Customer Reviews:
 "He is alive, and I will find him" August 18, 2007
In the first book of this series Colfer introduced us to the genius-criminal mind of Artemis Fowl. The enterprising teenager was able to steal a fair amount of gold from the fairies, in his quest to return his family to its proper place and recover his father. But we also got to see a more human side of Artemis and understand that he was not exactly as he was portraying himself to the rest of the world. In this book these traits start to come out more and more.
We know that Artewmis' father has disappeared in an accident a couple of year ago and that there have been no news about his situation. In this book we are taken back in time to presence the moment in which a group of Russians fish a man out of the water in the Arctic Circle. The man shows sever frostbite but is alive and has personal effects that suggest he is extremely wealthy. Is it Artermis' father? Artemis certainly believes so. He gets a video via email that shows the battered man with a sign around his neck saying Zvdravstvutye syn (Hello son) and a request for ransom. He immediately starts the preparations to get his father back home.
In the meantime, closer to the center of the Earth, the fairy world is rocked. Captain Holly Short has been placed on surveillance following the unfortunate Fowl incident. She is not happy with this, but she is in the right place, because there is an attack by the B'wa Kell (the goblin army). The most disturbing fact is that they are using class A-human technology, which means that have been dealing with Mud Men. Holly immediately suspects Artemis is involved, or maybe she just wants that to be true.
These events throw Artemis and his faithful and skilled bodyguard, Butler, together with the fairies once more. All our favorite characters are back, including Captain Short, Root, Foaley the Centaur, and Mulch the dwarf. The action is fast-paced and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way. I think that the author took great strides in terms of character development in this installment and that gives him high points in my book. There is only one thing that bothered me and that is a fault I have seen many times before, especially in movies. Mistakes related to chess. In this case, the author trying to show Artemis' genius mentions that he beat a Grandmaster in six moves, which of course is silly. I should be used to these by now, but they still make me cringe.
This series is looking great, and I am already eager to read the next book. What will happen with Artemis in terms of his good vs. evil battle? I bet this is a question that most readers are asking themselves.
A step up from the first January 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Though I enjoyed the first book in this series, I found it a bit cold. This one however was much better. The characters became more real, and the plot was more involving and a lot more fun.
Great for kids, and any adults who dont't mind suspending their disbelief for a while.
 Courtesy of Teens Read Too October 14, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I didn't discover the delight that is the ARTEMIS FOWL series until a week ago, when I read ARTEMIS FOWL in one day. So, of course, I had to pick up a copy of THE ARCTIC INCIDENT right away, to see if it was as good as the first. It definitely is, and in my own humble opinion, I think I liked it even better than the first book. There are points throughout the book where Artemis, now thirteen, shows a softer, more vulnerable side that I truly enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, he's still an evil genius, but he's an evil genius with heart, and you can't help but love him.
Now that Angeline Fowl is out of her depression, thanks to some fairy magic from Captain Holly Short, she's sent Artemis back to Saint Bartelby's School for Young Gentlemen in Ireland. Artemis is having quite a large amount of fun flummoxing the school's counselor, Dr. Po, when he gets an urgent message from Butler, his bodyguard/butler/majordomo--it seems that Artemis Fowl the First is alive, being held for ransom by the Russian Mafiya.
Young Artemis, of course, immediately sets out to devise a scheme to rescue his father. It's been almost two years since Artemis Senior was last heard from, and his son is most eager to bring him home. Before he can work out a devious scheme, though, he's visited by none other than Captain Short and her superior, Commander Root, and brought down to Haven City and into Police Plaza. It seems the goblin triad, the B'Wa Kell, have a human counterpart aiding in their smuggling, and Artemis the Second is, quite justly I believe, suspected of being that human.
The fairies soon realize, however, that this time Artemis Fowl isn't the bad guy in this problem. But now they'd like Artemis and Butler's help in figuring out who is behind the alliance between the goblins and the Mud Men--and Artemis is quite willing to help them out, in exchange for the fairies help in rescuing his father.
What follows is an action-packed story of good versus evil below ground, with deceptions, backstabbing, and revenge taking center stage. As Holly, Root, Butler, and Artemis race to save Haven City from being destroyed, some of the same characters from the first book make appearances--Foaly, Mulch Diggums, Cudgeon, and Captain Trouble. There's also a new foe in
THE ARCTIC INCIDENT, Opal Koboi, to be dealt with.
I highly recommend the ARTEMIS FOWL series to anyone and everyone. Highly enjoyable, thoroughly entertaining, and not soon forgotten.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
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