Publisher: BBC WW
Audiobook (Unabridged): 8 Hours and 22 Minutes
Narrator: Nathaniel Parker
Author Website: http://www.eoincolfer.com/
Book Website: http://artemisfowl.com/
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy
First Line: Happy was not a word often used to describe Artemis Fowl's bodyguard.
One Word Review: Delightful
One Word Review: Delightful
In this fifth installment of the wildly popular and award winning series, Artemis Fowl sets out to save his fairy friends from being exposed to the human world. With former LEPRecon (cute, huh?) officer, Holly Short, and a few new friends at his side, he's battling time and demons all the while dealing with the onset of puberty.
First, let's discuss the book itself. As always, Eoin Colfer has created a wonderful mixture of action, suspense, humor, emotion, and techno-gadgets that captures the reader from the first page and carries him happily to the end. Having read all of the previous books, I won't say this one was my favorite - that honor goes to book #3, The Eternity Code, but it still left me feeling that Artemis isn't the only genius at work here. Not only has Mr. Colfer built a wonderfully believable alternate reality in which to set his stories, but he crafts his characters so well that they feel like friends. And, unlike some other series books I've read, the characters develop as the series moves forward. The relationships and the people / fairies themselves don't remain static but evolve as they should.
Moving on to the narration. I've been listening more and more to audiobooks on my iPod. It's so convenient to just plug up my headphones while I'm working and be entertained at the same time. Having experienced several different books over the past few months, I have come to the conclusion that all narrators are not created equal, and that they will, in turn, largely affect the listener's level of enjoyment. Even, I believe, the best possible books could be turned into an unpleasant experience. So, what do I think of the narration of The Lost Colony? In a word, brilliant. Nathaniel Parker is spectacular in this role. His narration is flawless, and he does each character's voice as it has always sounded in my head when I've read the books. It is audio theater at its finest.
The next Artemis Fowl is set to be released in a couple of weeks, and it looks to be just as fabulous as the previous books.
2 comments:
Hmm. I stopped reading the series around the Opal Deception, but maybe I should give them another chance.. I do so love the first few books!
I will say that The Opal Deception was my least favorite of the bunch. I'm not even sure I can point to anything specific that I didn't care for, but it just didn't spark for me the way the other books have. Lost Colony for me was quite a bit better than Opal - maybe not quite as good as the first 3 books, but still enjoyable.
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