TSS_05p200212.e5-c.ps, page 1 @ Normalize

E05
Book X SBA
Text: Mike Lau
Monday February 20, 2012
Photos: Internet
Falling fowl
In Artemis Fowl, a young criminal genius steals an old magic
book in order to get rich quick. But kidnapping an elf police
officer for money makes him reconsider his villainous ways
W hat’s it about?
DETERMINED to maintain the honour and reputation of
his Irish (愛爾蘭的) crime lord father, Artemis Fowl II
begins the search for the fairy holy book that contains the
secrets to the underworld’s most powerful magic.
A trip to Vietnam (越南) with his loyal manservant
Butler finally pays off when the two friends find the
Gnommish scripture. Meanwhile, a headstrong elf called
Captain Holly Short from the Lower Elements Police
(LEP) is about to apprehend a destructive troll as part of
her duties to maintain the balance between humans and the
underworld. After an epic struggle, the cop gets her beast,
but in doing so loses all her magic powers. To restore her
abilities she must perform a ceremony where an acorn
from an enchanted old tree under a full moon is planted.
Just as she is about to finish the ritual, Holly is
interrupted by Artemis and Butler, who have used the
book to find the tree. They drug Holly and imprison her
at the Fowl mansion. When Artemis demands a metric
tonne of gold for the safe return of the police officer and
the book, a game of wits ensues between Artemis and the
LEP who have besieged his house. No matter what magic
trick or weapon they use, the police are beaten back by
Artemis, who uses counteracting spells from the book. The
LEP become increasingly desperate and consider more
destructive and controversial methods to gain entry to the
house.
Whilst in captivity, Holly sees that despite his ways,
Artemis is just a young boy who loves his parents, has a
selfless aim and values friendship. She realises that she
must restore her magic, not just to escape, but also to save
the lives of her captors.
A
In a book full of elves, trolls, dwarves and magic you
would expect a lot of mythical gibberish and medieval
paraphernalia. Artemis Fowl dispels this stereotype by
portraying the fairies as an advanced race with loads of
high-tech weapons and gadgetry;
g, with
using a contemporary setting,
taining
modern language; and containing
multi-faceted characters facing
lems.
practical and believable problems.
ding
Although the concluding
n by
chapters are slightly let down
sily
a predictable end and a clumsily
tal
shoehorned environmental
ro
message, Artemis’s anti-hero
attitude and twisted sense of
rt
humour is sure to transport
you away with the fairies forr
a few hours.
re
e
E xplore more
THIS book manages to turn the usual genre conventions
of adventure and fantasy books upside down to deliver
something very original, which the author describes as “Die
Hard with fairies”. The so-called baddie is not a twisted
old man but a charming young boy; the hero is not a
Print fiction
Prin
Non-print fiction
Prin
Print non-fiction
Non-print non-fiction
Category: fantasy
TWO hard-up brothers find their prayers answered when
they chance upon a bag full of cash. Just one problem – the
money is in the outgoing Pounds Sterling currency that the
United Kingdom is about to ditch in favour of the Euro.
Damian and Anthony must come up with ways to spend
the money quickly, while battling with their consciences
over the ‘right thing to do’.
AS strangeness engulfs the world, a hero is born from
Hell with a stone fist and a wisecracking demeanour. After
being raised by allied forces battling the Nazis, Hellboy
becomes the world’s greatest paranormal investigator.
He is aided by otherworldly characters, including an
amphibian humanoid and a fire starter.
villainous (adj) 兇惡的
underworld (n) 地獄
SBA Corner
Book info
Bo
Millions
Hellboy Volume 1: Seed of Destruction
critical look
y
Vocabular
lantern-jawed action man, but a feisty and compassionate
female cop; and the action is not set in the United States,
but in leafy Ireland (愛爾蘭).
Author: Eoin Colfer
Number of pages: 304
ISBN: 978-0141312125
Publisher: Puffin
Role-play activity
1. Imagine you are a press officer for the LEP tasked
with writing an appeal for information about a
wanted troll. Be sure to include a description, last
known whereabouts and contact details.
2. With a classmate, role-play Artemis being interviewed
by a reporter. The line of questioning could include
his thoughts on school, how he justifies his crimes
and what he will do with the ransom money.
manservant (n) 男僕
wit (n) 機智
captor (n) 俘虜他人者
paraphernalia (n) 隨身用具
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