The Artemis Fowl series is one of my favorite YA series, and as I re-read this, I continued to enjoy the clever plot, unexpected twists, multi-faceted characters, and witty dialogue. It is the sci-fi/fantasy story of the young criminal mastermind, Artemis Fowl, and how he plans to restore his family's fortune by kidnapping, holding for ransom, and ultimately outwitting fairies.Although this first book in the series is so essential, as it sets everything in motion, after this re-read, I'm fairly certain it's not my favorite of the series. In this one, there is no clear hero, just two rather prejudiced sides fighting against one another, and the resolution is equally ambiguous -- there seems to be no clear winner and loser. I was also a bit taken aback by the difficult vocabulary, much higher-level than I would expect from middle school students, to whom this book is geared.Despite these flaws, Colfer sets the reader up for an adventurous ride in which modern technology meets mythical magic, resulting in an intelligent, high-intensity story that stretches the reader's logic and imagination.
