Moving on through the collected works of Eoin Colfer

[sholio]

I have been reading SO MUCH the last few months. Almost a book a day. Well, a book every two or three days, at least. I keep meaning to make a post about the books I've read lately, but then I get distracted by another book instead. (Look! Shiny!)

Anyway, so I finished the Artemis Fowl series, which continues to push my buttons like whoa, and then, since I'm in the mood for YA now, moved on to another of Colfer's books, Half Moon Investigations. This one reads a little younger even than the AF series, but hits some of the same buttons -- one of Colfer's favorite themes is obviously "enemies are forced to work together and learn to see each other in a different light", which is fine with me, considering that it's one of mine too. :D In this case, the school nerd and the school bully/bad kid have to team up to solve a crime that implicates them both.

It was also apparently turned into a one-season BBC series. It's completely unavailable anywhere on this side of the pond, but someone uploaded it in chunks to Youtube ... and then Youtube, being Youtube, disabled the audio on some (but not most) of the installments. I discovered, though, that if you download them through something like keepvid, the audio works fine ... which hasn't been the case with some things I've tried it on in the past, but WHATEVER, Youtube. Anyway, it's rather adorable. I didn't watch tween shows even when I was a tween, but I guess I'm far enough past it now to view it as a peek into a different subculture rather than something that reminds me uncomfortably of memories I'd rather not recall. The kids are really cute and -- since both the book and the show are set in an Irish school -- the accents are nice to listen to. The show changes a few things, particularly the addition of a third major character, a girl reporter for the school paper who joins the boys in their adventures. I like her a lot, and it changes the dynamic of the show from "boys doing stuff" to "group of kid friends palling around together", which I like. The show is also a lot fluffier than the book (which is -- not surprisingly for Eoin Colfer -- pretty dark and violent in places).

It's not fantastic quality TV, but it's very cute.

You can find it by searching "half moon investigations" on Youtube if you're interested. The first two parts are audio-disabled (though, like I said, you can get around it if you want) and then it works fine on part 3, which is the last third of the first episode.

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Comments

[neonhummingbird.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips -- I enjoyed the book, so I'll have to check this out. :)

[sholio]

It's really fun seeing the TV versions of Fletcher, Red, the Pinks and so forth. :D I think my only complaint is that they make Red a bit more of a dumb jock in the TV show -- he's a lot sharper in the book -- but it's neat to see live-action versions of them all and new plotlines for them.

[trobadora]

one of Colfer's favorite themes is obviously "enemies are forced to work together and learn to see each other in a different light"

... and now I must go and put those books on my to-read list. *g*

[sholio]

It's a direct line to my id, that's for sure. :D And Colfer is pretty good at pressing those buttons, though in a YA kind of way.

[trobadora]

Yeah, I don't know if he'll hit my buttons in the right way, but at least they're the right buttons! It's definitely a start. :D

(And I love it when you talk about books and TV because I can always trust you to mention these things.)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I've given AF another chance and, yes, I can definitely see the appeal :D I probably would have liked them sooner had I read beyond book one, but it had been one of those situations where book one left me less than impressed and lacking any desire to continue on. That's the problem with a series of any kind: it could be the most awesome thing in the world but if that first book/episode doesn't hook you (or if it chases you off completely, then the awesomeness will never be known.

[sholio]

Yeah; I'm glad I read the first few books of AF quickly, because the first one didn't really hook me but the second one did. It's a very tricky balance, because you want your first book/issue/episode to introduce all the major characters and themes, but the good stuff doesn't tend to happen until you get everything established and up to speed. I know that I've been turned off by first books/first episodes, only to go back later and find that I liked subsequent ones much better. (SGA is an example of that, actually.)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Ah, I definitely have to check out Colfer's other stuff! Someone on my flist recced a couple more to me as well that sounded intriguing...

[sholio]

I'm definitely going back to the library in a day or two to see if they have more of his books! I'm glad I read AF before I read this book, because this one is very YA-ish in a way that the AF series never really struck me, but it definitely found my happy buttons. If this is a recurring theme with him, I will be SO there for everything he writes. :D

[rissabby.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to let you know that I decided to start reading the Artemis Fowl books because of your enthusiasm for them. I'm only a couple chapters in, but so far I'm pleased with it.

[sholio]

Oh, wonderful! :) I'm glad you're enjoying so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy them -- personally I think they just keep getting better, as the characters get deeper and richer and more complex, and the stakes get higher from book to book.

[horridporrid.livejournal.com]

I have got to join our local library. I haven't read anything substantial (something beyond the odd ficlet or magazine article) in way, way, too long.

You're influencing me in a good way! :D

[sholio]

Hee! I'm such an unrepentant book evangelist; I love talking about books, and pushing my favorite books on my friends. :D