For April 2022, Brooke County Libraries are excited to share our children's series of the month! We are featuring the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. Keep reading for more information and stories about Artemis Fowl and his creator.
The Fowl Adventures is a series of ten fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer revolving around various members of the Fowl family. The first cycle, Artemis Fowl, follows elf LEP recon officer Holly Short as she faces the forces of criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II. The second cycle, The Fowl Twins, follow Fowl's younger twin brothers Myles and Beckett as they live out their house arrest under the supervision of pixie-elf hybrid Lazuli Heitz. The series has received positive critical reception and generated huge sales. It has also originated graphic novel adaptations.
A film adaptation based on the first novel was in the process of development by Disney since 2016, and eventually released on the Disney+ streaming service.
Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father (an elementary school teacher, historian and artist of note) and mother (a drama teacher). He first developed an interest in writing in primary (elementary) school with gripping Viking stories inspired by history he was learning in school at the time!
In the first book, Artemis Fowl, twelve-year-old genius Artemis Fowl II and his bodyguard Butler kidnap Holly Short, an elf and a captain of the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance force (LEPrecon), holding her for a ransom of one ton of gold to exploit the magical Fairy People and restore his family's fortune.
The Artemis Fowl series, alternatively titled the First Cycle of The Fowl Adventures, introduces Artemis as a villain and the Peoples' enemy, but as the books progress, Artemis's character develops and changes. As an anti-villain, he assists the People and a reluctant Short in resolving conflicts with worldwide ramifications. His moral compass develops throughout the series.
The Fowl Twins series, alternatively titled the Second Cycle of The Fowl Adventures, set five years later, follows Artemis' younger twin brothers as they live out their house arrest under the supervision of "pixel" Lazuli Heitz and NANNI, an artificial intelligence based on Holly's and Artemis' brainwaves.
After leaving school he got his degree from Dublin university and qualified as a primary school teacher, returning to work in Wexford. He married in 1991 and he and his wife spent about 4 years between 1992 and 1996 working in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. His first book, Benny and Omar, was published in 1998, based on his experiences in Tunisia; it has since been translated into many languages. A sequel followed in 1999, followed by some other books. Then in 2001 the first Artemis Fowl book was published and he was able to resign from teaching and concentrate fully on writing.
Since then, Artemis Fowl, which was named the public’s favourite Puffin Modern Classic of all time, has sold in excess of 25 million copies and has been translated into 40 languages.
Did you love this series as a kid? Maybe one of your own children is a huge fan? We'd love to hear your stories about these stories in our comment section or on our social media pages!
Interested in the series now? We have some titles available on our ebook site WV Reads... check it out!
As always, images and info are courtesy of WV Reads, Google, Wikipedia, author web pages, etc.
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