone trying to intercept her intention, which include captain holly short and the criminal mastermind artemis fowl. the mud boy, fowl, meets captain short once again and work as one to vanquish opal koboi once and for all.

this book was, in my opinion, the best one of the series. it was easy to visualize every scene, and colfer's skills kept you from putting the book down until you finished! i have been reading this series since i was 8, and it still hasn't lost its shine. this book will appeal to anyone in grades 6, 7, 8. i really hope eoin colfer writes a few more books to the series!

I loved this book... I really couldn't put it down! It was a bit darker than the others, and I definitely didn't expect that plot twist at the beginning, but kudos to Mr. Colfer for it. You care so much for the characters, that when one goes away for good, you actually miss them as if they were frieds. At least I did.

There's also plenty of surprises in this book, lots of character development and a very satisfying ending that left me smiling, yet at the same time asking for more. If you liked the first 3 books, then you'll love this one!