Mini-Review: Artemis Fowl and The Lost Colony

I just finished the The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, Book 5). This is the 5th book in the series and each one has been more enjoyable than the last. It is a perfect series for tween and teen boys, many who will connect with Master Fowl; he is one-of-a-kind, a loner and relates directly to a fringe society. We see Artemis grow and develop into a brighter and increasingly moral person. We experience his moral dilemmas and we see how we works through them. What I loved about this book is seeing Artemis finally start to notice the opposite sex. Colfer introduces a new female antagonist that seems to have captured Artemis' heart. She also appears to be young Master Fowl's match in many areas. There are a few surprised tucked into this book and I am very interested to see how Colfer will resolve them!

Once again, Colfer has created a breathing and very realistic world in the Artemis Fowl series.Many fantasy authors have problems weaving their worlds into present day, whereas Colfer presents the technology, magic and characters as if they are and have always been a part of our world. It does make me wonder if this series does paint a specific picture about brains and money; either they go hand-in-hand or you could never live up to what Artemis has been able to achieve. But, is this any different from playing certain video games or watching some cartoon shows?

I place this series in the younger Young Adult category, mainly because of Artemis' age. Only recently has he started to come to grips with the early onset of puberty and the growing pains of defining his own actions. He has a strong support group of humans and faeries, which lends to a warm and caring extended family. Something that many can identify with and hope to emulate.