What an ending…It’s not very often an author can write an ending to a series that is simultaneously powerful and lackluster. Perhaps when I re-read this series I won’t think this (similar to how I was not impressed with Rowling’s inclusion of an epilogue 19 years later), but I’m not sure. There were good and bad parts to The Last Guardian, but honestly, I’m still digesting this book. I read it in less than 12 hours (had to get some sleep didn’t I?), but I’m not sure that was a good thing.
In this, the final installment of the Artemis Fowl series, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. However, I can’t say why. There wasn’t as much hype, for me, as there was in either Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle or Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I think it has to do with the fact that the books within this series have really been hit or miss, and maybe even that I didn’t read them when they were first coming out and I was younger. I did review all the other books on this blog (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7), and perhaps my lack of WOW for this book is because I didn’t re-read the prequels before I read this, the final.
The story itself is gripping and well written, but it doesn’t show off the Colfer’s strengths which make some of the other novels in this series wonderful! There aren’t as many awesome new words thrown out there and although he does, once again, show his amazing Irish history, it doesn’t seem as in-depth or as powerful as in previous installments. If there’s one critique that has stuck with the last 3-4 novels of the series its that they seem disjointed. The last few are completely taken from a small fact or non-entity briefly mentioned in another novel and then brought into life into a complete novel on their own. This definitely made me wonder if the last few novels were more for the public and for income rather than for the sake of telling the rest of the story.
Recommendation: Although I was disappointed, it was a good story and the characters were great. I’m not sure the ending is definitely the end, but if he never wrote another Artemis Fowl novel I feel he wrapped up things nicely. Definitely read it if you’ve read the other seven books.
Opening Line: “The Berserkers lay arranged in a spiral under the rune stone, looping down into the earth—boots out, heads in, as the spell demanded.”
Closing Line: “‘Important to the plan…'” (Whited out.)
I remember I stopped reading the Artemis Fowl series precisely because they started to get more and more…meh. The first was great children’s fiction, the second was even better. And then they started to drift away from that style that managed to by simultaneously gripping, touching, and hilarious.
Now that the series is over, I might go back and reread them. But I completely agree with you on the previous in the series.
Thanks for stopping by, and for leaving a comment!
I almost didn’t read this last one for that reason, but I had to finish the series. The last two books probably could’ve been combined into one book and like I say above, I was sad that what was great about the first books (the language, the places) was missing from this last book.
I stopped reading at the fourth book. I remember being really disappointed that Colfer continued beyond the original trilogy (I think I was annoyed that Butler wasn’t actually dead/was brought back to life).
That being said, I’ve always wanted to reread the books. I loved that there were codes on the bottom of the pages (not that I ever tried to crack them), the characters, the humour.
I definitely enjoyed re-reading the first few, but the last ones were sort of meh. I would’ve been happy with just the first three.
I remember buying my copy of the third book–I think it was on my first or second conscious trip to the UK. I was so proud of having an edition that no one else had, months before anyone else did!
Haahaa that’s awesome. My copy of Brisingr (from the Inheritence cycle by Paolini) is the UK version and it’s a bit taller than my other books and I at one point debated replacing it, but realized I lived there at the time that it was a cool quirk to keep it.
Nice. I haven’t bought many books since moving here (only a few second hand and the latest 44 Scotland Street books) but there are a couple I’m going to have to pick up. Namely Carol Ann Duffy’s Rapture, that hasn’t been released in the US yet! 😀