Meanwhile in bibliophile-land ...

[sholio]

xparrot, you are right -- the Artemis Fowl books are total crack, in the good way. The library had all of them, and I read the first three in the past two days -- MINDWIPE?! NOOOOO! -- and I'm trying very hard not to start on the fourth one yet. At least not until I get a few things done first. XD I bounced pretty hard off the writing style at first, but I seem to have gotten used to it as I got into the characters, and I can't help wondering if whoever wrote the negative review that turned me off these books in the first place had actually read them, because they are obviously heist books and you can't have a heist without a criminal, right?

*eyes next book covetously*

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Comments

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heeee, aren't they just a blast? They continue just like that - it's a very consistently entertaining series. (And yeah, the prose has got a few quirks that are taboo in fic-land these days, but it's solid and it suits the action well, I think.)

And heh, I admit I loved Artemis from the first, but he is quite the little criminal mastermind when he starts out...!

[sholio]

They are really too much fun, and totally pushing my buttons all over the place, as you probably anticipated. XD I didn't really fall for Artemis until the second book, but that one really did it for me, and then there's the heroic!sacrifice in book 3, and ... yeah, more of this soon, please. :DDD

ETA: And thank you for recommending them! I had written them off for all the reasons I gave at your post, but now I'm very glad I went ahead and gave them a try.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Ahhh now I want to reread them all! ...which won't take too long, one of the major advantages of kids' books. But yeah, book 3 is just all kinds of goodness. I could say that I didn't go back and reread the bit with Butler getting shot a couple of times, but I would totally be lying. XD Book 4 has some great stuff, too, although--er, redacted for spoilers!-- *bites tongue*

(and turnabout's fair play; I spent my Xmas Amazon certificates on the first 6 Benjamin January books ^^)

[sholio]

I think book 2 is still my favorite overall (er, of the first 3, that is), because the last half was SUCH total enemies-working-together goodness, and I really do love Artemis being thrown totally out of his comfort zone and having to fend for himself when his plans go awry. The plan at the end of book 3 just went off too smoothly; I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and something to go horribly wrong, but it never did.

On the other hand, the first half of book 3 was pure condensed h/c awesome, so there is that. XDDD (And Butler has a first name! That's still weird. XD)

And I hope you like the Ben January books! I am completely gone for the characters, and I'm really in awe of how she handles the historical stuff -- she has to be walking on eggshells because of historical accuracy and sensitivity to the realities of the slavery-era South, and yet, her characters are constantly running around swashbuckling and bantering with each other, and she makes it look effortless. (Also, I want to see if your reaction to one character is the same as mine. It's rare that I've fallen this hard for a character in his very first appearance -- well, okay, maybe I shouldn't say that, since it happened with Tesla too, but, er. I'm just curious to find out if it's just me, or if he pushes your buttons too.)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, this is totally why I need to reread them - I started reading them when only the first 3 were out, so it was a fair bit back, don't remember all the details! But yeah, the fairies slowly coming round to Artemis - or Artemis coming round to actually having a heart, rather - very much eeee~~ ^^

Oh, now you've got me curious~! (I am almost positive, just from the comments you've made, that I'd love Tesla if ever I get around to watching Sanctuary - right now I seem to be in a books and animanga mood, but when I get back into TV...)

[sholio]

I really think that Tesla would be TOTALLY your kind of character. Actually, whenever you get in the mood for Western TV again, I can wholeheartedly endorse watching Sanctuary the way I did it: all the Tesla episodes first (IMDB is my friend!) and then going back to watch the rest of the series afterwards. Because when this show is bad, it's awful. XD And watching enough of the better episodes to get into it is a much better idea than trying to plow through the first half of season one.

[alessandriana.livejournal.com]

XD XD XD Aren't they awesome?? I've got the seventh sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me to read it, but it's been so long since I've read the others that I think I need to go back and read them first. Not that this is a chore, mind you. ;D

[sholio]

... wait, there are SEVEN?! I thought there were five! (I guess I just checked out all the ones in the library and because they have the newest, I assumed that all they had were all there are.) Does that mean I have more to look forward to?

They really are terribly fun! I was awfully worried that the above-mentioned spoiler in book 3 was going to reset everything to zero, but I'm about 2/3 through book 4 now, and not so much really. :D :D :D And they're very quick to read compared to a lot of what I've been reading lately, which makes them perfect to curl up with in the evening.

[alessandriana.livejournal.com]

Yup! XD The most recent (The Atlantis Complex) came out in July. Supposedly the eighth is going to be the last in the series, though. :\

[sholio]

I got Atlantis Complex from the library but didn't realize there were two more in between that and the one I'm reading right now! On the one hand, YAY - more books to read! On the other hand, OH NOES because now I need to hit the bookstore before I can read the next one. XD

[alessandriana.livejournal.com]

Haha, whoops? Well, I guess it's a really good thing you realized before starting it-- there's a LOT that happens in those two books!

[sholio]

Yeah, I'm glad you made that offhand mention of seven books, because I probably would have just picked it up and started reading, and been very confused. *g*

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

My eight year old loves those books. I've read weird little bits and pieces because she still likes to be read to at times, so I need to read them straight through at some point.

[sholio]

They're awfully fun! I think they might be more fun in order because the characters do grow and change and mature, which is something that I was not expecting in a series this escapist and loopy. And yet, they do. *g*

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I really liked the disparate parts I was exposed to, so it's good to know there's even more complexity than I may have envisioned. I love the L.E.P Recon. Like a lot.

[arnie1967.livejournal.com]

I love the Artemis Fowl books! He's such a character, and it's great to see the way he grows and changes...while still being a criminal mastermind.

Have fun reading!

[sholio]

I know; it's really delightful seeing him start to figure out that his actions have consequences, that people he cares about can get hurt or killed because of his escapades, and adjusts his behavior accordingly. And yet, he's still a bit of a scoundrel, at least in that he needs intellectual challenges and likes finding them on the wrong side of the law.

[snarkydame.livejournal.com]

See now, with both you and xparrot recommending them, I pretty much have to give them a go, don't I? Not that I'm complaining, since that sound fun. :D

[sholio]

Hee! And naye liked them too, so it's a trifecta. *g* They are really VERY fun; I'm quite hooked, and sad that I'm almost out of them.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Oh, see, I came for the Helen vid and stayed for the Tesla vid and then you started talking about Artemis Fowl so here I am again.

I had a hard time getting into Book 1 -- liked Artemis, but bounced off the combination of fairies + super-advanced technology. However, a while later I was bored and felt like reading a series so I gave it another try starting with Book 2, and somewhere in the middle my brain went HOLLY/ARTEMIS OTP and ever since then I have been avidly reading the series for pretty much their relationship alone.

Which is, um, interesting seeing as Eoin Colfer obviously cares a great deal more about heists (which I do like, don't get me wrong) and explosions (which are certainly cool in moderation but get a little numbing after the 100th time) than he does about anything resembling romance, and there are a lot more people in the cast than just Holly and Artemis, and then there's that little matter of the sixty or seventy-year age gap, but NEVERTHELESS that's what I tuned in for and that's how I roll.

And now there is only one book left in the series and I am bouncing up and down impatiently muttering "Don't let me down, Eoin, I know you can make this work...!"

I know. I am entirely the wrong kind of fan. *facepalm*