Artemis Fowl - The Eternity Code

Notes:

Literary: The plot of this book is more lightweight than perhaps either of the other two in the series: an artefact is stolen and must be recovered. As with the other books in the series, the interest really comes in the relationships of the characters (although cf Friendship below) and in the mixture of Fairy technology (pioneered by Foaly, the centaur) and Fairy magic with its rules and limitations.

Magic: The author draws on traditional stories of fairy magic, and then mixes in technology to create an interesting mix. But the magic has its rules and limitations, such as that fairies cannot enter a building uninvited, a fact which gives rise to several interesting subterfuges and legal debates at different points in the series, as to what exactly constitutes an invitation. At one point, Juliet (a human) and Holly (a Fairy, currently invisible) must enter a building. But Holly cannot enter a building uninvited. So Juliet makes herself out to be an giggle-headed girl and asks “And can I bring in my invisible friend?” to which the scornful guard replies “Sure it is, honey. Bring your security blanket too, if it makes you happy.”

Family: The author makes extended use of the rehabilitation of Artemis Fowl, Senior, recently rescued from captivity in the Arctic. He — the father — is determined to go straight, and is determined to take his family with him. The young Artemis is determined to follow, for his father's sake, but can't resist this one last scheme, which leads to disaster. The Butler family also makes more of a showing, with Artemis' bodyguard revealing his real name, and his sister Juliet playing a more forward role, although with a sometimes unconvincing mix of hard-hitting bodyguard and empty-headed teenager.

Friendship: In a way, this book and Artemis Fowl - The Arctic Incident suffer from the burgeoning friendships between the main characters. The first book spent quite some time setting up an antagonistic atmosphere, giving way to a grudging admiration as Artemis outwitted the fairies who then did a deal with him. In the later books, despite some token grumbling from Commander Root (Holly's boss), that tension is lacking, and has to be made up for by the effects of slightly cautious friendship. Perhaps with this in mind, the author takes steps at the end of this book to ensure that Artemis won't remember his friendship with the Fairies.