Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian facts for kids
UK cover
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| Author | Eoin Colfer |
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| Language | English |
| Series | Artemis Fowl |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Viking Press/Disney Hyperion |
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Publication date
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10 July 2012 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 1-4231-6161-0 |
| Preceded by | The Atlantis Complex |
| Followed by | The Fowl Twins |
Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian is the eighth and final book in the exciting Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. In America, it's called Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian. This book wraps up the amazing adventures of Artemis Fowl.
Eoin Colfer had hinted that this would be the last book. He said the one before it, The Atlantis Complex, was the second to last. The Last Guardian came out on July 10, 2012. It was published by Viking Press and Disney Hyperion. Many people liked the book. It even won the award for the 2012 Senior Irish Children's Book of the Year!
Contents
What Happens in the Story
Opal Koboi's Dangerous Plan
The story begins with Artemis Fowl and his bodyguard, Butler. They are called by Holly to a meeting. There, they learn about the evil fairy, Opal Koboi's, new plan. Opal makes her helpers go back in time. They kill her past self, who had survived an explosion. This creates a huge problem, like a time paradox. Because of this, all the things Opal created in the last five years explode!
To stop the fairy city of Atlantis from being destroyed, the Fairies put Opal in a special chamber. This chamber is part of a nuclear reactor. The explosion from this event ruins most fairy technology. It also damages human technology. This is because many human devices used parts made by Opal's labs.
World Chaos and Dark Magic
Explosions happen all over the world. Vehicles, buildings, satellites, and cell phones are damaged. Human communication systems stop working. The human world falls into chaos. While Opal is in the reactor, she gains new powers. She learns to use dark magic. She then opens something called The Berserker's Gate. This gate is on the Fowl family estate.
Behind this gate are the spirits of fairy soldiers. They died in an ancient war almost ten thousand years ago. These spirits rise up. They take over people and animals. They possess Artemis's twin brothers, Beckett and Myles. They also take over Juliet, Butler's sister, and even woodland creatures. The leader of these spirits, Queen Bellico, possesses Juliet.
Fighting Back at Fowl Manor
Artemis, Holly, and Butler arrive at the Fowl estate. They barely escape from Haven, the fairy city. They immediately try to stop Opal's plan. But they end up hiding with Mulch Diggums. Mulch is a dwarf who was trying to rob Fowl Manor.
After more battles, Queen Bellico hurts Butler badly. She uses Opal's dark magic. Mulch helps Artemis with his plan. Artemis wants to stop Opal from opening a second gate. He plans to use a laser cannon from a special solar plane he built. Artemis and Holly manage to send some of the spirits to heaven. They do this before Opal can open the second lock.
The Final Sacrifice
Artemis uses a dying clone of Opal, named Nopal. Opal had created Nopal in an earlier book, The Opal Deception. Only Opal's unique genetic code can close the second lock forever. Artemis uses Nopal to close the second lock on the Berserker's Gate.
When the second lock closes, all fairies within the area are destroyed. This includes Artemis. He had a fairy eye from Holly. This eye linked him to the fairy world. Because of this, Artemis dies. The people who were possessed are freed. But not before the spirit leader, Oro Shaydova, uses Beckett's body to finally defeat Opal.
A New Beginning
Six months later, the human world is recovering. Foaly, the centaur genius, clones Artemis. He uses DNA from Artemis's saliva. Artemis had kissed Holly's forehead before his final plan. Artemis's soul, which was still at the Fowl Estate, then enters the new clone.
Because of this, the new Artemis has lost his memory for a while. Holly begins to tell the clone the story of how she first met the original Artemis. She starts with the very first line of the first book in the series. She says, "It all started in Ho Chi Minh City one summer. It was sweltering by anyone's standards. Needless to say, Artemis Fowl would not have been willing to put up with such discomfort if something extremely important had not been at stake. Important to the plan..."
About the Book's Creation
Eoin Colfer, the author, said he wanted this book to show Artemis's change. He wanted to show him going "from being a selfish criminal to a hero." Artemis learns to sacrifice everything for a good cause.
Colfer first planned the Artemis Fowl series to be only three books. But he kept getting more ideas. So, he wrote more novels. He decided to write a new book only if the story idea was strong enough. After eight books, he felt it was time to move on to new stories.
