Artemis Fowl

Artemis is a 12-year-old technological whiz-kid, and the latest in a long line of Fowls, a family of Irish criminal masterminds. He has a cunning plan: having discovered that the little people really do exist, he intends to steal their fairy gold. He soon discovers that fairies are not, in fact, the fey, ethereal types of legend, but a hard-bitten and technologically advanced race with their own armed police force known as the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance (or LEPrecon, for short - a typical Colvin pun). Artemis kidnaps LEPrecon Captain Holly Short - who has foolishly let her magic supplies run down - and uses her to bargain with the fairies. However, they don't give up that easily, and a fierce battle ensues, with mind-numbing technology in use on both sides. Soon other unearthly beings get involved, including huge rogue trolls and a dwarf with an ingenious burrowing technique. Told in slangy, direct language, with a fast-moving plot that demands serious concentration, this is a hilarious and exciting adventure tale which drags fairies and their ilk into the 21st century. Cryptographically-minded readers will also have fun deciphering the secret message that runs along the bottom of each page. (Kirkus UK)