Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl , hero (or anti-hero!) of the Eoin Colfer series, marks another pillar in the resurgence of enchantment that has hit our bookstores in the last few years. The books are, of course, a romping read for sheer thrills, laughs and fast-paced entertainment. But I believe there is more to them than this.

I lived for many years in the Czech Republic, a country first settled many centuries ago by Celtic people, who share a love of poetry, music and fairy lore to this day. Like the Irish, the Czechs have never banished the fairy world of enchantment, but let it flourish in their mainstream culture.

It has been argued that the concept of childhood is a construction of the industrial age. If that is so, then the post-industrial age is witnessing a breakdown of the boundaries between the conceptual worlds of childhood and adulthood, which were largely erected to outlaw the fantasy and creativity that might have threatened the industrial work ethic. The price we paid for that banishment was a life that was colourless and wits that became dull. Most worryingly of all, we lost our competitive edge in the marketplace (the ultimate horror).

Surely it is no coincidence, then, that the ancient archetypes of the Magician and the Joker have resurfaced in our culture, accompanied by a resurgence in book-reading as such, to remind us that creativity and inventiveness are keys to our deepest natures, as well as to our survival.

The cocky, infuriating, complex genius that is Artemis Fowl embodies a facet of these ancient archetypes, a character poised between hero and anti-hero, between the Seen and the Unseen. A feast, a delight, for old and young alike in a setting where magic has hard-nosed method, and technology weaves spells. Keep it up Mr Colfer, we love it!

The Artemis Fowl books are published by Puffin

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