Book Report - "The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges" by Eoin Colfer
The “Artemis Fowl” series is one of my favorite book intellectual properties, and I was devastated to have that come to an end with “The Last Guardian.” However, author Eoin Colfer continued writing about that fictional universe with spin-off series “The Fowl Twins.” There are now two books available in that series, with a third scheduled for release this month entitled “The Fowl Twins Get What They Deserve.”
To quote The Dark Knight, “you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” I hate to pre-emptively apply that concept to this book series, but I have a hard time saying that the spin-off lives up to the reputation of the original. I read the first “The Fowl Twins” book, and it was pretty good. Not quite “Artemis Fowl” level, but it’s also hard to introduce completely new characters after experiencing 8 books with the same group of people. After I learned of “Deny All Charges” coming out, I was hopeful that it would fall into that comfortable routine of a new tale about old characters.
Unfortunately, “Deny All Charges” wasn’t notably better. That isn’t to say the book was bad. Much of the writing style and narrative is extremely similar to “Artemis Fowl,” which makes sense considering it is the same author. There is plenty of humor in stressful situations, several times with the narrator breaking the fourth wall, and other quirks that made me so fond of the original series.
So what was different? Why doesn’t “The Fowl Twins” strike that chord with me the way that “Artemis Fowl” does? I think it boils down to Beckett. Myles and Beckett Fowl are the twin brothers of Artemis Fowl. Myles follows in the footsteps of Artemis, with a slightly obnoxious arrogance and confidence in his intellect. He’s savvy and smart, and I just like him as a character. Beckett is… not. He is the exact opposite of Myles, focusing much more on agility and acrobatics involved in their hijinks.
I can’t say exactly why I dislike Beckett so much. I’ve dealt with characters that I wasn’t fond of in books before. Something about his personality is just so abrasive, though. Chapters without Beckett at the forefront are just so much more appealing to me. If he were removed completely from the books, I would probably enjoy them so much more.
That’s the problem, though. Beckett can’t be removed. He and Myles are a pair, and their dynamic is core to the spin-off series. Maybe I’ll get over my dislike of Beckett one day, and I can enjoy future “The Fowl Twins” books more. Until then, I’ll just keep hoping for a ninth “Artemis Fowl” book.
To quote The Dark Knight, “you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” I hate to pre-emptively apply that concept to this book series, but I have a hard time saying that the spin-off lives up to the reputation of the original. I read the first “The Fowl Twins” book, and it was pretty good. Not quite “Artemis Fowl” level, but it’s also hard to introduce completely new characters after experiencing 8 books with the same group of people. After I learned of “Deny All Charges” coming out, I was hopeful that it would fall into that comfortable routine of a new tale about old characters.
Unfortunately, “Deny All Charges” wasn’t notably better. That isn’t to say the book was bad. Much of the writing style and narrative is extremely similar to “Artemis Fowl,” which makes sense considering it is the same author. There is plenty of humor in stressful situations, several times with the narrator breaking the fourth wall, and other quirks that made me so fond of the original series.
So what was different? Why doesn’t “The Fowl Twins” strike that chord with me the way that “Artemis Fowl” does? I think it boils down to Beckett. Myles and Beckett Fowl are the twin brothers of Artemis Fowl. Myles follows in the footsteps of Artemis, with a slightly obnoxious arrogance and confidence in his intellect. He’s savvy and smart, and I just like him as a character. Beckett is… not. He is the exact opposite of Myles, focusing much more on agility and acrobatics involved in their hijinks.
I can’t say exactly why I dislike Beckett so much. I’ve dealt with characters that I wasn’t fond of in books before. Something about his personality is just so abrasive, though. Chapters without Beckett at the forefront are just so much more appealing to me. If he were removed completely from the books, I would probably enjoy them so much more.
That’s the problem, though. Beckett can’t be removed. He and Myles are a pair, and their dynamic is core to the spin-off series. Maybe I’ll get over my dislike of Beckett one day, and I can enjoy future “The Fowl Twins” books more. Until then, I’ll just keep hoping for a ninth “Artemis Fowl” book.
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