| Title | : | The Last Guardian (Artemis Fowl, #8) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1423161610 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781423161615 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 328 |
| Publication | : | First published July 10, 2012 |
| Awards | : | Odyssey Award (2013), Goodreads Choice Award Middle Grade & Children's (2012) |
Opal Koboi, power-crazed pixie, is plotting to exterminate mankind and become fairy queen.
If she succeeds, the spirits of long-dead fairy warriors will rise from the earth, inhabit the nearest available bodies and wreak mass destruction. But what happens if those nearest bodies include crows, or deer, or badgers - or two curious little boys by the names of Myles and Beckett Fowl?
Yes, it's true. Criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl's four-year-old brothers could be involved in destroying the human race. Can Artemis and Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police stop Opal and prevent the end of the world?
The Last Guardian (Artemis Fowl, #8) Reviews
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(A-) 84% | Very Good
Notes: A series that's lived off Chekhov's Gun sees its most poignant use. The usual peril is boosted by bursts of emotionality. -
"It is I, Opal Koboi, from the house of Koboi. High Queen of the fairy families."
"Be careful, Myles! That's very sharp."
"Sharp is it, Mud Boy? That's the way I like my spears."
"It's not a spear, idiot. It's a pike. You call yourself a warrior?"
Colfer is back to his normal great self with this last entry of Artemis Fowl. I was a little worried after reading the penultimate book, The Atlantis Complex, thinking that it might become somewhat repetitive after that. But The Last Guardian brought back everything I loved about this series, and the author delivered a solid ending to what has been a remarkable journey. Opal Koboi returns once more to escalate things, and it is time for a one last confrontation between the favorite duo and the most hilarious villain of all time.
Since this is a children's series, I had my expectations set to minimum when I began the series. And it did take a couple of books for me to get used to, but I'm really glad that I didn't skip over Artemis Fowl. It's easy to see why this has ended up in many readers' favorite lists, and I recommend all fantasy fans to give this a try, no matter what your age is.
"You have two versions of the same individual occupying a time stream, and you are unaware of the ramifications?"
"What are the ramifications? Tell me?"
"Just to be clear, do you wish to be told what the word ramifications means? Or to know what the ramifications are?"
"D'Arvit. You are a tricky one. Females were ever treacherous." -
I'm a biased reader. I'm a hypocrite. I'm probably just a terrible person overall. I'm sitting here, looking back at the first time I picked up Artemis Fowl, remembering how much I didn't love it at first. I remember adoring The Arctic Incident, and feeling slightly less partial to The Eternity Code. I applauded The Opal Deception, but The Lost Colony made my head hurt a bit, and The Time Paradox was stunning. The Atlantis Complex fell out with the rest of the series, and, here we are with The Last Guardian, at the ending - or, perhaps, the beginning - of all things.
I look back at this book and all the books that came before it, and I can't help loving them, rather like one can't help loving that one crazy and neurotic person in one's life. The series jumped around, hitting high points and low points, starting plot threads, forgetting characters, promising some directions and then reneging on those promises. Yes, we never find out what happened to Minerva. Yah, I shipped Arty-Holly in vain. But through and through, The Last Guardian was another marvelous adventure, as nerdy and as outrageous as Artemis Fowl ever gets.
Once a series goes past four books, forget about stability. (The only books ever to work around this were the Harry Potter ones, but they had all been planned ahead.) So I'm prepared to forgive the lack of coordination. Artemis Fowl has a tendency to ignore simple physical constraints, like time and dimension; can we expect meek adventures from him?
No, we cannot. And I think what has stayed constant throughout the books were the heroes themselves. Artemis, Holly, Butler, Mulch, Foaly - wherever they're off to next, we know they'll surely have each other's backs. In this final installment, those who made up the heart of the series were not forgotten. They each made grandiose entrances and spectacular rescues, all without losing that snarky, geeky touch.
These books were written to be fun. Heck, Eoin Colfer had more fun writing them than we probably did reading. (And that's saying a lot.) They're action-driven, spattered with sharp asides, and are stuffed with fictitious quantum physics theories. And younger literature has become so gloomy these days, what with drippy teenage romances and things. It's always great to spend a couple of hours thwarting megalomaniac pixies. We can't read heavy college class lit books all day, everyday: and it is in this - in the easy, whimsical escape from reality - that Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian succeeds, completely and surely.
Okay, semi-professional review aside, I need to get feelings off my chest.
Hah. No way. Huhuh. He actually did it. He wrote it! Those words. Oh man, those words. I can't believe it. Not Percy Jackson. Not Katniss Everdeen. Not even Harry Effing Potter...!
I almost believed them, too, as the last chapter rolled on and the camera zoomed out into a panoramic focus. I'll admit I was stunned. Darn, I thought, darn it, Colfer, you're a tough one. But then, of course, it all looped back onto itself. I appreciated the last couple of sentences very much; it was a straightforward, honest invitation to pull a ten-year-old copy of the very first Artemis Fowl off my shelf, open the pages, and begin again.
Colfer's dedication here reads: "For all the Fowl fans who journeyed to the Lower Elements with me. Thank you." I say - it's been a pleasure, Mr. Colfer. I'll revisit again, and again, and again, as I hope many children and teens and adults and, heck, old grannies in their rocking chairs do. There's been no finer team to save the world on a regular basis with.
Re: "The Last Guardian" title and implication - I was right! Kind of. Muahaha. Well, tell me what you think.
[Earlier edits below.]
***
UPDATE UPDATE: (3/24/12) I just read the first chapter sneak peak, and, good golly gee, Eoin Colfer is back as though he'd never left. Even though The Atlantis Complex had been slightly out of tune with the rest of the series, The Last Guardian may yet prove to be a splendid, splendid tale. One chapter in and we've already got a hostage crisis, and the world is at risk from nuclear fission and quantum physics. Now, to sit tight, and wait for July... and to finally catch Colfer when he comes on tour.
***
UPDATE: The Last Guardian. It sounds terribly... terminal. What, with all these "last" titles - The Last Olympian, for example - we become even more depressed at the thought of the series ending.
The Last Guardian... the last guardian of what? Of Haven? Atlantis? Of the fairy world?
It makes sense, I think, to say that Artemis has been the human guardian of the great fairy secret of the Lower Elements.
I don't want to speculate very much. I trust Eoin Colfer. Whatever grand ending he comes up with, I am sure that Artemis Fowl's exit music will be very much to our liking, and just the sort of conclusion such a fantastic series deserves.
***
Omgomgomgomgomg. But 2012? Stop this madness! Or else fetch me No.1 so that he can warp some time.
Apparently Colfer will be giving some web interview sooner or later... perhaps he can drop a teasing tidbit or two. :) -
EDIT 07/12: Other reviews have started flooding in, and all of them seem to be favourable, which tells me I'm in the minority here in my dislike of this book. So I'll leave this review as is, but I encourage you not to let my ramblings stop you from liking this book, if, as it seems, there's a great chance you'll like it anyway.
I hope all you AF fans out there will enjoy this book more than I did.
Well, here we are. The end of it all. It's been a great ride these past couple of years, so believe me when I say I am really, really sorry to say that I was disappointed with this last installment.
There, I said it.
Now here's why. No spoilers.
I'll admit, I was quite amped up after reading the preview barely a few weeks ago. At the beginning, I was thinking, Yes, THIS is Artemis Fowl. Eoin Colfer is finally back in the game, the same game he was in in the first three books, no, even better! (Although, even then I was taking note of how rushed the beginning seemed - as soon as the first chapter starts, the book informs us that Artemis was now cured completely, and then proceeds to rush headlong into the action. It's almost as if Colfer was eager to be rid of the events of the previous book - but what purpose, then, did giving Arty the Atlantis Complex serve? What did Artemis learn from the experience, given that he was back to his old self again immediately after?)
It started off so strong, but quickly crossed into the realm of the absurd, as I discovered when I moved farther into the book. Supernatural possession, zombies, worldwide technological failure? What is this? This isn't Artemis Fowl. This belongs in the realms of C-grade thrillers, or paranormal romances.
Except there's no romance involved here, none at all. Which leads me to my next point. I'm warning you right now, all you Artemis/Holly shippers out there - you will not get what you want, no matter what that may be. There's no mention here, not even the smallest implication of Arty and Holly's other-than-platonic relationship. There's no talk of Orion's hints from the last book as to Artemis feelings, or to the unsolved events of Time Paradox. And now I'm wondering what the point of all that was, if it was never going to end up anywhere. What, exactly, was he trying to insinuate with Turnball and Leonor? That is one of the many questions that will be left unanswered. For those of you who are wondering, Minerva does not make an appearance in here either.
In general, people looking for closure will not find it here. This book does not tie up the Artemis Fowl series in a pretty little bow. The ending is not conclusive at all - in fact, it's almost open-ended enough to suggest a sequel, or maybe a spinoff series. It's not a happy ending, of course, but it's not exactly bittersweet either - it's an ending that's not sure what it wants to be.
I don't know, some of you might like it. It's highly possible that most of you will - depending on how you look at it, you could still call it a good book. But I didn't like it, and it left me feeling unsatisfied and empty. I am quite ready now to mark it Discontinuity and pretend the series ended after book five.
EDIT 07/15: Okay, so I've reread the book to figure out what really bothered me about it, and it's mainly this: The beginning and ending are strong, but not a lot happens in between. The middle part of the book mostly consists of Arty and company running around the Fowl estate, escaping from demonic bunnies and pugnacious crickets.
Also, Artemis seems almost incompetent in it, falling apart at the most crucial moments; only at the end did he finally pull himself together, and even then, the plan he came up with wasn't all that spectacular.
On a irrelevant side note, I noticed a few errors in continuity. For example, at one point, Butler raises a fist to signal Artemis to halt, but Artemis, apparently, has no knowledge of military signs, and walks right into Butler. However, it states quite clearly on page 306 of The Lost Colony that he knows exactly what that sign means.
So I've thought about it, and I decided that I have changed my mind about this book, slightly. My opinion of it has changed from dislike to an overall "meh." This book just did not hit the same buttons with me that the previous books did. -
Artemis Fowl was my favourite childhood book series and a couple of years ago I decided to start a full reread of all 8 books on audiobook... and today I finally finished it! (It took ages, I know, I don't listen to audiobooks very often.)
(This little ramble contains spoilers for the whole AF series)
My official verdict is that the first three books are excellent. They were the books I read and reread over and over again when I was a kid, especially the first one, which is truly a masterpiece. I was so glad I could find the very same audiobook narration that I listened to repeatedly as a child. And I also enjoyed book 4 a lot! These four books really focus on the idea of Artemis Fowl - a deeply irritating, immoral, money-grabbing genius child - learning how to be a better person. That's what I love about the AF series. The first four books in particular are character stories, despite all the fairy technology and high-speed chases and explosions.
I didn't obsess so much over books 5-8 when I was a kid, and I always assumed it was because I was growing up and maybe they just weren't my thing anymore. Maybe that is the case, I'm not sure! But on my reread I thought they were okay, but so intensely plot-heavy that at times they just felt crammed with action and I barely knew what was happening. Book 5 was the best of these, I think, with the addition of another child genius and Artemis making some of the same mistakes he made in book 1, then realising he can be better. But after that... I didn't feel like we learn much more about the characters, or that they change in any significant way. I feel like very little character development happens for anyone between books 5-7, or even in 8 until right at the end where things are tied up neatly (I do really love the final scenes of 8 and think it's a pretty perfect way to end the series - because Artemis's journey is about him learning to be selfless, and his final act is a truly selfless one). For example, book 7 could have been a great chance to see Artemis go REALLY off the rails due to his Atlantis Complex... but we don't really, because there's too much other plot stuff going on. Book 6 is such a complex web of action plot that I almost felt like we barely got to spend time with the characters because they were too busy doing stealth missions.
I also read the first book in the new AF series about Artemis's brothers and was quite disappointed for many similar reasons - too much action when there is SO much potential for character development, relationships, growth, etc. They're children's books, I get that, but it was the characters that made me love them when I was a child, not the fairy tech and gun fights.
All that aside, I still love Artemis Fowl, and have a desperate urge to write a fanfic in which he's 25, burnt out, and craving affection though he refuses to admit it.
Anyway. Those are my rambly thoughts about the Artemis Fowl series. I love it, but on my reread, I felt like it could have been MORE. Also I'm sad about the movie. -
Artemis Fowl: and the Last Guardian = The Last Guardian (Artemis Fowl #8), Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian is the eighth and final novel in Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series. Colfer had previously alluded to the novel being the final entry when he stated that the previous book, The Atlantis Complex, was the penultimate in the series. The Last Guardian was released 10 July 2012. Just as Artemis leaves his final session of therapy for Atlantis Complex, he and Butler are summoned by Holly to the office of Commander Trouble Kelp, where they witness the next plan of Opal Koboi; she has two of her underlings kill her past self, who had survived the Kraken blast in The Time Paradox. Her past self's death creates a paradox, causing Opal's creations from the past five years to violently explode. To prevent the destruction of Atlantis, Opal's prison, the Fairies place Opal in the containment chamber of a nuclear reactor. The blast destroys most Fairy technology, which Koboi labs had controlled or created, and human technology, since black market Koboi chips had been used in their development and construction. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و سوم ماه آگوست سال 2014 میلادی
عنوان: آرتمیس فاول کتاب هشتم: آخرین نگهبان؛ نویسنده: یون (اُاین) کالفر؛ مترجم: شیدا رنجبر؛ تهران: افق، در 407 ص؛ شابک: 9789643699734؛ 1393؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایررلدی بریتانیایی - سده 21 م
آیا این آخرین نبرد آرتمیس فاول خواهد بود؟ دشمن شماره ی یک آرتمیس فاول، یعنی اپال كوبویی نقشه ای طراحی کرده که هم آزادیش از زندان، تضمین شود و هم جهان انسانها و جن و پریها را نابود کند. اگر آرتمیس جلویش را نگیرد این شرور بدجنس، در گام بعدی حیات انسانهای زمین را برای همیشه نابود خواهد کرد. برای شکست دادن این ارتش جن و رهبر شیطان صفتشان، به هوش آرتمیس، شجاعت باتلر، مهارت هولی و ابزار فولی نیاز است. اما اگر تمام اينها كافی نباشد پایان حیات روی زمين یا آرماگدون نزدیک خواهد بود. ا. شربیانی -
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
I loved this book. The Last Guardian had all of the trademark things we all love about Artemis Fowl- the amazing characters who were all so steady, strong, and constant, the ridiculous, yet amazing and action-packed plots, and that signature Eoin Colfer humour that I've never, ever read anywhere else. (Because where else are you going to find the Attack of the Crickets, a megalomaniac pixie, or a drawf riding a troll?)
Now: to the topic everyone is talking about; the ending. I thought it was fitting. I know that a lot of people are begging for an epilogue or more books, but I think the way The Last Guardian ends, looping back to the very first book (and yes, I did take out my battered old copy of the first AF book and reread after reading TLG) was perfect on its own. Although of course I want to know what happens next, I thought the ending was great BECAUSE it was an open ending, and thus, avoided the colossal cheesy disaster that was the Harry Potter epilogue.
I started crying when Artemis decides to sacrifice himself. I didn't cry just because of that decision, rather, it was more because of the character development he's been through, so much of it, that the boy who was the very definition of truly cold and uncaring would kill himself in order to save his family and, of course, his dear friends. I started crying even harder when he was saying goodbye to Holly. That scene wherein Holly drugs Artemis, but Artemis had already drugged himself before to counter the drugging he knew Holly would give him, and the drugs her, was one of the sweetest scenes ever. Only Eoin Colfer would be able to write a scene wherein friends drug eachother into something where I wanted to scream "CONFESS YOUR EVERLASTING LOVE FOR EACHOTHER, DAMMIT!" But the point at which I really lost it was when they had laid out the clone, and Holly was calling for Artemis to come back. That part...well, any A/H shipper will know how I felt.
I've been an Artemis/Holly shipper for a long time, yet to be honest, I wasn't disappointed with this ending. Realistically, I suppose I always knew that it wasn't going to happen, not in the books, anyways- the age gap and species thing just made it something Colfer would probably never write. And Colfer did give us oh-so-many quotes that could be interpreted as A/H. (Do you hear my plea, fanfiction writers?) In any case, we'll always have TTP, which I still stubbornly consider Colfer's secret message to us shippers that Artemis and Holly are destined to live happily ever after together in their next life.
What I also have loved about Artemis Fowl has managed to create such an original and realistic fairy world. I've always been particularly impressed with the way he snuck in these biases and stereotypes that faires have of us. All those comments about how Mud Men are extremely violent, how we're destroying the environment...there's definitely truth in there, and the way he wrote the last chapter- how oil dropped to third after solar and wind power, and the snarky comment "...growing foodstuffs they would actually eat rather than mechanically suck all the goodness out of, freeze all the additives into, and ship off to other continents." Well, I've never been much of a tree hugger, but the Artemis Fowl series has gotten me to start thinking about peace, the environment, and the way society functions.
Complaints
Why was Mulch not involved at the very end, where Holly, Butler, and even Foaly (who is usually sitting in the Ops Booth) take the clone to the place Artemis Fowl died? I think Mulch is just as much a friend to Artemis, and would certainly be there for his resurrection.
Continuity issues- what was the point of Artemis getting the Atlantis Complex? It's certainly all done with in this book, and the last book would have been mostly the same without it. And once again: Minerva? Where are you?
The middle of the book, while good, was nowhere nearly as exciting or awesome as the Eternity Code. In fact, that "twist" where Artemis brings in Nopal was predictable. This is the first time I have ever seen a Colfer plot twist coming. Although the Artemis dying part totally made up for it. Even J. K. Rowling didn't actually convince me. But I actually believed Artemis was gone for good here.
Some of my Favourite Moments
Practically every scene with the twins. They are adorable, and hilarious. Especially when Beckett punches Opal in the stomach. "Oh yeah. I'm pretty fast. Faster than your stupid fairy bonds. Butler says I'm a natch-u-ral."
We finally find out more about Caballine! Loved her badassery. And that story of how she and Foaly met was the cutest thing ever. Who knew Eoin Colfer could write romance?
Mulch riding a troll to save the day.
The drawf named Kolin Ozkopy.
EDIT: 2/18/2012
The cover and first chapter's out! I like the cover a lot, actually, I think it suits the finality of the last book, although it seems just a tad depressing. A castle with a blue dome around it...time stop, perhaps?
Just read the
sneak peak and loved it! Feeling a bit disappointed (and cheated, actually) because they just skipped all of Artemis' "recovery" and time in the clinic, because that period has so much potential to be interesting and emotional.
Still, it was hilarious and certainly a very interesting start.
7/27/2011
Oh god, I can't wait for this book to come out! Not that I want the series to end, I mean, I wish it would go on forever, but dragging a series on and on can really destroy it, so at least this will be ending on a high note. It seems all my favourite childhood series are ending/have ended now, which makes me feel like crying- we lost HP a years ago, Alex Rider's (sort of) done, Maximum Ride's done next year, and now Artemis Fowl is finishing...*sigh*
I, of course, am shamelessly hoping for it to end with an Artemis/Holly romance. Obviously there's all the age and species issues, but that just makes it all the more interesting. If Colfer doesn't give us a romantic ending (in which case I will lose it, because after all, he did tease us with the Time Paradox), I desperately hope that it's a happy one, with many promises of future adventures with fairies to come. I don't want to speculate too much though, because I'm certain Eoin Colfer will supply us with a spectacular ending! -
4.5 stars for the entire series as a whole!
It's like the seventh book didn't even happen. Eoin Colfer is back with a bang, and how!
The Last Guardian has :
-Criminal MastermindJuvenile Genius, Artemis Fowl, back in full form and all his brainiac glory.
- Captain Holly Short, as kick-ass as ever.
- Butler, still hoping his primary's end-of-the-world shenanigans stop for good, soon!
- Myles and Beckett Fowl, Artemis's four-year old siblings. Twins. (God help the world!)
- Foaly, as vain and awesome as ever (Seriously. How cool was his rescue of Caballine in almost-but-not-quite-the-end? Dude!)
- Mulch Diggums, still saving everyone's backside (pun intended) after they've gone and messed things up (as usual), thank you very much!
- Evil Mastermind, Opal Koboi, the deranged and psychotic pixie who wants to be the Empress of all and refers to herself as "Mommy" to her minions. (Guys, she is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack....)
- Beserkers, Opal's unwitting minions. Ghosts in need of a body to possess for killing humans and who will not be put off by the choice of bodies available, be it alive or dead, and be it human or a couple of oblivious, and extremely unlucky, ducklings.
- Non-stop action.
- Extremely hilarious and witty zingers peppered generously throughout the book.
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The thing I LOVE about Colfer is how brillaintly planned his stories are! For example, a completely innocuous thing that happened in the first page of the book will turn out to be important to the plot in the very last page. This, in sharp contrast to some "authors" I could mention who make things up by the page and hope that we wouldn't notice!
But, the ending of The Last Guardian. Hmmm. I don't know, you guys. I'm conflicted. On one hand, I liked it - there was closure (sort of), BUT, on the other hand, I also...didn't like it?
It was missing an epilogue and, trust me, the book really, really needed one, in my opinion.
Judge it for yourself when you read it. Which should be any second now. Why are you still here? GO READ! -
Finally, I have finished this series Reading this series....long series... was kind of long journey.
I didn't want to read this book after its previous book. I really didn't!! I even started a new series and read some pages, but I couldn't help myself to think about what would be the conclusion of this series. I was completely thinking about this series. So, I thought, it would be better to read this and finish this series rather than being disturbed all the time.
Well, this book was great! I liked it very much. Because the disease of Artemis was cured in the beginning. I was very happy then.
The plot of this book is very strong and powerful. Probably the most thrilling in the series.
Now, in this book, Human world is in danger. Opal Koboi, my favourite villian of the series, wants to take control of Human world. But Artemis will not let that happen. With his Fairy friends, he tries to stop Opal.
THINGS I LIKED
=> I liked that Artemis got free from Atlantis Complex( a disease he got in the last book). That's one of the reasons Why I liked this book.
=> I liked the ending?.........no I didn't?.........I did?!.........No No!...I didn't?!........
See! How confused I am! Anyways I liked it according to the circumstances. But personally I didn't like it. That much. Ending was 101% unexpected for me.
=> I liked the scene how Opal tricked Artemis and Foaly to get more powerful
=> I liked how Opal was killed.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
Well, as you know from my review of its last book, I didn't like that Artemis got Atlantis Complex. Now in this book, that disease was cured! Should I happy or what? If the writer wanted to make Artemis just like his before self after curing the disease, then why the heck he got that in the first place. That disease spoiled the last book for me.
The one reason that comes in my mind is that, maybe Mr. Colfer wanted to show us Artemis' Good side?? It's possible I think. But why Mr. Colfer used a disease for that purpose? Nevertheless, this idea was unique. Probably that's why.
If I couldn't be able to make my mind to read this book, then I would have been repenting on my decision why I didn't pick this book. Don't you think that's completely unfair for us? That Mr. Colfer didn't cure Artemis in the Last book.
Overall this series is one of my most favourites now. I will not forget Artemis, Butler, Opal and Holy.
This series has entertained me very well.
I will recommend this series to those who like criminally-good leads and a good blend of science and fantasy.
For Mr. Colfer :
You are such a genius. The way you combined science with fantasy is very admirable. Especially how you wrote Artemis. That was wonderful. To be honest, if Artemis weren't there, I wouldn't be able to enjoy this series that much.
I really want to see Artemis Fowl again. Really!! If you will ever write on Artemis in future, I will must read that. I don't mind if others will be there or not. I just want Artemis!! Just Artemis!!
4.5 stars
January 21, 2017 -
I don’t think I would’ve liked The Last Guardian as much if this book wasn’t the last Artemis Fowl. Let’s be honest, since Artemis first stumbled on the fair folk more than a decade ago, this series has abandoned any sense of logic or reasoning in favor of nonsensical plots and gimmicks. I could’ve stopped at The Lost Colony, but I didn’t. I could’ve stopped at The Atlantis Complex, but I didn’t. I’d like to think The Last Guardian is my reward for my perseverance and, well, it’s not perfect but I’d go insane if I’d expected a perfect ending after the most recent couple of books.
Anyway, the plot this time around probably makes even less sense than all the previous plots combined. Opal Koboi’s back (yay!!) and she plans to take over the world by causing some sort of temporal doomsday by killing off her younger, time traveling self (huh??). And it works, although she miraculously gains dark magical superpowers (wut??), then storms off to Fowl Manor to release some ancient fairy ghosts and unleash some sort of device that’ll kill all humans (explaining Artemis’s fairy obsession and totally contradicting The Time Paradox). But plot isn’t why I read Artemis Fowl anymore, is it? Nope, I read these books because they’re ridiculous and ridiculously funny, and I have to say Eoin Colfer brings it on in spades – at least at first. Yeah, sure, it’s the end of the world as we know it and there’s fairy and human suffering en mass, but Colfer makes it funny, I almost got in trouble for laughing so much. So already The Last Guardian is better than The Atlantis Complex.
One problem I’ve noticed these last couple of books is Colfer has trouble keeping it comical once he gets into the meat of the story. That’s still a problem here, once all the players are at Fowl Manor and it’s time for Artemis to stop Opal, sure we have some scenes with possessed pirate zombies and killer woodland creatures, but, nah, it’s still the same cheesy weakness that really sunk these last couple of books. I can now say my favorite’s always going to be The Opal Deception because of the way Artemis and Opal, the two evil supergeniuses, just played off each other with their supercomplicated, multilayered plotting and scheming that at least nominally made sense, whereas here Opal seems to be just making things up and Artemis really doesn’t have a plan, but thankfully ending the series takes up so much of this book the cheesy middle didn't feel too long.
And the ending’s really why I really like this book. When I first met Artemis, he’s this selfish, always for himself kid who’s up to no good. Sure, there’s a lot of character development over the books that’s pointing him towards selflessness and good, but I think Colfer ends this series on just the right note here. For Artemis. But even more than that, it’s a fitting end for Opal, a bittersweet goodbye to Holly, Butler, Juliet, Foaly, Mulch, the whole gang, even No. 1 to remind me, yes, The Lost Colony really did happen. Thankfully no Minerva thought, I don’t think I have it in me for another rant about her.
Sigh, I'm gonna miss this series, nonsensical plots and all. It’s hard to say goodbye to a series I’ve read for almost a decade, something I used to absolutely love but kinda grew out of, but this is a fitting conclusion. -
Yey, I am done reading THE LAST GUARDIAN - the final book in Artemis Fowl Octalogy. Opal Koboi is back! She is the psychotic villain in Books 2, 4 and 6 but surprisingly returns with a genius plan to eradicate humanity. No one can stop her black magic. Yet, Artemis Fowl never surrenders like a teenager with an acne on his nose. He plans, he executes the plan with his friends until they succeed. The last two chapters of the book (pages 285 - 326) would hail him as one of the most esteemed protagonists in YA Fantasy Realm. 5 stars of 5!
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How does one review an Artemis Fowl book?
Where do I even start? I haven't ever reviewed one of these before, so I haven't ever had this problem. Because Eoin Colfer is a genius. Seriously. He's written a book series that is so good, I can't possibly begin to do it justice with a review. So this review will probably be more like a rant.
In this series, you can't help but love the characters. Throughout the first seven books, each of them has grown. They've changed (just like real people! *gasp*) and in some cases (Hi, Arty!), matured. Example A: Artemis Fowl is a nice guy who wants to do good in the world. In the first book, he was a greedy little preteen who kidnapped fairies. And yet...Colfer laid the groundwork for this current Artemis all along. There were little hints all along the way to show us...maybe Artemis isn't a horrible person at heart. Maybe, just maybe, he did the wrong things for the right reasons.*
“Either that boy is the sanest creature on Earth...or he is so disturbed that our tests cannot even begin to scratch the surface.”
Oh, Artemis. Your characterization is simply brilliant, and I am forever in awe of Colfer's character development skills. I don't know of a better way to sum that up.
The other major thing I love about Artemis Fowl books is the signature Eoin Colfer humor. This book made me laugh out loud. Literally. Even more so than the other Artemis Fowl books. The series is intense and suspenseful and action-packed, but yet there's always room for something hilarious. Always.
What truly brought this book together, though, was the sheer level of emotion. There were moments that might have had me crying, if I was that type of reader. You'd think that the words "touching moment" and "Artemis Fowl" would never be found remotely near one another, but.... It's like that moment in
Inheritance, when you finally realize just who Murtagh is in love with. You want to go and grab some random passerby and shout this glorious news at someone. You want to go cry for a decade or two. You want to give Murtagh a good, hearty slap. And you want to high-five the author. All at the same time.
Eoin Colfer masters this same technique of taking the reader's heart, ripping it to shreds, then putting it back together. Like....
“Artemis looked at Holly and felt a tremendous affection for her... he could properly appreciate how fierce and beautiful his best friend was...
She is truly magical, thought Artemis. Perhaps her qualities are more obvious to me now that I have decided to sacrifice myself.”
Aww, that's cute. But wait! There's more! Before I got my hands on a copy of this, I decided to look at the quotes on Goodreads. Just to see what witty, amusing things were in store for me. In addition to amusement, I found stuff like this:
“Don't hate me forever, Arty," whispered Holly. "I couldn't bear that.”
Which then begs the question...what on Earth is going on? But when I read the book, it made sense.
“How could you...? How?"
"Logically you have no right to be angry. I simply followed your lead." ...He is really going through with it. "No," she managed.
"There is no other way.”
And then, I was reading along, and Artemis came to a decision. I slammed the book shut, and I was basically like "No. This is not happening. This will not happen." Then I opened it again, and...wow.
The ending. Oh my goodness, the ending. Who would've known Artemis would pull something like that? It was a spectacular ending to the series. The ending was actually surprisingly Pendragon-esque. Something I like to call "the loop ending". In one of my other reviews, I described the end of Pendragon like this: "OH-MY-GOODNESS-WHAT-IN-HALLA-JUST-HAPPENED, Oh-that's-adorable!, I-DON'T-UNDERSTAND-THIS-AT-ALL-BUT-I-LOVE-IT-ANYWAY....NO-WAIT-IT'S-PERFECT!" The end of the entire Artemis Fowl series was a bit in this same vein, for me. Just maybe without the "I don't understand this" part.
And here lies the end of my (rant) review. This book is awesome, people. I didn't even begin to do it justice. The series is awesome. Just...go read it. Please.
*By the way, this is an interesting concept that I'm pretty sure will be a major theme of my next book. I also think that pretty soon, I'll announce what this next book is, in case you are wondering. -
I did it guys, I did another thing. I finished a series! Woohoo!
The Last Guardian was an interesting book since it was the final one in the Artemis Fowl series. I did like getting to see more of the twins and Juliette in it as well. Plus having Opal back as the villain did make things a bit more entertaining... yet, I found myself bored with some of this book.
Don't get me wrong, it had a bunch of twists and turns throughout it but not everything held my attention. I did want the gang all back together towards the end but with that little cliffhanger - I'm not even sure of what to say or think. It was good and the ending was probably the best part.
In the end, I heard there's a series about the twins and I think if I can find them for free - well, I might be intrigued enough to dive into them. -
Ugh.
"The eighth book starring the teenage criminal mastermind will be published in Spring 2012. The plot is being kept strictly under wraps and will not be revealed until publication."
Strictly under wraps, will not be revealed until publication, yes, of course not. How...how pompous! >.<
I was so mad at my library system for not having this until I realized that it was only published yesterday. XD Haha...It's the last one! :O
*UPDATE: READ*
What is it with series endings lately?! First
Nevermore was a complete catastrophe, then THIS....this atrocity is published!
I was completely shocked by this book. True, the Atlantis Complex was a bit strange, but all the others were really great. This felt like Eoin Colfer wanted to get rid of Artemis, and he wanted to get rid of him fast, so he
This book felt like Colfer had taken one of the action-packed scenes from the whole of one of the previous books, stretched it here and there, and tacked on an appropriate ending. It literally felt like one loooong scene. I was also disappointed that Artemis never saw Minerva, from The Lost Colony, again. She was just forgotten.
I just don't get it. Both Nevermore and The last Guardian were supposed to be fantastic. But now that I've read them, all I'm left with are negative memories. It's so sad. -
It had a slow beginning where I started to get irritated at the writing, but I think that may have been me being a weird reading mood and cranky. Not sure. But once I was half way through, it got back to the old feeling that I had with the series for the first 6 books. I'm very happy to have finished this series and know this final tale in their story. I think people who prefer definite endings won't be satisfied with it because it left me with more than a few curious questions, but I didn't have a problem with how it ended.
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omg. i need to read this SO badly. im glad theyve got a title out, but now i have many more questions. like, last guardian of what, or whom? who does Arty end up with, if anyone? what about Holly? ugh, the questions are relentless!! i cant wait until theyre answered [Spring of 2012?? urgh!!!]
**UPDATE 3/14/12**
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH COVER IS SOOO PURTY DESCRPTION AND RELEASE DATE AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! *babble babble hysteria*
*calms down* Whew! Okay. Okay. Okay okay. I can't wait! And I'm very upset with you, Mr. Colfer, for making me wait longer than "spring of 2012"!! It better be worth the wait, or you'll feel my wrath!!
**UPDATE 7/9/12**
*gasp!* I just realized...July 10, 2012...THAT'S TOMORROW! W0000000000T!! oh yeayuh, uh huh *dances happeh dance*
**UPDATE 10/27/12**
It took me exactly two months to read this book because I never had adequate time to read it! D=
But now that I have, I can say that it was AMAZING!! Though that's certainly an...interesting way to end a series...O.o
I love Artemis. I love him so much. He's intelligent and epic and brave and fits the "main character" bill =).
I also hate Opal with a burning passion. .
Anyway, AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!! 5 jillion stars! =D
Proud out. -
Dear Eoin Colfer, thank you for introducing me to this world, to all the beautiful & amazing characters. I am so honored to travel along the journey of this series <3
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I... but.... it started with... and then the..... but at the end.... and with the.... OH MY GOD JUST READ THIS!
This series has taken me for a ride. I have traveled to Ireland, Asia, the Arctic, under the Earth's crust, another time dimension, and so many more places I can't even remember. I've met the rule breaking, first female Captain of the LEP, Holly Short, the always hilarious dwarf Mulch Diggums, (Which by the way created a whole new character for the title "dwarf" which I was at first confused by but came to love and accept), the ever-intimidating, loyal, and all around Bad-@$$ Butler, who was by far my favorite character; I came to hate, admire, miss and finally understand Julius Root; I was easily able to hate one of the worst antagonists in book lore, Opal Koboi, and then of course there was Artemis Fowl: Artemis was a character I hated, despised, appreciated, pitied, liked, and respected this individual who had such an amazing change of character he came to hate himself.
Through the books I met new characters, new places, new conflicts, new ideas, and new wonders. Eoin Colfer was able to make worlds I had never seen, heard, of or imagined as easy to see as the monitor in front of me. He was able to discuss science in a way that I wondered why he hadn't put Artemis's ideas to real world use. Eoin Colfer is a simply amazing author.
Now although Colfer is an AMAZING author that has captivated my imagination and taken me to places known and unknown in so many amazing ways... He was not without his faults. There were unfortunately quite a few too many places within each of the books (mainly the later books) that seemed to delve a little off of what I, and I'm sure Colfer, had originally imagined. This is to be expected in such a large series, but I feel throughout the series there was a lack of planning. Now I know it's hard to remember every little detail, or restrain, restriction, and rule that you make while writing a book, but some of these were a bit major that are just too obvious for a reader. When you make something almost indestructible, I expect it to remain indestructible, and so on. I just felt a little cheated, as I always do when writers end up changing "rules" in later installments to series. But to Colfer's credit his "adaptions" shall I call them were not game changing as, let's say, in Christopher Paolini's Eragon. That's not a spoiler, it's just that in that book, among others, rules are established that have a large impact on the outcome of the novel, and when they are "changed" in later editions I feel cheated. But I will give Colfer the credit that he did not change his "rules" that would be "game changers." A couple cut it close, but weren't completely there. But even beyond that, his writing was so spectacular that I could look past those changes; I could forget them, or allow them to be because his storytelling was so creative and inviting that I was just concerned with what was happening more than the "rules" or mechanics of the book. And although I can't overlook them completely in a review, I can appreciate everything he has done in his writing.
This book was nothing short of amazing just as the others. I loved the introduction of new characters, new twists, and of course the awesome action in this final installment. I do have to say that the world needs to watch out for Myles Fowl unless Artemis can keep him in check. The ending left me a little.... iffy. I loved how it... ahh... Spoiler time. I can't not talk about this without ruining it.
Those aside, I loved this series. I really hope it gets the spotlight Harry Potter. Great book, great way to tie everything together, and great series. If you haven't read it then read it; If you have read it then you are lucky. Good job Colfer. Good job. -
#1)
Artemis Fowl ★★★☆☆
#2)
The Arctic Incident ★★★☆☆
#3)
The Eternity Code ★★★☆☆
#4)
The Opal Deception ★★★☆☆
#5)
The Last Colony ★★☆☆☆
#6)
The Time Paradox ★★★☆☆
#7)
The Atlantis Complex ★★☆☆☆
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خیلی ناراحتم که جلد آخر یکی از محبوب ترین مجموعه هام رو خوندم :(
و تموم شد :( -
✩ 4 stars
~
so sad that the series is over 💔 -
Wow, I finally did it. I started this series all the way back in middle school and I finally reached the end. I must say, it was an amazing ride. It was so much fun to see the evolution of Artemis, his friendship with the fairies, and all the exciting adventures. The fact that Opal is finally dead was definitely satisfying. Initially, I was extremely disappointed that Artemis was dying at the end after surviving literally everything else. I thought it was amazing how they managed to bring him back and that his friends are there for him. Although, I am extremely curious about how they're going to explain this to everyone since they all attended his funeral. It was heartbreaking to see Butler heartbroken about losing Artemis and how he held out hope for half a year that he would come back. I did not see that coming, but I'm glad that it did. Lastly, there is a new series starring the Fowl twins and the movie that has been in production hell for forever is finally coming out. I am super excited about it and cannot wait to read the new series. Hope its as good as the first.
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Favorite line, "Silence was safety. Words would only bind themselves into strands and hang him."
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Update-
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?! I finally read the book and it was really good... up until the end. I'm in shock.... why would Eoin do this to us? I'm so confused *sob*
I'm super confused right now. I think I gave this book 5 stars because I love this seriesand I'm in love with Artemisbut there were some parts I found really disappointing. There was non-stop action, which in a way is a good thing but I wish they would have slowed down a bit in some parts. I think I read the book way to fast as well, maybe if I took my time and spent a few days on it instead of a few hours I would have liked it more. I wish that the author had included more about Artemis because in the other books he seemed to have more a personality and he seemed more real. In this book he only has a few of his usual sarcastic comments and its mostly him explaining or hiding a plan. I liked him a lot more in the other books.
I can't believe this series is over....
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Update-
I finally found the book. yay! :)
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I need this book... now.
I'm going through all of the reviews and after each one I just get even more and more excited.
I read the preview and its really good. I really like this quote in it for some reason, "Either that boy is the sanest creature on Earth, he thought, or he is so disturbed that our tests cannot even begin to scratch the surface." I don't know. It just stood out to me because it describes Artemis perfectly. I'm so glad to see that Artemis is back to his old self. I thought the way he acted in the Atlantis Complex as Orion was funny but it was a bit too far-fetched. Like the whole thing with him saying Holly's aura is pastel blue with dolphins (or something like that) was really weird. -
Dropping back a star. Of course, I have no memory of reading in 2012, so it must not have made much of an impression. Honestly, it still didn't. This one, needing to be told from so many POVs, it got disjointed. And cliche. And middle-grade. None of which was the right fit for me, right now.
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(A-) 90% | AGES 13+ | Ah...What is there to say about Artemis Fowl? The most cunning, clever, and intelligent boy alive and yet, somehow, still not the brightest. This was a good closure. But a closure to what? You might be wondering. So here are some questions I can answer in the end.
Should I read this series?
To read Artemis Fowl is an acquired taste. If you like long chapters with multiple points of view and witty humor, this is for you. If you like goblins, fairies, daring exploits, time travel, demon possessions, and evil turned good characters, this is for you!
Are the characters admirable? Something I can relate to on an emotional level?
Definitely! Artemis was an evil boy. He had done bad things in his life. Enough for a life sentence in only his first 12 years of age. Pretty soon, that guilt is going to catch up to him. I think we can all relate to the fact we’ve all been guilty before, and to see someone who’s trying to fix his mistakes, getting over his pride. That’s pretty relatable, and only the strongest of people can own up to it. Plus, like all people have the ability to receive, even if some seem too far gone, Artemis gets a redemption arc!
Are the plots interesting? Enough to keep me reading all 8 books?
Oh! I think you shouldn’t entirely base the stories off of the first book. By the time you reach the fourth book, it’ll have you intrigued. But that is the fourth book. Luckily, these stories are pretty short. 2, 3, and 4 are pretty slow, but the last half of the books are pretty good. My personal favorite is the Time Paradox (#6). But if you don’t plan on reading all of them, reading the first book is a good taste tester.
How is the writing?
It’s written in a clever way to reflect Artemis Fowl’s brain because it is so complex(but still teenager like). It’s written in multiple POV’s so you have time to get backstory from everyone, including villains. I did find the villain’s point of views kind of boring sometimes, and I sped-read to Artemis or Holly’s POV because they were more interesting. I’m not against the writing, just what it was about.
So, what are my final thoughts?
Now, I judge my reviews solely on an emotional level and how much I’m going to remember this. Yes, there are some technical aspects, but I try not to get into that as much because I know how hard it is to write a book (lots of us do) and I respect every author for publishing their book and just finishing it in general. I think Colfer executed his vision for Artemis Fowl well. I’m going to remember this as something that faced ups and downs to me. The best review I can give you is in one sentence: “Artemis Fowl is an acquired taste, but once you have acquired it, it is a deliciously clever taste that will linger in your mouth for days and leave a flavorful sentimental after taste in the end.”
Phew! My first time doing a long, thorough review like this! Just trying something different especially for the last book! Thanks Colfer for an amazing journey! -
روند داستان رو دوست داشتم... و مثل همیشه در حین خوندن هی به خودم می گفتم واو، کالفر معرکه می نویسه! (نثرشو خیلی دوست دارم) سر هر چیز طنز کوچک هم کلی خندیدیم اشک از چشمانمان جاری شد :دی ولی پایانش... آخ دلم میخواد بزنم کالفرو... مگه میشه آرتی زنده بمونه و هیچ ماجراجویی ای نداشته باشه؟! به ��ظرم اصن مایلز و آرتمیس باید میمردن... چون جفتشون آروم نمیشنن ی جا زندگیشون بگذره... بعد همش من باید تو خیالاتم تبهکاریای جدید اینارو تصور کنم و چون حال نوشتن ندارم تو ذهنم فن فیکشن بنویسم :))
اینش بد شد... کالفر اگه نمیخواست ادامه ش بده باید تمومش می کرد... :|
باز این به کنار... روند بزرگ شد آرتی... ای خداااااا :(((((
باز خوبه 25 سالگی ش رو ندیدیم... وگرنه اونجا داشت به نامزدش اس میداد :|
هنوزم شخصیتش دوست داشتنی و جذاب بود ولی... برای کسایی که به اون سردی شخصیتی عادت کردن؛ سخت بود خو گرفتن با آرتمیس فاول جدید
هممم... همین دیگه :( -
Ήταν από τις αγαπημένες μου σειρές εκεί γύρω στο γυμνάσιο και παρόλο που ξέρω πως αν την είχα τελειώσει τότε θα τα είχα αγαπήσει ακόμη πιο πολύ, χαίρομαι που έγινε έστω και τώρα, μετά από αρκετά χρόνια!
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30/04/2020
3 ⭐
Unfortunately, I didn't *love* this book in the series either, but I loved every other book in the series, so I still count this as a win! I love these characters and have grown very attached to them over the years as I've been reading the series, and I'm honestly upset that this series is over. I'll definitely be starting The Fowl Twins series this year (I intend to review it, also) because I can never leave this world for too long, Eoin Colfer's books are just SO good!
Also, they changed the narrator for this book and it was such a weird reading experience! After listening to Gerry O'Brien narrate these adventures for 7 books, listening to Nathaniel Parker and his thick Scottish accent (even though the characters are Irish???) was like whiplash, and it definitely changed the reading experience for me!
TW: Death of animals
