Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

Wildcard ~ January

eternitycode

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

My opinion in three sentences:

Another really clever and well-planned installation in the series, given its own fresh take with the threat of an imminent mind-wipe and the lack of Artemis’ familiar sidekick. Spiro, the resident Bad Guy, is a true Colfer gem of an enemy, proving to be larger than life, multi-faceted and a little chilling – (not to mention how tough an adversary he proves, adding a whole other level of twists to the ending). Unfortunately, however, there was a considerable lull in momentum after the explosive beginning as subsequent plotlines are planned and established, which rather impacted my enjoyment of the whole novel (though not enough to discourage me from the next, I hasten to add!)

(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:

Colfer has a talent to great bad guys that are truly sinister, yet aptly suited and adapted to the MG audience. Blunt and Spiro are clear examples of this finesse, and they really bring the drama to life. They have their own nuances, bring their own humour (and smarts to outsmart Artemis)and yet have this cold core of chilling actions they plan to unleash on a mere teenage boy (albeit a smug, criminal one). The series is a strong one in many an element, but they wouldn’t be half as good without a range of wonderfully-crafted and unique enemies for Artemis to face.

A warning for the book:

After an explosive, life-or-death and drama-filled opening, there’s a lull. Some slow-build, intensity-lacking drama in the Faerie kingdom and a lot of heist-planning on Earth lead to a decrease in the momentum and it’s easy to hit a bit of a block – especially with the audio, where location jumps require even more effort to stay on top of. Once it’s all established, though, there’s a clever and twisting resolution to the plot – it’s just getting there…

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