Julius Root
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| Artemis Fowl character | |
|---|---|
| Julius Root | |
| Gender | Male |
| Species | Elf |
| First appearance | Artemis Fowl |
Julius Root is a fictional character from the Artemis Fowl series of children's books written by Irish author Eoin Colfer.
He is the commander of the reconnaissance division of the Lower Elements Police. Root is frequently angry, and when angry, he becomes extremely frustrated and his face generally turns red. This trait has earned him the nickname 'Beetroot', although he is almost never actually called that by another character. In the first book, the author mentions that there is an office pool going on how long he has until his heart explodes. He hates his first name, and gets very angry whenever someone calls him 'Julius'. He often acts annoyed and impatient with many members of his staff, including Foaly the centaur and, at first, Captain Holly Short, although he and Holly eventually develop a close father-daughter relationship.
In the first book he is backstabbed by Briar Cudgeon, someone he grew up with since childhood. However, Cudgeon botched his attempt to remain commander in the first Artemis Fowl book and Root was quickly reinstated. Root smokes fungus cigars and has a small sense of humor. In Root's interview in The Artemis Fowl Files he says that he has not laughed out loud for 200 years. At first he despises Artemis Fowl and his accomplice Butler, but by the second book they have respect for each other. Commander Root prefers a tri-barrelled, water-cooled blaster in a firefight.
Julius Root is a field fairy, and when necessary, he doesn't hesitate to go out into the fray himself. In the first book, he sets out to save Holly himself. In the second book, he and Holly accompany Artemis and Butler to the Arctic to save Artemis's father. In the third book, however, Root is inactive, the role of whom is replaced by Butler's little sister, Juliet Butler. Root has a brother named Turnball who once flooded half of Haven City. After being on the run for many years, Turnball was brought into custody by his brother and a rookie Holly Short.
Commander Julius Root plays a minor role in the third book, Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code and finally in the fourth book, Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception, when the returning villainess Opal Koboi straps him to a time bomb, killing him in the resulting explosion. His last order, while the bomb was ticking, was for Captain Holly Short to rescue young Artemis Fowl and Butler before Koboi exacted revenge on them too. Root was succeeded by Ark Sool, who is not at all well-liked as his predecessor. It is later revealed that Commander Root was in fact supposed to be promoted to the Council before his tragic murder.
