Final instalment in Artemis Fowl series lacks depth of others

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Eoin Colfer (CP)

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This is the eighth and final instalment in Irish writer Eoin Colfer's bestselling Artemis Fowl series of science fiction/fantasy novels.

Although the fast-moving action sequences in The Last Guardian make for a superficially satisfying finale, even longtime fans of the series may be disappointed with the lack of depth in both plot and character development.

In the world of Artemis Fowl, an entire civilization of magical and technologically superior creatures exists beneath the Earth's surface. These reimagined mythical creatures, known collectively as "fairies," were safely hidden from human view until adolescent super-genius Artemis Fowl unearthed their existence in the first book of the series.

Eoin Colfer (his first name is pronounced "Owen") hails from Wexford, Ireland, as does his title character and protagonist. When the series began in 2001, Artemis was a well-developed anti-hero who struggled with the morality of exploiting the fairies in order to restore his family's fortune.

That element of inner turmoil is gone, leaving only a smug, wisecracking teenager who uses big words.

The new Artemis may seem to readers like a slightly more irritating, less clever version of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man character, Tony Stark.

Compared to the more complicated story arcs of previous instalments, the conflict in The Last Guardian is fairly black and white, even generic: an evil terrorist is threatening to take over the world by unleashing an ancient and mighty power on any who oppose her, and the heroes are the only ones who can foil her plan.

In spite of the title character's blandness, some of the dialogue in The Last Guardian is fast-paced and witty. The banter between Artemis and his bodyguard, Butler, is biting and clever.

The dwarf Mulch Diggums possesses an especially charming self-absorption in spite of his egregiously unimaginative name -- Colfer's dwarfs have the ability to rapidly dig through the ground by eating and instantly digesting dirt.

When Artemis first encounters Mulch in The Last Guardian, he accuses the dwarf of "lurking" in order to steal the Fowls' valuables.

Mulch replies, "Lurking is not a nice word. Makes me sound like a sea serpent. I like to think I was hiding in the shadows. Cool, like a cat burglar."

"You eat cats, Mulch."

All the series' main characters are here: Holly Short, the fiercely independent elf police captain; Butler, Artemis's supremely capable bodyguard; and Foaly, the technologically brilliant centaur who is a constant source of amusing wisecracks.

Told his security machine is a dummy, Foaly says, "Yes. Absolutely. I will have it disassembled immediately and reassembled as a toaster."

One of the main reasons series such as Harry Potter succeed is that the writing style and content progress with the young fans as they mature.

This development is neglected in the Artemis Fowl series. Instead, all eight books of the series target the same early-teenage audience, despite being released over a period of 11 years.

This has never been more obvious than in The Last Guardian, where not only have the narrative style and characters remained static, but the content makes it seem as though Colfer has run out of interesting ideas.

Wes Rambo is a voice student at the University of Manitoba's Marcel A. Desautels faculty of music.

Artemis Fowl

The Last Guardian

By Eoin Colfer

Disney Hyperion Books, 328 pages, $21

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 4, 2012 J9