The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, Book 3) [Paperback]

Eoin Colfer (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 18 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Artemis Fowl

Ever the resourceful young criminal mastermind, Artemis has found a way to construct a supercomputer from stolen fairy technology. Called the "C Cube," it will render all existing human technology obsolete. Artemis then arranges a meeting with a Chicago businessman, Jon Spiro, to offer to suppress the Cube for one year in return for gold, his favorite substance. But the meeting is a trap, and Spiro steals the Cube and mortally injures Butler. Artemis knows his only hope to save Butler lies in fairy magic, so once again he is forced to contact his old rival, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrepcon fairy police. Miraculously, Butler is healed, but there is a catch: he has aged fifteen years. Thus, Butler's infamously ditzy sister, Juliet, is called in as Artemis's bodyguard. Together, they travel to Chicago to steal back the Cube and ensure that Jon Spiro is put out of business-permanently.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this third installment to Eoin Colfer's funny, fast-paced, fairy-filled adventure series, boy genius and arch criminal Artemis Fowl once again can't resist plotting the perfect crime--and, once again, he can't keep from stirring up so much trouble that the fate of the entire fairy world teeters in the balance.

The once hard-boiled Artemis has softened a bit between his bestselling debut and the seat-of-your-pants Arctic Incident, and that trend continues in The Eternity Code: He's still plotting for a billion-dollar-plus payoff for the Fowl family, but now his enemies are human (chiefly Jon Spiro, a ruthless businessman Artemis tries to blackmail using stolen fairy technology) and he has to turn to his old adversary-turned-friend Captain Holly Short and cutpurse dwarf Mulch Diggums for help. The dialogue and action prove as smart and page-turning as ever this time around, with Artemis struggling to bring his faithful bodyguard Butler back from the dead before racing Mission Impossible-style to triple-cross the double-crossing Spiro.

Colfer's young antihero might be getting more likeable all the time, but that hasn't taken the edge off the Tom-Clancy-meets-Harry-Potter action. Artemis has to agree to a memory-erasing "mind wipe" from the People after helping them recover their technology, but only a foolish fan would count Artemis out after this blockbuster "final heist." Book four can't come soon enough.... (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Antihero Artemis Fowl, now 13 years old, is back. He has used stolen fairy technology to create a supercomputer known as the "C Cube," which will render all existing technology obsolete. He meets with Jon Spiro, head of "Fission Chips," with a proposition. For a price, he will suppress his cube, and allow Spiro time to sell his potentially worthless stocks and buy into Fowl Industries. Spiro double-crosses Artemis, and in the ensuing melee he steals the C Cube and Artemis's bodyguard, Butler, is murdered. The scene is totally out of James Bond; one fully expects to hear the familiar theme music and to see the credits as it concludes. The action does not let up as Artemis teams with the fairy policewoman Captain Holly Short and other companions to bring Butler back to life, and then to retrieve the Cube from Spiro's Chicago fortress. The plot is filled with crosses and double crosses, unmarked vans, and impenetrable security systems. It's exciting stuff, but the writing is often clich‚d at worst, and merely workmanlike at best. Butler's death scene is particularly hackneyed, echoing every overly dramatic death scene one can think of. Still, this latest adventure is sure to be popular with fans of the series.
Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Miramax (May 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786814934
• ISBN-13: 978-0786814930
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (272 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) is the New York Times best-selling author
of the blockbuster Artemis Fowl series as well as Airman; Half Moon
Investigations; The Supernaturalist; Eoin Colfer's Legend of... books;
The Wish List; Benny and Omar; and Benny and Babe. He was born in
Wexford on the southeast 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 that he was learning in
school at the time.

Eoin 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. In 2001, the
first Artemis Fowl book was published worldwide to much success -
shortly thereafter he left teaching to concentrate fully on his writing.
To this day, Eoin has written 6 Artemis Fowl books which have sold over
12 million copies worldwide.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DECODED: An Action-packed and fun novel--hilarious!, May 11, 2003

By 

"liaden" (Somewhere Over the Rainbow) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, Book 3) (Hardcover)

HE'S BAAACK! Yes, Artemis Fowl is back in action in the third addition to the hit series. The book is packed full with action and lives up to the promises of the other books.

Artemis Fowl is coming to grips with the return of his kidnapped father and Fowl Sr.'s newly formed conscience. His parents are insisting on turning around the illegal enterprises of the Fowl Family, but Artemis isn't so sure. Still, in an effort to please his parents, he decides that he will commit just one last crime. Just a tiny one.

But, Artemis didn't count on the operation blowing up in his face. When he meets with American master criminal Jon Spiro, he didn't realize he was being set up. All Artemis wanted to do was intimidate him a little bit with his new "C Cube", a hybrid of fairy and human technology decades ahead of its time; it will render all other technologies--like the ones Spiro creates--obsolete. So when Spiro steals the Cube and mortally wounds Butler in an attempt to murder Artemis, the young master criminal is forced to seek the aid of his long-time adversaries.

The Fairies are less than pleased when Artemis reveals his loss of the fairy technology, that, in the wrong hands, would be capable of revealing the entire Fairy civilization. Determined to steal back the C Cube, Artemis enlists the aid of Captain Holly Short and the Fairy criminal Mulch Diggums in a risky operation that takes place in Chicago.

Great fun! Colfer exercises his great prowess as a writer as he seamlessly winds the third story of Artemis Fowl. The funny, witty characters manage to be charming and tough. The only qualm I had was that Holly and Artemis had less interaction that they did in #2, which would have added even more humor to the novel. We also get to know Juliet Butler better, which is a good addition to the story.

Okay, do you really have to read this review to know you NEED TO READ this book? I didn't think so. If you haven't, read the others first. And when you have finished all three, you'll be hoping that Colfer will produce a fourth (its rumored that it will be quartet.)

So Happy Reading! You'll have lots of fun with this one...

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have Book!, May 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, Book 3) (Hardcover)

My title is pretty much self explanatory. The Eternity Code had very professionally mixed magic, action and strategy(VERY clever strategies I might add). Artemis Fowl is no ordinary teenage boy. He is a genius with money and power. Deadly combination. And he doesn't have ordinary friends either: Captain Holly Short(Fairy)who has a knack of breaking rules, Foaly(Centaur/electronics geek) who is annoying yet funny and very smart, Mulch Diggums(kleptomaniac dwarf).You will love this book! Enjoy!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Artemis Goes Straight?, May 7, 2003

By 

M. Friday (K to the Ansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, Book 3) (Hardcover)

Arty is up to his old tricks! Those following the misguided adventures of Fowl will be pleasantly surprised by its exciting opening. It's non-stop, bang-bang action that doesn't relent its pace for much sentimentality and tears (as in novel two). Fowl senior is back from being kidnapped and has turned away from a life of crime. He expects his prodigal son to do the same, but thirteen year old Artemis has one more scheme up his sleeve, a last plot to revive the failing family fortunes before settling into a quiet life.

Artemis, using stolen technologies from the fairy people, creates the super advanced C-Cube. He's concocted a plan, as he always does, for relieving a shady mogul of his riches. Jon Spiro, meglomaniacal mastermind, said mogul, and all around bad man, outwits Fowl (much to the detriment of young Arty's ego) and steals it, intending to make further fortune. Unfortunately for him, Artemis has encrypted the C-Cube with his "eternity code", a language that cannot be broken. This, of course, is where the journey begins.

Colfer deftly intermingles past story lines with new, re-introducing us to old cast members; Holly Short, Foaly (everyone's favourite sarcastic centaur), Mulch (the criminal dwarf), Butler and his wrestling crazed sister, Juliet. He continues in his tradition of easy humour, less contrived than his previous novel (still, at times, head shakingly lame), but still chocked full of fun techie-rife laughs. The ending is very fitting too! Not unexpected, but written well enough that the reader greatly looks forward to book four. It's a series worth following, where our hero grows slowly in depth and relationships are more stolidly built. I, personally, await the next novel with much anticipation!