Kirkus

Though the violence occasionally turns brutal, Fowl and Short make splendid, well-matched rivals...Readers familiar with Sherlock Holmes, as well as an array of modern fantasists from Roald Dahl on, will find plenty of homage paid in this savagely funny page-turner.

Entertainment Weekly

But in this fourth edition...is practically channeling Tom Clancy. Fowl and wary elf Holly Short reteam to keep a ”murdering pixie genius” named Opal Koboi from pitting humans against fairies. The characters...are still a blast, but Colfer seems too dazzled by all the gadgetry and explosives jammed into this tale.

USA Today

The sad thing: Colfer offers some nice riffs in terms of creating a magical subworld of trolls, dwarves...But the second half of the book is a cynical, action-flick screenplay with some heavy-handed excrement joke...Resist the hype, parents, booksellers and librarians. This is not the new Harry Potter, nor is it a good children's book.

Here's a great book! It really kept me giggling all the way through. It's a fairy tale for our times...I just loved this book and I think you will too...

Chronicles of a Book Evangelist

But, those quibbles aside, Artemis Fowl was funny. It was quirky and interesting and I think the fart jokes would have my son in stitches on the floor.