This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the Artemis Fowl series, specifically The Fowl Twins & Deny All Charges, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT
Irish twins Myles and Beckett, Artemis Fowl's younger brothers, return in their third and most bizarre adventure yet.
For almost two years, Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye, the Duke of Scilly, has been plotting revenge against the Fowl Twins, who humiliated him in Book One. Teddy plans to give them exactly what they deserve: permanent death.
He threatens Myles with his weaponized jet and Beckett and Specialist Lazuli succeed in disarming the aircraft and causing an accident that kills the duke. But does it really?
Ghosts, clones, and fairy magic come to play in this ultimate and ridiculous showdown between the twins and their worst enemy.
Being a long-time fan of Colfer and his Fowl series, it was a no-brainer to see this was coming out and immediately know I had to read it. Actually, the only reason I didn't read this book sooner was that the release of the book was a bit...off. For some reason, the book was scheduled for release in October 2021, but all that became available was the audiobook. Then, when the text versions released a month later, my library got the physical book but not the ebook. Well, I finally decided I was through with waiting, picked up the previous books for recollection's sake, and was ready to see just what Lord Teddy had in store for our favorite twins.
Touching first on Lord Teddy, I was thrilled to hear he'd be coming back for this story, and he did not disappoint. While one could argue that he was technically in the 2nd book, his presence as the main antagonist was sorely missed. Now that he's back and out for a proper revenge, he was a joy to follow and root against. His warped sense of honor, his penchant for convoluted schemes and dramatic reveals, and his maniacal flair all combine to make him one of my absolute favorite villains. I mean, I know of Opal from Artemis's books, I remember things she did, but I can't honestly say I remember her character. Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye will definitely be someone I remember for his character, as well as his actions.
But, of course, a villain is only as good as his foils, and in this the Fowl twins certainly have risen to the occasion. Myles has his own flair for the dramatic, loving to get the last word and show off his own schemes whenever possible, but (as with Artemis's 3rd adventure before him) it seems that he may have bitten off more than he could chew this time. I loved seeing Myles get a taste of humble pie in this story, not only as his own meddlings backfired, but as new revelations showed him tools other than just his brain at his disposal. Even as one of our heroes, nobody likes a know-it-all, so it was oh so satisfying seeing him in new confuddling situations.
Likewise it was great seeing Beckett being let to explore some of his own thoughts. Being the 'action twin', he's often tethered to another of the team, allowing someone else to plan or provide witty banter while he goes in for the cluster punches or acrobatic stunts. But this time he's left to devise his own plans, conduct his own conversations, and really grow into his own character. Instead of simply being the twin who does things or who provides comic relief through inane babbling, he's actually experiencing new emotions and responsibilities and growing through them. Sure, he's still a goofball and definitely non-traditional in his thought-processes, but that's loads better than before where I'd just assumed he was banking on dumb luck. Now, I daresay, I think I could enjoy a Beckett solo story!
Speaking of solo stories, Lazuli got a bit of her own during this book. I didn't mind the concept of it, her looking into finding her birth parents, but I did think it kinda came out of nowhere. Sure, we know that she was abandoned and raised at an orphanage from when we first meet her, but actually wanting to hunt down her parents has never come up before this instant, and for her to profess that, "the only thing that means more to me than my future is my past" is a bit melodramatic for what I thought we knew of her.
I was also a bit distracted in Lazuli's story by a returning character who, I'm sorry to say, I don't remember as well as I would have liked. Perhaps younger minds will remember her better, but I found my mind wandering, searching for memories of her throughout her entire time in the story. Then again, perhaps that's just another reason to go back to the beginning...
Another thing that had me distracted was some of the so-called science involved in this story. I realize that there's a lot of magic that goes into even the most science-y of Myles's experiments, but when you specifically have an experiment that targets the eyes, I don't know why ears are also affected. Heck, I could even buy that the brain is compensating for what the eyes are seeing so that characters are able to hear things, too. But I don't understand how characters are able to hear things before seeing them if the eyes are the targeted organ. I know, I know, I'm being way too pedantic about a kids book where magic and untested experimentation is involved, but it just rubbed me the wrong way to have this experiment focused on eyes alone (with freaking injections!!!) but have ears be the initial observable change.
And I know that was all very vague, but I didn't read the entire summary before reading, so I won't spoil things for those who may yet decide to read this. You'll know once you've read it.
In the same vein of subtlety, I don't know the best way to introduce my favorite quote of the story...but I'm going to do it anyway. There's a point in the story where a female character finds herself in an unfamiliar body:
"You must think me strange, too. A princess who walks, talks, and speaks like a duke."Thank you for this, Mr. Colfer. It brought a tear to my eye to see, if not literal trans representation, then at least verbal trans support.
[...] [Beckett replies:] "Maybe people would think you strange back in the olden days, but kids these days don't care about stuff like insides and outsides matching. [...] Anyway, as far as I can tell, no one's insides match their outsides, and anyone who says they do is pretending." [pg 248]
And as for that ending, I think it was serviceable for the book, but definitely not the series. There are still way too many loose ends to be tied up, despite Lazuli's, Whistleblower's and Teddy's stories getting some resolution. So, if the chatter that this is the final book of the series turns out to be true, I will be sorely disappointed. And it's not just me not wanting the story to end yet—what about the promised return of the special agent from Book 1, or the new magic theories Myles just concocted? It may be "completing a trilogy," but I trust, as with The Eternity Code before, we haven't seen the last of these Fowls yet.
Overall, this was a welcome addition to the Fowl legacy. Filled to bursting with wacky hijinks, witty banter, magical spectacle, and dramatic schemes, with a sprinkling of logic, heartfelt moments, and laughter of both evil and joyous varieties, I have no misgivings recommending this to readers both young and young-at-heart. After all, we all need a fun pick-me-up now and again, and there's plenty of wit and cleverness woven into these Fowl tales. And though there's still a little confusion as to whether this series will continue forward, I know I'll definitely be returning to the world of the Fowls in the future—one way or another!
Read by Nathaniel Parker
Unabridged Length: 9.3 Hours
Listened at 2.25x Speed
Unabridged Length: 9.3 Hours
Listened at 2.25x Speed
Not much to say on this that I haven't said before.
Mr. Parker delivered another stellar performance with a good range of voices both familiar and new. Some of Teddy's family members did sound perhaps a bit too familiar, but I can forgive that since I imagine they wanted them to sound similar to one another, and they were still easy to differentiate with context. I also noticed this narration took a bit of a slower pace, which prompted my increased listening speed. It wasn't too distracting, mostly some longer-than-normal pauses at the ends of sentences, and otherwise I found his delivery as good as ever.
Overall, another entertaining entry in a fun and fantastic series. I think these audiobooks would make for great car trips, with plenty of humor and silly voices to keep younger kids entertained but still emphasizing wit and logic to keep older folks from going mad. Or, like me, you can enjoy them without the kids. A fun pick-me-up to balance out the darker fare, I look forward to future returns to this series and getting to hear more from Mr. Parker.
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