Holly Short facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holly Short |
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|---|---|
| Artemis Fowl character | |
Holly Short as depicted in Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel
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| First appearance | Artemis Fowl |
| Last appearance | The Fowl Twins |
| Created by | Eoin Colfer |
| Portrayed by | Lara McDonnell |
| Information | |
| Species |
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| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | |
| Family |
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| Children | NANNI (artificial intelligence) |
Captain Holly Short is a brave and clever elf from the popular Artemis Fowl book series by Eoin Colfer. She is a main character and often works with the human genius, Artemis Fowl.
Contents
About Holly Short
Holly Short is an elf with a unique look. She has short, reddish-brown hair and two different colored eyes: one hazel and one blue. Like all elves, she has pointy ears and skin that looks like coffee. She is very short, even for an elf, standing at about one meter (three feet) tall. She is also very fit, like a gymnast.
Even though she is only about 80 years old, elves live much longer than humans. In the books, some fairies are over 2,000 years old! Holly is the first and only female captain in a special police group called LEPrecon. She is known for being tough and sometimes disobeys orders if she thinks it will help more. She is described as pretty but also dangerous, like a black widow spider. Holly enjoys playing a fairy game called "Crunchball," reading exciting books, and flying with her artificial wings.
Holly lost her father when she was young. Her mother, Coral Short, was also an elf who worked for the Lower Elements Police (LEP). Sadly, her mother died from radiation exposure, which is very dangerous for fairies.
After a big adventure in Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception, Holly leaves the LEP for a while. She starts working as a private detective with her friend, the dwarf Mulch Diggums. However, she later returns to the LEP to help Artemis Fowl and his friends.
Holly's relationship with Artemis Fowl changes a lot during the series. At first, they are enemies, but they slowly become friends. There are even hints that they might like each other in a romantic way. This is interesting because they are from different species and have different ages, though some events like time travel help close these gaps.
Holly's Adventures
In Artemis Fowl
In the first book, Artemis Fowl, Holly is kidnapped by a 12-year-old criminal genius named Artemis Fowl II. He wants a lot of gold as a ransom. Holly agrees to help Artemis make his mother well again. After that, Artemis lets her go and gives her half of the gold. Holly realizes that Artemis is a challenge, and she promises to be ready for him next time.
In The Eternity Code
In Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code, Artemis asks Holly for help. He needs her to heal his bodyguard, Domovoi Butler, who is badly hurt. He also needs to get back a special cube called the C Cube from a businessman named Jon Spiro. Holly, along with Mulch Diggums, Juliet Butler, and Foaly (who helps with technology), breaks into a tall building to get the Cube. At the end of this mission, Artemis's memory is wiped clean so he forgets about fairies.
In The Opal Deception
In Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception, Holly is with Commander Root, who is like a father figure to her, when the evil Opal Koboi kills him. Holly is then blamed for the Commander's death and has to run from the fairy police. She teams up with Artemis Fowl, Butler, and Mulch Diggums to show that Opal Koboi is the real villain. They stop Opal's plan to destroy fairy civilization. After this, Opal is locked up, and Holly decides to leave the LEP.
In The Lost Colony
In Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony, Holly is working as a private detective with Mulch Diggums. It's not going very well, and they even become bounty hunters, which means they track down criminals for money. Holly learns about the demon race, a type of fairy that left Earth and now lives on an island between Earth and time. She is asked to join a special group called Section Eight, which watches the demons.
When Artemis meets a demon, Holly gets involved. They meet another child genius, Minerva Paradizo, and a dangerous person named Billy Kong. Artemis and Holly, along with two demons named №1 and Qwan, have to travel to the demon island, Hybras, to save their civilization. When they return to Earth, they find that three years have passed in their own time!
In The Time Paradox
In Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox, Artemis and Holly travel back in time. They are looking for a rare animal called a silky sifaka lemur. This lemur is the only thing that can save Artemis's mother, Angeline Fowl, from a fairy disease. They have to outsmart a younger version of Artemis and a group called the "Extinctionists." They also meet Opal Koboi again, who wants the lemur for her own power. In this book, Holly kisses Artemis, and she likes it, but she blames it on the effects of time travel.
In The Atlantis Complex
In Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex, Artemis gets a fairy disease called Atlantis Complex. It makes him act strangely, like having OCD and multiple personalities. He becomes very paranoid. He arranges to meet Holly and other fairies in Iceland. During their meeting, a hacked probe attacks the LEP ship, killing some officers. This makes Holly take charge, especially as Artemis starts acting like a silly alter-ego named Orion, who thinks Holly is his "fair princess." Holly has to find a way to bring the real Artemis back.
In The Last Guardian
In Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian, Artemis is feeling better. He and Holly have become friends with a clone of Opal Koboi, who is now harmless and called 'Nopal'. Opal's plan for revenge leads her to release ancient fairy guardians. Artemis has to sacrifice himself and Nopal to stop her. But before he does, he gives Holly a sample of his DNA. This DNA can be used to clone a new body for his soul. At the end of the series, Holly is telling the story of the books to a revived Artemis, who has lost his memory.
In The Fowl Twins
In The Fowl Twins, a spin-off series about Artemis's younger brothers, Myles and Beckett, Holly has been promoted to Commodore. She also helped create NANNI, an artificial intelligence designed by Artemis to protect the twins. Holly also mentors Lieutenant Lazuli Heitz, a pixie-elf officer who works with the Fowl twins. At the end of the book, Lazuli is promoted to keep in touch with the twins, because their magic makes them magical creatures under fairy law.
In Film
In 2001, there were plans to make a movie based on Artemis Fowl. It took many years for the movie to be made. In 2017, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures would make the film, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Lara McDonnell was cast as Holly Short.
When the movie came out in 2020, some people were unhappy. They felt that Holly's character was changed too much from the books. She was less of a main hero and more of a supporting character. Some also criticized the casting of Lara McDonnell, saying it was "whitewashing" because Holly is described in the books as having "nut-brown skin of a coffee complexion."
