Enemies becoming allies and a temporary truce. After the events of the first book in the series, Artemis Fowl and Holly Short probably never thought they would have to work together but in The Arctic Incident, book two of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, that is exactly what ends up happening. The book opens on Captain Holly Short of LEPrecon conducting a stakeout of a tunnel to the surface, one that happens to be suspected of potential smuggling. When she ends up in a shoot-out with the goblin crime triads and finds smuggled human artifacts they suspect human contact on the other end of the chain. Their prime suspect, Artemis Fowl. At the same time, Artemis is at school when he gets a ransom demand from the Russian bratva in regards to his father who disappeared two years previously on a trip to Russia. While working on a plan to rescue his father, Artemis and Butler are taken in for question by the LEP. Eventually, Artemis is able to prove his innocence and decides that, due to the current situations, he wants to arrange a deal. He helps the LEP track down the human side of the smuggling operation if Captain Short and Commander Root help him rescue his father afterwards.
I rather like this particular series because I find it highly entertaining. The character of Artemis Fowl is intriguing. An absolute genius but one that has practically no social skills and seems determined to devote his life to crime. Mind you he comes by the crime part naturally as the Fowl family has long been criminals. He also has very few genuine emotional connections which furthers his social isolation. Then it throws in the fact that he believes in fairies and it creates an extremely unique character. One that is almost entirely unlike any that I have seen before but one that I rather like. Mind you, most of the other characters are also fairly unique but Artemis is really what drew me into this series. The story is also rather fascinating as it doesn’t seem like the characters should be able to work together after the events of the previous book. Artemis did a really good job of getting one over on the fairies and they don’t seem to be in a hurry to forget about it anytime soon. However, after the request Artemis made during the hostage situation Holly Short does recognize that he is not completely cold-hearted and that he does have the capacity to care but is instead reluctant to showcase that fact. These two characters seem to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum and yet I can almost see them forming a strong friendship in the future if they don’t watch it. At the very least they will probably form a strong sense of mutual respect. In terms of plot development the story does a good job of including some rather interesting twists and turns that Artemis and Holly struggle to see coming, though we as readers are aware of some of it. The pacing is just the right speed to make it feel natural without feeling rushed or slow. Overall, a really great addition to the continuing adventures of Artemis Fowl and it earns four out of five stars.
This book is a kids fantasy book and one that I happen to think is pretty good. If you happen to be a kid who enjoys the fantasy genre than I really suggest you consider trying this series out. This is especially relevant to readers who enjoy books about fairies or books based in Ireland. While you probably should read the first book before reading this one you might be okay without doing so, though you will definitely lack some of the backstory. In terms of suggested age range for readers this book is a little tricky. I would consider this series to be a kids series, but the main character of Artemis Fowl is twelve so I can also see it holding considerable appeal to teen readers as well though it may not hold appeal for older teens or adults for the same reason. Irregardless of age range, if it sounds like something you might enjoy than I suggest you consider trying it. If you do decide to try it out feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.