Bookboxed

When people just didn’t have enough of Artemis when the second book was released that Eoin Colfer had to end up writing three more. The third book in this hugely popular series, Artemis Fowl and The Eternity Code focuses on the disastrous events that follow Artemis’ attempt to sell a device that he managed to piece together from the equipment that Butler salvaged from the fairy retrieval team that came to rescue Holly.

He creates a small device the size of a paperweight that can read DVDs a few meters away in amazing quality. He tries to sell it to a notorious businessman called John Spiro, who refuses Artemis’ offer to not put the device in the market for a year if John gave Artemis a whole load of gold (Yes, he just can’t resist gold). And while Artemis is demonstrating the device’s capabilities, he accidentally almost reveals the existence of fairies. John, who becomes the first person to outsmart Artemis by planting an ambush in the restaurant where they meet, takes the device from him and his bodyguard attempts to kill Artemis but is saved by Butler who dies in the attempt. (Shocking, I know but wait till the end).

Artemis is devastated and showing his true brilliance, he puts Butler in the freezer of the restaurant and makes a few calls to ensure the police don’t touch Butler. He puts Butler in a proper cryogenic chamber and makes a call coded with phrases only fairies would know. Meanwhile, when Artemis almost exposes the fairies, havoc breaks loose in the fairy world. Holly is sent to investigate and Artemis’ call alerts Foaly who send her to investigate it too. Artemis, who is relieved to find Holly, convinces Holly to heal Butler as he is frozen only a few minutes after his death. Holly does it, but Butler ends up growing 10 years older in few minutes.

Artemis explains about his mistake to Holly and Artemis convinces Commander Root to let him and Holly to retrieve the device, as it would expose the fairy world. As this is happening, John Spiro, who has connections with the Chicago mob, is told that his scientists would not be able to do anything with the device as it was encrypted with an “Eternity Code”. Root agrees, with a condition that Artemis would have to be mind wiped. John sends for a mob team to fetch Artemis.

The team just happens to consist of the very hilarious Mulch, who is working for the mob. Mulch warns Artemis and Artemis decides to play along and he is taken to John. Artemis, with the help of Butler’s sister Juliet, Holly and Mulch, through one of his ingenious plans, retrieves the devices only to be foiled by John who had anticipated it.

John forces Artemis to remove the encryption and Artemis meddles with the device and John is convinced that Artemis had really done it when what Artemis really does is to allow Foaly to connect with the device. Artemis convinces John to steal some product designs from his competitors, and John falls for it and takes Artemis along. Foaly, through some manipulation convinces John that he is really stealing the plans while the police are summoned. Artemis is whisked away from there by Holy and John is left trapped by the Police.

The best part comes when Artemis, in the fraction of a second when he is being flown away from the place, uses his device to hack into the LEP’s police site and to make Mulch a free bird. The crowning moment comes when Artemis gives Mulch a computer disk disguised as a gold coin with a hole in it, which was given to Artemis by Holly. Artemis hands Mulch a note telling him what to do and to come back to him with the disk to help him get back his memories. Whether he gets them back or not is revealed only in the next book. Eoin Colfer is brilliant with his remarkable style and plots.

The snappy humour, sarcasm and Artemis’ plans never fail to entertain. Artemis Fowl books are now coming to be compared with Harry Potter. It certainly deserves that distinction. So, go and read it and have your laughs.

When I got this book, I just couldn’t wait to finish it. The first book left me wanting more. The child prodigy is back again, (Which had to be after the first book was an instant success) and now must extract his father from the clutches of the Russian Mafia. His father, who was previously at the head of a criminal empire, tried to go legimate by selling soft drinks in Russia, But unfortunately his ship was destroyed by the Mafia and he was presumed lost for over a year while he was in coma in the captivity of the Mafia.

But after Artemis Fowl senior emerges from coma, the Mafia swing into business and immediately send Artemis a message. While this is happening, down in the fairy world, Holly, who is on stake-out duty after the ‘Artemis Fowl fiasco’ ends up fighting goblins, in what was meant to be a disused tunnel to the surface to the earth.

Holy and Root learn that the goblins were trading with humans, and they naturally come to the conclusion that Artemis must be behind it. Holly is sent to bring Artemis and Butler to the fairy world, and meets Artemis just as he was about to leave to rescue his father. Artemis realizing that he has no other option to go with her realizes that he could use the fairies’ help to travel to Russia.

After Artemis is questioned, and the fairies realize that he had nothing to do with the trading, come to an agreement with Artemis to help him reach Russia in exchange for Butler’s services to help question another suspect who was unsuspectingly trading with the goblins. Artemis immediately agrees and Butler goes to Paris to question the suspect. He is almost killed but escapes narrowly. The fairies dismiss it saying that the case was solved.

Artemis is personally escorted to the Arctic by Root and Holly, where Holly, Artemis, Butler and Root encounter a goblin hit-team sent to kill all of them. They narrowly escape and learn that a revolution is going on in the fairy world. They learn that an evil genius pixie called Obal Kobai is behind it. They use the shuttle they have and catch Mulch, the criminal dwarf who played a role in the first book and faked his death, much to the anger of Root.

Mulch leads them to Kobai Laboratories, where all the planning was going on, and Artemis helps save the fairies. In exchange for his “brave and heroic act” they offer to help Artemis rescue his father. The story ends with Artemis executing a brilliant plan to save his father from the Mafia who had planned to kill his father with or without the ransom.

Artemis’ memory of the fairies is not wiped and he gains Holly’s friendship, which had seemed impossible at the beginning of the book.

This book too is just as fun as the first one and is packed with a whole load of laughs, action and displays of Artemis’ genius. The old characters from the first book remain, with the exception of Butler’s sister Juliet. Eoin Colfer narrates the story in his unique style, which will leave you in peels. This book is a must read and don’t miss it.