Independent+Novel+Study


 * Eddy Wang**

** Artemis Fowl **

//** My Response: **//

Artemis Fowl is an insanely popular franchise written by Eoin Colfer; upon reading the first 60 pages, I now understand why people like this series so much. Artemis the Second is an amazing character, he has a lot of background, and he’s extremely interesting. Not only that, but the narrator (who narrates the story) is no slop either. With this combination, you have a duo of potential and a very solid book. However, I noticed a huge decrease in quality once we got into chapter three. Eoin decided to switch from the interesting Artemis Fowl, to the bland and boring Holly Short. I mean 10 years ago (when this book was first published), Holly might have been an interesting character, but now, she is so bland that I found it to be a nuisance to read the chapter. I understand that Colfer is trying to make the book have more variety by adding more characters in it; however, I feel as though, having the whole story through Artemis’s perspective would make the book a lot better.


 * // #3. What has happened before the novel began? // **

So apparently, before the story begins, Artemis Fowl’s dad disappears and Artemis’s mom is suffering from nervous tension. Artemis’s dad, however, messed up in his investments and now the Fowl family are no longer billionaires, but simple millionaires. Artemis is trying to restore his family’s former glory by searching for fairies and stealing their gold(which, if you haven’t figured out yet, is extremely rare).

//** #7. What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character? **//

The initial problem faced by Artemis is his mother with nervous tension. The thing is, his main quest is to hunt down a fairy and use it as ransom to gain his family’s fortune back. However, he’s the one knocking, he’s the one who is hunting down fairies, and he’s the one starting the conflict. And since the fairies don’t know of his plan yet, everything he’s doing to achieve his goal is coming out mile house. His mother, on the other hand, is not in a good situation; she is in deep pain, waiting for her husband to come back, and she can barely remember anything. She even told Artemis that he wasn’t her son (two seconds ago, she told him to give mommy a hug). You can see how depressing it is for Artemis to have a mom like that (even though he gets a lot of freedom).

Just look at this quote: “And stop calling me Mother. I don’t know who you are, but you’re certainly not my little Arty.”  “Artemis blinked back a few rebellious tears.”  “Of course. Sorry,Moth---Sorry.”

//** #4. What's going on as the story begins? **//

At the beginning of the book, Artemis and his ‘sidekick’ Butler are talking to Mister Xuan. Xuan claims he knows where a fairy is and shows Artemis the location and Artemis confirms it’s a fairy. The fairy seems to have an addiction to alcohol, Artemis uses this to his advantage and tricks the fairy into giving him the fairy ‘bible’ (called the Book) for thirty minutes. In that time span, he takes a picture of each page and sends it off to his headquarters for analysis.

// ** What I rate the first four chapters ** //

The first three chapters are timeless classics, however the fourth one seems to me like a generic sci-fi book. Therefore, I give these first four chapters a 7.5/10. That’s pretty good; I mean, I would’ve preferred Colfer to make Holly more interesting, but other than that, I’ve got what I expected.



** Eddy Wang ** ** Artemis Fowl ** ** By: Eoin Colfer ** ** December 9, 2011 ** ** Page 63 – 160 (Chapter 4 - 6) **

** My Response: **

 Chapters 4-6 is a huge improvement from the first three chapters. This is the part of the story that belongs in the “rising action” part of a novel’s structure. In fact, chapter 6 ends with the author foreshadowing that the fairies are going to break the rules to save Holly. This brings me to my next point, Holly is a lot more dynamic in these chapters; potentially exposing your whole race to humans and starting a war really changes people(erm, fairies)! As well, she doesn’t have as much screen time; instead, we get treated with the interesting (and rage flustering) Commander Root. Root is a lot more interesting, he may not have as much depth, but he makes up for it by being a really solid character. Overall, I really enjoyed this section of the book, there was a lot of action and I liked how it portrayed its characters; I cannot wait for the climax of the novel!

** 2. What information did you need to know before reading the novel? **

 You need to know that the book isn’t narrated by any of the characters, but by the author himself. There is also one very important aspect you need to know about Artemis’s character: he has the soul of a child and the brain of an adult. This means that he still contains the innocence of being a child, but at the same time, has the manipulative properties of an adult. Knowing this, you can understand a lot of his decisions he makes during the novel and you can see his main weakness: he’s a child, this makes him vulnerable to deception.

** 9. What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses? **

 The original problem is Artemis’s Mom’s condition. Over the novel, the problem gets worse. In fact, it’s nearing its peak right now. At first, Artemis’s Mom does not recognize her own son, but now, she goes insane. She claims that her husband has come back, and when Artemis comes in to see what’s going on, he sees a rag-doll of his father. Artemis’s Mom built it and is acting like her husband is back. She is talking to it, and then, she pretends that she is her husband and responds to herself. It’s extremely depressing; she even calls Artemis her grandfather and ask Artemis to let her husband and herself take the day off.

 “ The clothes were padded with tissue, and atop a dress shirt was a stuffed pillowcase with lipstick features. It was almost funny. Artemis choked back a sob, his hopes vanishing like a summer rainbow.”

 *NOTE: I AM COMPLETELY neglecting the fact that the LEP are about to break the rules. Why? Because they have not broken the rules and nothing has happened to Artemis yet. This means that, to Artemis, everything is still coming out mile house.

** 15. Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose? **

 There were several minor characters introduced, however, they serve no purpose to the plot and are filler, so I will not count them.

 Ragdoll Timmy (Artemis’s Father) is introduced; his purpose is to emphasis how serious Artemis’s Mother’s condition is.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 105%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Cudgeon is introduced; his purpose is to use the bio-bomb on Artemis’s house when forced to. The bio-bomb is, as the name states, a very powerful bomb. Nothing can escape its reach, not even creatures like rats. Cudgeon also is introduced to show another perspective on fairies; he is crazy, he has no remorse and will blow up anything when given a cue. He shows us that fairies are not always good, and there are plentiful heart-less fairies out there.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 105%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Juliet is introduced; her purpose is to take care of Holly while she is in captivity. She is also here to help us learn more about Holly and how she’s feeling.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 105%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **My Review:**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 105%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I give these chapters a 8 out of 10. These chapters were really good, but I felt as if it was leading to something; therefore weakening the section. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 105%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">** Eddy Wang ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ** Artemis Fowl ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ** By: Eoin Colfer ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ** December 15, 2011 ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ** Page 161 – 200 (Chapter 7) **

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Response: **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Chapter 7 is by far the best chapter; this is because we get introduced to Mulch, one of the best characters in the whole book, and the fact that we get to see Artemis get stumped. Mulch provides the humorous comical relief Commander Root failed to provide. You can really sympathizes for the guy; he’s a good fairy who is always in the wrong places. Artemis getting stumped is another reason why this chapter is so good, it gets boring seeing Artemis win all the time, so the face he makes when he realized he got bested makes any reader smile. Overall, this chapter was the best in the book, and I am surprised if chapter 8 surpasses it.

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">8. How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest? **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> You see, the premise of the story automatically holds your interest. It's about a TWELVE year old kid vs. a race of fairies with a massive military arsenal. How could one not be interested in that? The amount of action that happens during the story is the perfect amount. It’s not too little (making the story boring), but it’s also not too much (overwhelming the reader), with this amount of action, any reader would want to read on. As well, Colfer introduces new characters once in a while to progress the story and keep it interesting. Most of the characters he introduces are very intriguing and it makes the reader eager to learn more about said characters.

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why? **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Most of the story takes place in Artemis’s Manor; occasionally, it will cut to another location (usually Haven City), but the majority of the story occurs in an eight hour period in Artemis’s Manor. The mood of the story varies from a funny story, to a sad story, to an action story. It can go from

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "Butler could kill you a hundred different ways without use of his armoury. Though I'm sure one would be quite sufficient." *in a serious tone*

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Maybe the big baby would like to suck his thumb for comfort." *in a silly voice*.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> However, just because the book gives several different moods, doesn’t mean there isn’t a predominant one; the most common mood gives off a fantasy/action feel. The setting is important, it cannot be set any place else. This is because if you set it in another location, it would get rid of a lot of symbolism and key plot points in the novel. The book is in Artemis’s Manor because it gives the feeling that Artemis is one step ahead of his opposition(which is one of the key aspects of the story). As well, if it was in another location, the Artemis’s mom plot point and the bio-bomb plot point would be removed (both are important symbolism and are required for the plot). Without these aspects, the book would not be as good and it would have less of an impact.

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Why did you select this novel? **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> To be honest, I selected this novel to see what the hype was about. In a lot of places on the Internet, this book has been getting tremendous <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px;">amounts of praise, so when it was offered as a choice for our independent novel studies, I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I had a hard choice choosing between it, "The Hobbit" and "Gone with The Wind"; however, Artemis Fowl gave a fantasy-esque feeling that reminded me of the series "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" (I loved that book series). Because of the feeling it gave, I went with Artemis Fowl as my novel study book.

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do I give it? **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I give this chapter a 9.5/10; it was really interesting and offered some nice comical relief with Mulch. This is the best chapter in the book so far, and 95% is really high in my standards. **-** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Eddy Wang ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Artemis Fowl ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By: Eoin Colfer ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">January 6th, 2012 ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Page 201 – 239 (Chapter 8) **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **My response:**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Chapter eight was a good chapter, it wasn’t as good as chapter seven, but it was better than the first four chapters. It focuses on the battle with a troll and only gets good at the end. I did enjoy it, we get to see nice character development for Butler. This chapter feels like it’s fitting the pieces of a puzzle together for the final chapter. That being said, I am pumped for the final chapter, Ace in The Hole.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **18. What were the major things that helped to resolve the plot?**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Major things that helped to resolve the plot (which are in this section exclusively) include Butler dominating the troll and Cudgeon having his plan ruined. Bulter beating the troll initiated the end sequence of the book; Root has no choice but to give Artemis the money and then bio-bomb the place. At the same time, Bulter destroying the troll gives the whole fairy race some respect for human beings. This point may not be influential now, but sooner or later, it will hold significant importance. Cudgeon having his plan ruined means that the sub-story of disloyalty between Cudgeon and Root is now over (seeing as Cudgeon’s one chance for getting a promotion failed and has had tremendous consequences).

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **14. Is there a message or main theme emerging in the book? How is it shown?**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In this chapter, the main theme of the book starts to emerge (and it will be at full throttle by the end of the novel). The main theme of Artemis Fowl is the fight between what one thinks they are and who they actually are. In this book, small decisions have huge impacts; there are no “pointless” decisions in this book, each choice affects the path the character takes. Artemis wants to be the “bad guy”, but in reality, he’s too innocent to do so. Root acts as though he’s the good guy, but by the end, he is <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">constantly <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">talking about using a bio-bomb on a 12 year old’s manor with innocent people in it. The characters are trying to force themselves to be who they see themselves as, thus, by the end, everything is counter-productive and they are not who they think they are, but who they actually are. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **21. Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend?**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I would recommend this novel to a friend, even though it isn’t the best book, it is a good novel. Colfer crafts a clever, interesting and genius story in a magnificent setting. The use of poetic devices is very minimalistic, but that’s a good thing because Colfer only uses them when it actually is of relevance. This book is a real nice action book that is a great read on Friday night, one is probably not going to spend hours analysing it like some books, but one would enjoy the time they would have with it.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **What do I give this chapter:** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 4 out of 5.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Not as good as chapter 7, but it certainly wasn’t sloppy, it would be ranked much lower if it didn’t have the best chapter ending in the entire book. - <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;">** Eddy Wang ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** Artemis Fowl ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** By: Eoin Colfer ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** January 13th, 2012 (how unlucky) ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** Page 240 – 277 (Chapter 9) **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** My Response: **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Wow, I thought chapter 7 was going to be better than the end; I was wrong. Chapter 9 is simply brilliant, the characters got such good development, especially Artemis, and the way Eoin ended the book was just so satisfying. Chapter 9 is easily the most entertaining chapter in the whole novel.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** 16. What is the climax of the novel? **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The climax of the novel is when Artemis and his gang attempt to escape the bio-bomb. It is the final showdown, whether they escape or not decides the direction of the story. If Artemis escapes, he gets the gold and the story can end from there. If he fails to escape, Artemis, Butler and Juliet all die and the fairies get to keep their gold for the cost of an innocent girl’s life (Juliet). The amount of importance Colfer puts in this scene makes it the climax of the book.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** 10. What plot twists or unexpected events happen as the novel goes on? **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> There is a major plot twist around the half-way point in chapter nine. Artemis gets his gold and he gets to bask in the glory of it for the first time. When he sees it, he realizes he doesn’t need that much gold. He makes a deal with Holly, giving her half of his money in exchange for making his mother well again. Artemis, who worked extremely hard all throughout the book to get that gold, simply gave it away for the well-being of another person (his mother). You wouldn’t expect that out of him, however, if you look at it more closely, it does make sense. All throughout the book, Artemis was trying to hold back his childish, innocent side to try and be his adult, evil side. At the end, he simply could not do it and uses his winnings for good.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** 22. Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations? **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This novel successfully met my expectations, I came for a Percy Jackson-esque book and I got it. There was enough action, plot-development and entertainment to meet my expectations. The way Colfer dealt with Artemis and the relationship with his mother exceeded my expectations and Artemis, in general, is simply one of the best characters in pop-culture. There isn’t much wrong with the book, except the slow beginning, but that is forgivable because of the amazing ending.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times; font-size: 110%;"> ** My Review **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 5/5, the best chapter in the book and one of the most satisfying endings out there. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Eddy Wang - Block 4 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-

**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Artemis Fowl- Assignment Two: Plot **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Artemis Fowl is about a child prodigy named, you guessed it, Artemis Fowl, who wants to take fairy gold from fairies (who are not as friendly as you think). The story is basically about him attempting (spoiler alert: and succeeding) to do so. The title of the book does not have any thematic importance; it relates to the book very clearly, for the title of the book is the name of the protagonist. There is nothing wrong with a simple title, several of the best books of all time had very basic titles.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Most of the story takes place in Artemis Fowl’s manor and Haven City, during an 8 hour time period. The narrator of the story is an unknown fairy reviewing Fowl’s case file. Interestingly enough, one does not find this out until the end of the book, most would assume that the story is narrated by the author because of how neutral the narrator is.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The central conflict of the novel is Man vs Man, Artemis vs Commander Root. Commander Root is fighting Artemis to get Captain Holly back and Artemis is demanding money from the fairies (he’s bargaining with Commander Root). There is also a Man vs Himself conflict within the book, Artemis child side is fighting his corrupt side. The climax of the book is when Artemis and his crew are about to escape the bio-bomb. This wouldn’t be the climax if it was mentioned two of three times, but because of the sheer amount of times the bio-bomb plot-device has been mentioned, it is clearly the climax. It is resolved when Artemis and his crew successfully escape the bio-bomb. Since they survived the bio-bomb, Artemis and friends can keep the money they’ve gotten and everything is coming out mill-house(until the next 9 books).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I enjoyed the plot; Artemis is such a solid, clever and brilliant character and he offers a lot of interesting plot-twist and plot-devices which made the novel a lot more enjoyable. The plot moved at a good pace, nothing seemed rushed and very few scenes were dragged on. As well, I can clearly see that Eoin Colfer put a lot of effort in making the plot interesting as well as clever.

media type="custom" key="12102527"