I just got back from 12 days of a Spanish immersion camp, and I grabbed this in an airport bookstore on the way home.
I ended up devouring it on the plane ride, so, lo and behold, I have a book to review the day I come home. (Or rather, three days after, due to ruthless procrastination.)
Let's see...
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Eoin Colfer must be some sort of savant. Seven full-length books in, and he still manages to weave a tale mostly exempt from the sequelitis and degenerative effects of an aging series.
"The Atlantis Complex" introduces a new piece to the jenga tower of criminal-mastermind-turned-do-gooder Artemis Fowl's life. Mental illness. Inevitable for a boy genius, really. Artemis' internal mental struggle sidelines him for the majority of the novel, letting the development of the other characters shine.
The antagonist in particular (a certain Turnball Root) is interesting to observe. He is motivated by revenge, fairly old hat in this series, but also by love. This is something new. This is the first time a Fowl villain (no pun intended) has had a motive stretching beyond the typical rage/vengeance/money spectrum.
Although Turnball's backstory removes any sympathy the reader might feel for his amorous motives, this could signal a trend away from the black-and-white conflicts that have characterized the Artemis Fowl series so far. That would be great fun to read, especially when combined with Artemis' increasing maturity, an underlying theme throughout the series.
Unfortunately, Colfer shifts his prose grayer with a certain amount of awkwardness. At times it feels as though the main characters are being neglected to pontificate on Turnball's ANGST. While discussion of the villain's character is certainly not a bad thing by itself, the balance of attention feels a little out of whack.
This book represents a tentative step in a new direction. I for one hope that Colfer keeps on walking. While the ranking of this book versus the other six is debatable, it definitely won't come in last.
Pick it up, all ye Colfer faithful.
Rating: 3.4/5
