Artemis Fowl: Too Smart for His Own Good

     Another favorite book series from my childhood was the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.  The books follow boy genius Artemis Fowl as he gets involved with fairies and other supernatural creatures – such as Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police and the paranoid centaur Foaly who insists on wearing a tinfoil hat on his head – all with his trusted Butler by his side.  During the 8-book series he has various adventures, many of which involve outwitting the evil pixie Opal Koboi.  It’s preteen fantasy at its best!
     Now, while I did love the Artemis Fowl books, I did not love Artemis Fowl himself.  He’s just too smart!  It’s almost impossible for anyone to get the drop on him (which, of course, makes the book interesting when a villain actually does).  I generally object to characters that are too good at any one thing.  No one is perfect.  (Scripture tells us this very clearly – we ALL need grace at some point!)  Being the absolute best at something tends to lead to pride and arrogance – which, while common human traits, are among the most annoying, in my opinion.  Artemis is no exception: he knows that he is brilliant, and he makes sure everyone else around him knows it as well ><.
       Needless to say, you’re not likely to see such character traits (pride and arrogance) in any of my heroes – though it’s certainly the kind of thing I’ll use for my villains.  I’m not sure I can bring myself to write a character who annoys me (unless they are supposed to be the bad guy).  Don’t expect too many “geniuses” or “experts” for main characters either… but that’s less because I dislike the type, and more because I’m not a genius or expert myself XD.  Side characters are another story though – after all, let’s not forget Artie from The Heart of Everything :-P.
       At any rate, we do get to see Artemis Fowl mature throughout the series.  In fact, one of the later books centers on the several-years-older-and-wiser Artemis attempting to correct a mistake made by the younger-and-more-arrogant version of himself via time travel.  And while time travel is never my favorite solution to a problem (more on that in another post), it’s nice to see that the annoying boy genius is starting to grow up and use his brilliant mind for more than just selfish indulgences.  Character growth is something I do love in a book – and should I ever write a series as long as this one, I hope to incorporate some of that into my works as well ?.
       What do you think?  Share your thoughts in the comments section!
       Until the next time, keep reading!
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