Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex

[Devika_globejotter]

Far from being the exciting thriller its blurb, and surely, the success of its predecessors promise, Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex is unexciting, predictable and, to use a word used too many times in the book, boorish.

The book starts off interestingly enough, with the insufferably perfect Artemis struggling to keep his mind out of his own way as he tries, for once in his life, to be a Good Samaritan. Artemis plans to save the world from Global Warming through a novel concept which he demonstrates in Iceland. The demonstration ends, as is predictable enough, disastrously with the LEP losing an entire squadron, a valued officer and seriously injuring Holly Short, Artemis Fowl and Foaly. This development would have horrified me, had I not seen almost the same thing happen with Julius Root just three books ago.

However, one exciting thing to surface out of the disastrous demonstration is Artemis’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Multiple Personality Disorder- all part of the disease called Atlantis Complex. It is interesting and almost comical to read about Artemis battling his OCD as he loses his grip on his most precious possession- his mind. His counting aloud to five in moments of tension, or shuddering at the thought of the number four is a thrilling way to draw the reader into the story, but that’s just where it stops. Colfer is unable to develop the idea in a satisfactory way and Atlantis Complex remains an unexplored disease.

A considerable amount of time is spent on Artemis’s alter ego who emerges as a result of the MPD. Orion is a faultless personification of everything Artemis loathes. He quotes soppy poetry and lives in yester-year, swoons at Holly and calls Foaly a “noble steed”. Far from being intriguing and worth thinking about, Orion is capricious, stupid and most undeniably irksome. He breaks the flow of the normal Fowl-style proceedings like a jarring note in Artemis’s self conducted Third Symphony. For someone who has always been in awe of the surprise element in the Fowl books, I was greatly displeased to find I could easily predict that it would be Orion who would win everyone’s hearts by saving the day.

The rest of the story passes by unnoticeably even as Colfer tries to show off some real action Butler style, but fails miserably because it is obvious that at the end ,‘tis the Butlers (yes, Juliet too) who shall triumph. Foaly tries hard to impress us with his technological feats, but he too is unable to elicit a gasp of awe, forget shock us. However, one who does shock with his audacity is Turnball Root (brought into the mainstream series from the Fowl files), although sadly, not Mulch Diggums. Number One only makes an appearance in the climax, which is awful to the point of being silly: there is no action, no drama, just a happy ending that seems too good to be true.

Colfer holds a goldmine in his hands in the form of Atlantis Complex and the existence of Atlantis itself, but this time, he seems to have stepped on only the mines. Maybe the next one (I demand redemption) shall strike gold.

[Rowenny]

Thanks for the review. Actually, Arthemis Fowl gets worse by every book. I liked these sieries up until book 4, but, when I read The Lost colony or whatever was that name, I got so bored and disappointed in this. The author just lost it, I guess. Maybe he should try giving up his little child and write something else? Because, as a writer, he is great!

[Bowie20049]

Just like the Harry Potter series for me. They got worse and worse after being almost magical (pun not intended).

[Rowenny]

I liked Potter sieries till the end. Those books did not become boring for me, but Fowl... do you know, maybe Colfer has another character he is writing about?

[Valencian]

Harry Potter keeps drifting on and off for me but I have been wondering whether to read Artemis Fowl. I guess I'll try it anyway. Might as well give all books a chance.

[lango]

Artemis fowl is a very interesting series, but whenever a newer book is launched, I always have the same question: "Why was this book written?", and after reading it, sadly, I dont have the answer. Artemis Fowl appealed to me because it was creative and very entertaining, but after lots of books, the 'newness' of it all wears off, and I keep trying to become intrigued again but can't. It's kinda like reading Dan Brown after a while, as in the author writes in the same format, so you always know what to expect. I still think Artemis Fowl should have stopped at the third book. As much as I love Bartimaeus trilogy, for example, I would hate to have the author write up 3 more books and ruin the series for me... I will still read every new Artemis Fowl book that comes out though :D

[-SC-katkat13]

hmmn may be eoin should put more thrill in the story. thou i agree to rowenny that the other books are getting worse

[ManyIdeas]

I haven't read the new book, but I could tell it wasn't going to be his best. Eoin, I am a big fan of the Artemis Fowl books, but I am upset by the lack of imagination that menifests itself in the previous books!
And why oh why dear god did you get envolved with Disney! They...ruin...EVERYTHING BADASS! Look at Marvel! Poor souls!

[Kitty]

Artemis Fowl series started off as fantastic to me. It was new, it was appealing and it was fast-paced. We liked the villain and had to make choices on characters. I think it was book 3 when we lost it. I liked them until then, then they didn't have the same 'it factor' as the others. Least to me.

He had a really good idea with the Atlantis Complex, I had high hopes for this book when I first heard about it, I hoped it would have redeemed the series. It didn't.

The plans were pretty good in the first 3 in my opinion, Not liking book two so much but liking the others, I liked the pacing, the characters, then they just got too goody-goody and kind of repetitive. This book was no real exception to all the others of 4,5, and 6.

And because a villain escaped in the 6th book, I assume there will be a 8th to tie that loose end up. Because it did not deal with that villain at all, just the other one and his prison break out, which was another disappointment to me. I liked the villain, but it was a side-plot, an excuse for another book in my opinion.

I don't think it's about the books anymore, it's about the money.

[Devika_globejotter]

I recently re-read this book and what I have come to realize is that not only did Eoin Colfer let go of his awesome wit and imagination, he also managed to lose all sense of that sound, English writing.
The books editing is sloppy and Colfer's signature style nowhere to be seen.