Author: Eoin Colfer
Title: Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
After eight books, no one would've necessarily blamed best-selling author Eoin Colfer if the literary sparkle had worn off a little with the final chapter in his beloved "Artemis Fowl" series.
After all, as any writer worth his/her salt already knows, it's not exactly easy to keep delivering the crowd-pleasing goods on a consistent basis. But thankfully for longtime fans of these blockbuster novels, Colfer is still in particularly fine form.
Written with the wildly imaginative and vivacious language that's become one the series' notable hallmarks, not to mention brisk but thoroughly engaging plotting, The Last Guardian is a thrilling last adventure with Artemis, Holly, Butler and Foaly.
Now forced to confront the rather diabolical likes of Opal, who just happens to be striving for invincibility this time around, the motley crew has quite a winding road ahead of them.
To say much more about what else happens next would inevitably rob the reader of the story's many joys, so I'll stop there with the plot summary. But for anyone who likes their stories a little heavier on the action than character development, well, this will definitely be a young adult literature fan's proverbial cup of tea.
Filled with meaningful themes of friendship and self-sacrifice, there's plenty of food for further thought along with all the fun. But even though there are lighter moments scattered throughout, the stakes probably haven't been higher as Artemis and his pals go to great lengths to right some serious wrongs with real world-changing potential.
Like The Hunger Games trilogy or Harry Potter if you're the speediest of speed readers, Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian is the sort of book that's easy to plow through in only an evening's time. In fact, it's so compelling that you'll hardly be able to wait for Colfer's next series—and this is coming from someone who's not smack dab in the target demographic.
*This Review First Published 7/24/2012
