This post contains affiliate links for the Artemis Fowl book and other books. These are all books I genuinely love and would recommend to friends.
I have been making my way through the Artemis Fowl series. I'm currently reading book two and plan to watch & review the movie. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed the books and I just wanted to talk about it, starting with the first book.
A quick synposis - no spoliers
The book follows Artemis Fowl, a twelve-year-old criminal genius. Beside him is his always faithful butler, his bodyguard, and right-hand man. He serves as a kind of father figure to Artemis, though Artemis is very much in charge.
Artemis's father has gone missing, presumed dead after a plane crash. But Artemis is sure that his father is still alive and obsessively watches the news for updates.
Once, his family had wealth. He wants to rebuild his family fortune. He has read all about the fairy people and their famous stacks of gold. He is determined to get his hands on it - at any cost.
I will be getting into spoiler territory in the review below. If you would like to read the book before diving in, you can grab it through this affiliate link. You can also listen to the audiobook here.
The story began several years ago at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Artemis Fowl had devised a plan to restore his family fortune. A plan that could topple civilizations and plunge the planet into a cross-species war. He was twelve years old at the time...
What this story taught me as a writer
As a writer, reading other's work is a fabulous learning tool. I can learn from what they did right & wrong. Here's what this book taught me:
The protagonist doesn't have to be a good guy.
One of the character tropes that I love as a guilty pleasure is the
" lovable asshole". It's a term me and my friend coined. It's the character that you can't help but love.
He does all kinds of awful, inexcusable things. But his redeeming qualities make him a great character at the end. And despite the odds, you find yourself rooting for him.
Meet Artemis Fowl. In this novel, he blackmails, kidnaps, and poisons others. He's rude, stuck up, and all-around kind of a jerk. And yet, I found myself rooting for him. Because he cares deeply for his sick mother. Because he never gives up on his father.
So what I learned: Your character doesn't have to a good person. Hell, he doesn't even have to be very likable. But he has to have something that makes him ultimately redeemable. Maybe it's the one thing he cares deeply for & would do anything for.
Maybe it's his one weakness or soft spot. The sky is the limit. But don't forget to give the reader a good reason to root for him and not his enemies.
"Not with half a pint of holy water inside them," said Artemis, tapping the now empty whiskey bottle. The fairy blanched, then screamed, a high keening horrible sound. "Holy water! You have murdered me human." "True." Admitted Artemis. "It should start to burn any minute now."
Short, clear sentences really do make a world of difference.
While I was reading the book, I was also working (and still am) on editing my novel in progress. (I am editing a bit after I finish each chapter.)
While I do, I run my chapter through the Hemingway App, A free software that checks for sentences that are hard to read. These usually end up being long, run-on sentences.
Previously, I had run a chapter of The Lord Of The Rings and The Final Empire, two books I love through it. They had both had a decent amount of hard to read sentences.
And it got me to wondering. How important is it to avoid those longer sentences? Does it really take away that much from that writing experience?
The Mistborn series is my favorite series of all time. But after reading a lot of epic fantasy like it, I like to take a break and read YA. Because those books are a much easier, lighter read.
And part of that is because of the shorter, more readable sentences. The book I'm working on is definitely more adult, but maybe I can take a lesson from YA like Artemis Fowl.
Work your worldbuilding into your writing naturally.
Confession time: I do love writing exposition. I love rambling on about the colors of the room and everything that's in it. I know I'll have to trim some of it in editing. But I don't actually mind reading exposition, because i love learning all about the story world. And people who enjoy that are my readers.
But even I know that you should try and limit the rambling. The info - dumps. And skill I need to get better at is working the world-building into the story naturally. To only introduce it as part of the scene and to be concise about it.
And that's one area where Artemis Fowl excels. If this an area where you struggle, read this book. And pay attention to the subtle world-building.
Holly Short was lying in bed, silently fuming. Nothing unusual about that. Leprechauns in general were not known for their geniality. But Holly was in an exceptionally bad mood, even for a fairy. Technically she was an elf, fairy being a general term. She was a leprechaun too, but that was just a job. Perhaps a description would be more helpful than a lecture on fairy genealogy.
In conclusion
Artemis Fowl is a great book that can provide valuable insights, leading by example, for writers. But if you don't want to see those in action or you need more reasons, there are many.
The characters are great, even the side ones. I love Fowley with his tinfoil hat, paranoid conspiracy theories, and incredible inventions. I loved Commander Roat, who has a big bark but is ultimately a teddy bear at heart who cares deeply about Holly. I love Holly with her attitude no matter what she's facing. And the rest of the cast, too many for this summary.
The plot is fast-paced and keeps you riveted the whole time. I would give this novel a full 4 stars - not my favorite book, but certainly up there. If you haven't read this book yet, read it here. There's also a great graphic novel I enjoyed. Or catch the audiobook here.
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to write for you, see how you can work with me. I'm available for all kinds of content and creative writing.
If you want to see more things I love, I compiled this mega list. Check it out here. It's also a great way to support this blog.
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