Customer Reviews

Arthur and the Minimoys

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Take my review with a grain of salt: I have read all of the books to date in the original French (up to the 4th: "Arthur et la guerre des deux mondes"), so I can comment on the story and original writing, but it is possible the translation may have exacerbated any problems regarding use of language.

"Fun" is the most appropriate word for this work. Originality is unfortunately lacking to some degree. The premise of "Honey I shrunk the kids" + some character elements from "Harry Potter" = "Arthur and the Minimoys"

Even in French, Besson is a somewhat sloppy writer, relying too heavily on almost infantine similes. I am assuming these only worsen in translation.

I did however enjoy the characters. There is something typically French about the relationships of the personages that makes this book worth plugging through, which further matures in the 2nd installment. I would recommend this book just to get to the sequel.

To help you decide whether or not this is worth your time investment, I've included a note about the following books (no spoilers included)

"Arthur et la Cite Interdite" - 4 stars
The character development is heart-warming. This book really shines and creates a genuine desire to read more.
"Arthur et la vengeance de Maltazard" - 2 stars
Terrible. 75% of this book is flashbacks to help you better understand the characters. Almost no action is involved. I felt like it would never end. It could have worked if the stories told about each character related to what was currently happening (or not happening!) in the plot, but things almost tie together near the end.
"Arthur et la guerre des deux mondes" - 2 stars
Boring. Besson decides to come back to the actual hear-and-now, but the events really aren't that interesting. This could have been a platform to further explore the relationships between the characters, but of this opportunity Besson never takes advantage. I was expecting some interesting, almost cataclysmic event (the title translates to "Arthur and the war of the two worlds"), but even this is dissappointing.

Unless more sequels of note are released, I would suggest reading the first two books and stopping.

It all begins when ten year old Arthur and his grandmother are being forced to move out of their house. Arthur needs to find a treasure that his grandfather left behind before he went to the world of the half inch tall Minimoys to help fight M.the cursed (the most evil Minimoy of them all). But he never came back. Arthur thinks that he got captured by M. and will soon be killed. Then Arthur solves a riddle to get to the land of the
Minimoys to save his grandfather and his home.

"Arthur and the Minimoys" is a great book that's full of action, adventure, and a cliff hanging "to be continued..." end that makes you want to keep on reading. It leaves you with so many questions like: "Will Arthur survive?", "Is his house going to be saved?", and "Will Arthur find his lost grandfather and escape from M. the cursed?". It's a great book for people that like a little fantasy and a lot of action.

Reading this book will make you want to read the sequel, "Arthur and the Forbidden City" where Arthur's adventures with the Minimoys continue. You'll be speechless after you read this story. I sure was. From sword fights to sibling fights, "Arthur and the Minimoys" is a great book for those action adventure lovers. So go to your nearest library and get a copy of Arthur and the Minimoys".

Reading Arthur and the Minimoys is like watching a movie...and after reading some reviews, I can see way. It's being developed as a CGI movie in 2007, that said it's also a romping good adventure...a kind of Honey I Shrunk the Kids meets The Secret of Nimh with a smidge of Indiana Jones. As the story starts out, we meet Arthur who is staying with his Grandma and both sorely miss Grandpa who disappeared without a trace four years before. Family love is clearly present and Arthur really loves to visit with his Grandfathers collection of African books and masks, reliving through this the many adventures his Grandfather had as a younger man. It is the day of Arthur's tenth birthday the dastardly Mr. Davido shows up and tells them they have three days to come up with the money they owe or he's taking the house and everything in it...it's at this moment that Arthur refuses to take it "lying down" sets out to find his grandfathers long lost treasure.

From there, Arthur is transported to the miniature world of the Minimoys where he meets the feisty princess Selenia and her somewhat silly (but quite loveable) brother Beta. They set out together on an Adventure that spans the garden (which is a vast and dangerous as the wildest jungle from the height of ¾ of an inch) to stop the evil M, the cursed! As they make their way to the Forbidden City they face innumerable obstacles with courage and a bit of humor! Will they make it to the Forbidden City? Will they be able to stop the evil M, the cursed? Will Arthur get the treasure back before the cruel Mr. Davido boots his grandma out of her house? Those things are left to a second book...but readers won't be too disappointed with the build up to the arrival at the city because the journey there is half the adventure and a whole lot of fun to read.

Overall...this isn't great literature; it's just plain old fun reading. The story is easy to follow, the good guys are all good (and likeable even) the bad guys are all totally evil and the parallel story line between the "real" world (the M, the Cursed and Mr. Davido) and the world of the Minimoys adds a nice second layer to the story. This book would make nice light reading for a couple of nights for readers aged 8-12...nothing too taxing, but highly entertaining for a few hours! I give it four stars.

Arthur and the Minimoys is not a particularly bad book--its main character is likable enough; its setting of a tiny world within our own is, if not highly original, a tried and true premise; and Besson does a nice job here and there with descriptions of the inventive sort of machinery in the little world. But if it isn't particularly bad, it's also not particularly good. It's character swings back and forth between the voice/emotions of a ten-year-old (which he is supposed to be) and that of a person much older), it's world description is relatively light and fuzzy, too much is told rather than revealed, and the characters are solidly and somewhat dully two-dimensional. Besson is known for his films and in fact, this book reads as if it would have made a better script, with its quick pace, lack of character/setting development, and a lengthy battle scene that seems much more suited for film. Since it is in fact being turned into an animated movie, I suggest potential readers wait for the film and skip the book, the opposite of my usual advice. Not recommended.

Arthur and the Minimoys was a decent little story, definitely targeted to a younger crowd (pre-teen) and was a relatively decent read. The whole idea was simple yet very interesting.

I only had two issues with the book.

First, there's a definite issue with relative scale. I'm willing to believe in the tiny Minimoy population that's barely 1/2" tall... but nothing 1/2" tall is going to be able to ride on a mosquito. You have to let some of the scale problems go if you're going to read this.

Second, the book pretty much abruptly ends, blatantly leaving you hanging for the sequel, "Arthur and the Forbidden City." It's almost a prerequisite that you get both books (or the combined book, "Arthur and the Invisibles") or you'll never actually know how the story ends.

Other than that, you'll like it. It's simple and fun.

I bought this book as a gift and decided to read it first to make sure it was age appropriate. The book recommends 9 to 12 - that's wrong. I would say 6 to 8 and geared mostly to boys. If you have a child that is afraid of bugs this book will freak them out. Little monster bugs that kill other bugs is not a bedtime story. But for wild man kids who like adventure, treasure and imagination this is a true find. It is one of several, so be aware of that so you may purchase the others. Nothing worse than finishing a book to see - TO BE CONTINUED and not have the continuation. Good for tots - nice read.

My 8-year old daughter (3rd grade), an avid reader, is enjoying this book. She has also seen the movie several times.

This book had action, a little romance, fun, humor, family ties, realisticism, and EVERYTHING you could ever want in a book. A definite 5 star!

hi well to start this book was okay. I liked the movie better but since there are two books I'll just cover them both in this one review. book #1 Arthur and the minimoys,
It was slow at first then it got good and fun then slow then fun and so on and so on. then it ended bad they just got into the forbidden city. which made me kinda mad that you had to buy the second book to know how it ended. Book #2 Arthur and the forbidden city
This one was better it was never slow and had more action and whithout even knowing it Arthur marrys Selenea! And well the excuses to get out of things were not very good. I liked both books okay well gotta go hope this was helpful Brooke

Arthur and the Minimoys is an exciting and interesting science fiction book with a bit of a romantic twist. Arthur is a curious ten year old boy whose grandmother's house is about to be bought by the evil storeowner, Davido. That is unless they can pay off their debt. So, arthur sets out on a journey to find the minimoys, an african tribe who are about 1 inch tall. From the clues Arthur's grandfather left before he disapered- four years ago. I didn't really like this book, but if you like books with a vivid imagination, you will probably like it.