Book Magazine Best Book of the Year 2002

The world's youngest, brightest, and most dangerous criminal mastermind returns. In his second adventure, Artemis is at boarding school in Ireland, when he suddenly receives an urgent video e-mail from Russia. In it is a plea from a man who has been kidnapped by the Russian mafia — a man Artemis had never thought he would see again: his beloved father. As Artemis rushes to the freezing Arctic Circle to rescue his father, he is stopped by a familiar nemesis, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police. But this time, instead of battling them, he?ll have to join forces with Holly, Commander Root, Mulch and the rest to save one of the few people in the world whom he loves.

This hugely anticipated follow-up to the international best-seller Artemis Fowl takes readers on another thrilling interspecies adventure full of magic, humor, and heart.

"Rocketing readers back into a world of modern fairies (they pack heat and wear motorized wings), Colfer here reunites 13-year-old antihero Artemis with his former kidnap victim, Captain Holly Short, an elf officer with the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance) squad. As the erstwhile arch enemies join forces to squelch a power-hungry pixie's coup attempt in one world and to rescue Artemis's long-missing father in another (he's being held for ransom by the Russian Mafia), the boy proves he has a heart after all, even as he builds his reputation as a world-class criminal mastermind. Once again, the roller coaster of a plot introduces a host of high jinks and high-tech weaponry as Colfer blends derring-do with snappy prose ("The broad grin disappeared like a fox down a hole") and repartee ("Hey, Mulch, if you listen really hard you can just about make out the sound of nobody giving a hoot"). The resulting fantasy hosts memorable characters, many of whom (such as the flatulent dwarf Mulch Diggums) reprise roles that helped attract fans to the first adventure. The author ratchets up the body count in this return engagement (perhaps too steeply for some tastes), and the high-concept premise may be a tad slick for others, but Colfer's finger is firmly on the pulse of his target market, and along with extra helpings of sly humor ("The sprite's breathing calmed, and a healthy green tinge started to return to his cheeks") he delivers a cracking good read." Publishers Weekly

"Colfer has done enormously, explosively well." The New York Times Book Review

"The world that Colfer creates is as vivid and fantastical as any shire, gotham, or galaxy far, far away in recent memory. (Grade: A-)" Entertainment Weekly

"He can tell a story...Colfer offers some nice riffs in terms of creating a magical subworld of trolls, dwarfs and centaurs..." USA Today

"Artemis Fowl will spellbind children and adults alike." Chicago Tribune

"This is a raucous romp through...Eoin Colfer's imaginative world." BookPage

The #1 New York Times bestseller — and second in Colfer's Artemis Fowl series — is now available in paperback.

Eoin (pronounced "Owen") Colfer is a former elementary-school teacher. He has written a number of best-sellers in Ireland, including Benny and Omar and The Wish List. Artemis Fowl was his first book to be published in the United States.