Self-Isolation #re3 - Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident

• Title And Author: Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
• Publisher: Puffin
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Borrowed from local library by BorrowBox
• Length: 306 Pages or 6 Hours 48 Minutes

I read this YEARS ago when the book was first published in hardback with its super-shiny foiled dustjacket. Now, I only read the first three books (I never carried on for some reason. Maybe it was the first cover change when book 4 was first published or maybe I thought book 3 - The Eternity Code - ended in a good place) but with Disney releasing their movie version Artemis Fowl on Disney+ (this was meant to be released in cinemas but with COVID-19 situation, Disney decided to move this to their streaming services and push back release dates for other releases; their live action Mulan and Marvel’s Black Widow), I felt the urge to reread or grab my hands on the audiobook. So, yes, REREAD TIME!!! 

So, The Arctic Incident. After the whole hostage situation of last year, faerie Holly Short of course thinks child genius and criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl is behind the recent goblin gangs planning an uprising. But, for once, Artemis is innocent (hard to believe, I know!) and he has bigger fish to fry: his missing father is being held for ransom by Russian Mafia and he needs to be saved. So, Artemis needs to clear his name, save his father and figure out what’s going on with the People…

I forgot how sarcastic the narrator is. The Artemis Fowl is told in third person, but the narrator has this splashes of humour and sarcasm, which gives this a different edge compared to other novels. I have read a small spoiler about one of the latter books explaining why the narrator has a sarcastic edge to their telling but I’m not 100% certain I want to go to that book yet. I might hold fire for now. 

Out of the three I read back in the early 2000s, I always held this and the first Artemis Fowl with some affection. This book is the beginning of Artemis’s growth as a character, something the series is praised for as, in book 1, Artemis is selfish and self-absorbed, but by the end of the series, Artemis is selfless and willing to do the right thing, no matter the repercussions. And while I do like this series and I do hold this close to my heart, I think as an adult, I prefer the first as Artemis is more an anti-hero and I am ready for him to do more dastardly things… 

I don’t really have much more to say (the self-isolation over Easter Weekend is getting to me at the time of writing, though I can rant for HOURS over the UK covers as all throughout the years since publication have sucked! So badly!) so hopefully, will be more with it and willing to add more to conversation but I do like this series and I might attack one or two more titles throughout 2020… maybe… we shall see…