ARTEMIS FOWL: THE ETERNITY CODE

By Eoin Colfer
Read by Nathaniel Parker
ISBN: 9781855490581

Bibliography:
Colfer, Eoin, and Nathaniel Parker. 2003. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code. Bath, England: Chivers Press.

Plot:
Artemis plans one last scheme before his father returns home and the family goes straight for good. In an attempt to con the shady businessman, John Spiro, everything goes wrong and Artemis’ loyal and trusted bodyguard, Butler, is killed. Artemis calls on the fairy world to help him save his companion and retrieve the C-Cube, which is a fairy technology unlike anything the human world has ever seen, from Spiro. During this adventure, Artemis learns that his schemes must come to an end so that those he loves will be not be harmed.

Analysis:
This audiobook version of The Eternity Code, which is read by Nathaniel Parker, is absolutely riveting and will keep listeners on the edge of their seats. Parker's assortment of voices along with their own special accents and dialects combined with his masterful use of inflection adds much dimension to this story. Listeners will relate to Artemis, the boy-genius and master schemer who is different from others his age. Colfer uses diary entries to reveal a deeper, more sensitive side of Artemis. In these entries Artemis describes meetings with his father and the promise to stay on a straight and narrow path upon his father's return.

Colfer's tale takes us on a journey that spans the globe and includes the underground world of the fairies. The theme of helping others is apparent as Artemis saves Butler and fights to recover the C-Cube from Spiro, which will protect the fairy world from being discovered by the humans. Colfer cleverly ends this story with Artemis undergoing a mindwipe which has deleted his memories of the whole adventure and every dealing with that of the fairy people, which perfectly sets the stage for the next sequel.

Review Excerpts:
Horn Book: "Artemis and Captain Holly Short are at it again, this time attempting to thwart the evil Spiro's theft of an ingenious device Artemis has designed that (inadvertently) puts the fairy world in danger. There's plenty of snappy dialogue and blow-by-blow fight scenes, but by the end the characters and story are right back where they started, which means that the next book in the series is completely free to do the same thing all over again."

Publisher's Weekly: "In the second and third books in the series about the 13-year-old criminal mastermind, he proves he has a heart after all (in the former), and, in the latter, craves one more adventure before he turns to the straight and narrow. "Rapid-fire dialogue and wise-acre humor ensure that readers will burn the midnight oil."

Connections:
*Other books in the series include:
#1 Artemis Fowl ISBN: 9781423105152
#2 The Arctic Incident ISBN: 9780786808557
#4 The Opal Deception ISBN: 9780786852895
#5 The Lost Colony ISBN: 9780786849598
#6 The Time Paradox ISBN: 9781423108368

*Check out the Artemis Fowl website: http://www.artemisfowl.com/