Artemis Fowl
Fowl and Potter
13/05/10 08:13 Filed in: Reading
An Open Letter to Emily and Clare,
Hi Emily and Clare,
I want to start by thanking you for introducing me to Artemis Fowl, the 12-year-old criminal mastermind created by Eoin Colfer. After our discussion at the dinner table last Sunday night, during which you told me that you and your friends are involved in a big debate over who is better, Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl, I decided I should go and check this Fowl guy out. As you know, I had a really hard time remember the little villain's name; I ended up reducing him (as suggested by your dad) to "Greek Duck". I did indeed manage to find a copy of the first Artemis Fowl book at the Bookworm in Westdale.
I then read this entire first book, titled perhaps predictably Artemis Fowl, before I got on the plane to fly back to Fredericton the next day.
I really enjoyed it. It's fun and witty and involves a playful third-person narrator who likes to talk to the reader directly. The "fairy world" is vividly created and the characters of Artemis Fowl, Holly Short, and Butler are well-drawn and interesting. I can't say the plot itself made me do cartwheels but it was certainly workable and moved at a nice pace.
But does it compete with Harry Potter? No way! Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a work of art. It is both subtle and clever and the idea of introducing the main character (and, with him, the reader) slowly into the magical world is brilliant. We feel awe as Harry arrives, for the first time, at Diagon Alley, at Gringott's, and finally at Hogwarts, as he discovers the powers within him and the friends (and enemies) who surround him. The plot is intricate and scary and the weaving together of the magical and muggle worlds makes the book memorable.
I think Artemis Fowl is very good, no doubt, but you can tell all your friends, from me, that comparing Fowl to Potter is about as fair as comparing your local police officer with James Bond. Harry Potter wins out, easily and with an abundance of class!
Thank you for giving me the chance to contribute to the ongoing debate.
Sincerely,
Uncle Mark
Hi Emily and Clare,
I want to start by thanking you for introducing me to Artemis Fowl, the 12-year-old criminal mastermind created by Eoin Colfer. After our discussion at the dinner table last Sunday night, during which you told me that you and your friends are involved in a big debate over who is better, Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl, I decided I should go and check this Fowl guy out. As you know, I had a really hard time remember the little villain's name; I ended up reducing him (as suggested by your dad) to "Greek Duck". I did indeed manage to find a copy of the first Artemis Fowl book at the Bookworm in Westdale.
I then read this entire first book, titled perhaps predictably Artemis Fowl, before I got on the plane to fly back to Fredericton the next day.
I really enjoyed it. It's fun and witty and involves a playful third-person narrator who likes to talk to the reader directly. The "fairy world" is vividly created and the characters of Artemis Fowl, Holly Short, and Butler are well-drawn and interesting. I can't say the plot itself made me do cartwheels but it was certainly workable and moved at a nice pace.
But does it compete with Harry Potter? No way! Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a work of art. It is both subtle and clever and the idea of introducing the main character (and, with him, the reader) slowly into the magical world is brilliant. We feel awe as Harry arrives, for the first time, at Diagon Alley, at Gringott's, and finally at Hogwarts, as he discovers the powers within him and the friends (and enemies) who surround him. The plot is intricate and scary and the weaving together of the magical and muggle worlds makes the book memorable.
I think Artemis Fowl is very good, no doubt, but you can tell all your friends, from me, that comparing Fowl to Potter is about as fair as comparing your local police officer with James Bond. Harry Potter wins out, easily and with an abundance of class!
Thank you for giving me the chance to contribute to the ongoing debate.
Sincerely,
Uncle Mark
Back in Freddie
I'm just back from a week in Ontario where I took
care of some personal business and visited with
family and friends. It was a great trip, if a bit
emotional, and I'm afraid I didn't get the chance to
see everyone I had hoped to see. I did, however, get
a lot of reading done and delivered copies of the
second draft of my latest Phillip Gold novel, The
Silent Goodbye, to my next round of readers.
I'll be posting blogs on a number of topics over the next couple of days, including the three Dick Francis novels I read on my trip, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (a book recommended strongly to me by Emily and Clare, who even suggested that some of their friends feel Colfer's book is better than Harry Potter), birds I saw on the trip and even perhaps a commentary on the state of my garden here in Nota Bene. We've had a warm, wet spring and the jungle in my backyard is threatening to overwhelm us.
Right now, however, my energy is at a low ebb so I won't be blogging more tonight, just posting a promise new entries soon. Good night!
I'll be posting blogs on a number of topics over the next couple of days, including the three Dick Francis novels I read on my trip, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (a book recommended strongly to me by Emily and Clare, who even suggested that some of their friends feel Colfer's book is better than Harry Potter), birds I saw on the trip and even perhaps a commentary on the state of my garden here in Nota Bene. We've had a warm, wet spring and the jungle in my backyard is threatening to overwhelm us.
Right now, however, my energy is at a low ebb so I won't be blogging more tonight, just posting a promise new entries soon. Good night!