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A review by carlyxdeexx
The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
4.0
Enjoyed this one a bit more than the first—I considered bumping it up to five stars for the ending alone!
I love Artemis’s development. It’s really the crowning achievement of this series, how little by little he grows as a person, gradual but motivated and understandable. Artemis was one of my first ever fictional crushes (gotta love a Smart Boy™️) and thinking back on that made me cringe at first, remembering how much of a brat he was, engaging in criminal activity, endangering others with only the slightest concern for their well-being, ordering a grown man around, considering himself superior to others, blech. But Colfer does a great job showing us Artemis is young, and that there is good in him, and that good can only grow as he grows. Holly and Butler are such powerful positive influences! They make up for Commander Root’s tired macho persona. And Foaly’s funny, genuinely still a character that makes me smile though I’m now a grown adult.
If there’s another achievement on par with Artemis’s character growth, I’d say it’s how Colfer manages to integrate fairy lore with the modern world in a way that’s kinda kooky, but also believable and exciting! Holly Black also does this, but her approach is so different—her depiction of the fae comes off more traditional, dark, and deceptive, while Colfer’s People are good-hearted pacifists, using their incredibly advanced technology and magic to hide from creatures who are slowly wasting the planet away around them. I love the contrast! Both fae worlds are so easy to invest in and enjoyable in different ways.
I think I might actually finish this series. I’ve only ever read up to THE LOST COLONY, so I’m curious as to how Artemis’s story ends, how that connects to where THE FOWL TWINS begins.
I love Artemis’s development. It’s really the crowning achievement of this series, how little by little he grows as a person, gradual but motivated and understandable. Artemis was one of my first ever fictional crushes (gotta love a Smart Boy™️) and thinking back on that made me cringe at first, remembering how much of a brat he was, engaging in criminal activity, endangering others with only the slightest concern for their well-being, ordering a grown man around, considering himself superior to others, blech. But Colfer does a great job showing us Artemis is young, and that there is good in him, and that good can only grow as he grows. Holly and Butler are such powerful positive influences! They make up for Commander Root’s tired macho persona. And Foaly’s funny, genuinely still a character that makes me smile though I’m now a grown adult.
If there’s another achievement on par with Artemis’s character growth, I’d say it’s how Colfer manages to integrate fairy lore with the modern world in a way that’s kinda kooky, but also believable and exciting! Holly Black also does this, but her approach is so different—her depiction of the fae comes off more traditional, dark, and deceptive, while Colfer’s People are good-hearted pacifists, using their incredibly advanced technology and magic to hide from creatures who are slowly wasting the planet away around them. I love the contrast! Both fae worlds are so easy to invest in and enjoyable in different ways.
I think I might actually finish this series. I’ve only ever read up to THE LOST COLONY, so I’m curious as to how Artemis’s story ends, how that connects to where THE FOWL TWINS begins.