Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident
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| Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident | |
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| Author | Eoin Colfer |
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| Illustrator | Eoin Colfer |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Series | Artemis Fowl series |
| Genre(s) | Children's, Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Hyperion Books |
| Publication date | May 2002 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 277 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0786808551 (first edition, hardback) |
| Preceded by | Artemis Fowl |
| Followed by | Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code |
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident (now Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident)[citation needed] is the second book in the Artemis Fowl series written by Irish author Eoin Colfer. It is preceded by Artemis Fowl.
[edit] Plot
The book starts off with the sinking of the Fowl Star, by the Russian Mafia. The Fowl Star was being used by Artemis Fowl I to trade with Russia after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union.
Meanwhile, Artemis is attending boarding school in accordance with his mother's wishes, and irritating the counselor due to his knowledge of psychology. During a counseling session, Butler calls him to say that they received a message concerning the Fowl Star.
At the same time, Holly Short and a sprite named Chix Verbil run into two goblins during a LEP stakeout. The goblins were armed with illegal softnose lasers. Doing a flyby at the time, Chix is shot in the wing, a fatal hit due to sprite's limited healing powers. Holly risks her life to save him, and chases down the goblins, stunning one and chasing the other into a chute. They get locked in when the blast doors close, because a flare is coming. Holly shoots out coolant canisters on the ceiling above her to protect herself from the heat. When the LEP arrive, she realizes that the goblins had been using the abandoned chute to receive shipments of human alkaline batteries, which they used to power the softnoses. She suspects that Artemis Fowl II has been supplying the goblins with the batteries, and therefore goes to bring him in for interrogation by the LEP.
While leaving the school, Butler shows Artemis a video file on a laptop, with a man against a snowy background, and the words "Hello, son" written in Russian on a sign around his neck. The e-mail was made untraceable, so Artemis and Butler head for Fowl Manor to get supplies for the journey to Russia. At Fowl Manor, they encounter Holly, who uses the mesmer to force them to go with her.
Holly manages to take Artemis and Butler down to Police Plaza in Haven, but their innocence is proven, with the use of a Retimager. Artemis requests help in his father's rescue. Commander Root allows Holly to assist Fowl, on the condition that Butler helps them find the human who had been helping the goblins. We are told that Briar Cudgeon is masterminding this, and is using a mesmerized Parisian to supply the B'wa Kell with batteries. Butler finds the man, only to discover that he had been mesmerized through a communicator and did not know anything about the goblins, or Cudgeon's involvement. Upon return, Foaly announces that he had traced the e-mail sent to Artemis, and found the location and sender.
Briar is co-heading the B'wa Kell with Foaly's technological rival, Opal Koboi, head of Koboi Laboratories, manufacturer of most of the LEP's equipment. Everything made by Koboi and sent to the LEP is specially modified to go offline when a signal is broadcasted from the dish on top of Koboi Labs. Foaly dislikes Koboi, saying that it's not right for one company to make all of the LEP's equipment.
Battery matter solved, Artemis, Butler, Holly, and Root travel to the Arctic to rescue Artemis Sr. On their way, they're ambushed by a B'wa Kell hit squad, sent by Cudgeon. Their Koboi weapons are disabled, and the group hides beneath an overhang when their weapons don't fire. The goblins collapse the overhang, although it results in the death of their lieutenant). Artemis and Holly make it out, but Butler is knocked out and Root is trapped under there with him. Holly quickly comes up with a plan- the Mayak Chemical Train runs nearby and it can pull them out. Root straps Butler and himself to Butler's moonbelt (something that reduces the weight of anything attached to it by 1/6, used by Butler because he was wearing so many weapons), and shoots out a piton dart. Holly and Artemis take the piton, climb aboard the train, and its movement is sufficient enough to pull Root and Butler out from under the drift. Meanwhile, the two of the goblins drop low to try and shoot Holly and Artemis, but the third shoots them in the back so he can return as the only survivor and be promoted to lieutenant. Artemis crawls up the side of the carriage, goes through the sunroof, and melts the door lock with acid so Holly can pull Julius and Butler in. However, just as she's pulling them in, a bump in the tracks causes the door to slam shut, and Holly loses her trigger finger.
Meanwhile, down below, war has broken out between the LEPrecon and the B'wa Kell. Koboi has knocked out LEP weapons and communications. Foaly is busy finding the owner of a partial fingerprint found on a shuttle made for the goblins. He cross-references the list with fairies who had access to the old softnose recycling units, and finds one name in common: Briar Cudgeon. At the time, Cudgeon was in the Ops booth with Foaly, and traps Foaly in there before he can expose Cudgeon's treachery to the rest of the LEP. Cudgeon reveals his plan to Foaly, including that Koboi wired Foaly's Operations Booth into a remote, so that nothing can happen unless Cudgeon presses the button. Later, Cudgeon communicates with Foaly via the plasma screens, and Foaly records it using the camera on Artemis's laptop. He then text-messages Artemis's phone using the laptop, warning them that Police Plaza is about to be overrun and Cudgeon and Koboi are behind the plot.
Back in the Arctic, Artemis and Co. manage to get off the train without further incident, but Holly has been drained of magic due to the high amount of radiation aboard the train, and is unable to reattach her trigger finger. Artemis discovers that Holly has an acorn in a sealed capsule around her neck. He uses it to complete the power-restoring Ritual for her. They regroup in the Arctic shuttleport, and Artemis's phone receives Foaly's text message, so they now know Cudgeon and Koboi have disabled the LEP's weapons. Artemis realizes the only way the stop the B'wa Kell is to break into Koboi Laboratories and restore the LEP's weapon. Root remarks that they could use Mulch Diggums in a time like this (only dwarf to break into the labs and live), but they can't, because he's dead. Holly claims that Mulch is in Los Angeles. (Foaly had a theory, but he didn't tell Root because Root doesn't like theories, only concrete proof._
Mulch is in fact in L.A., living under the pseudonym of Lance Digger and building up a collection of stolen Oscars. He's returning from his final nab, Best Actress, when he sees Artemis in his room. He dives down the clay-filled chimney connecting all the fireplaces in that wall, only to be apprehended by Holly. He agrees to the deal offered to him by Root ( If you help us you get a 2 days' head start. If you don't help us, then you get several centuries in Howler's Peak, a goblin prison), and shows a way to get into Koboi Labs. They fly the shuttle through a fissure in a nearby chute wall and end up in the foundations of the labs, dug by Mulch and his cousin. Because solid titanium rods would have been too expensive, Mulch and his cousin hollowed one, and filled it up with sewage, which turned into clay during the 100 or so years it was in there. Mulch tunnels through the rod, so Butler, Root, and Holly can get through, leaving Artemis in the shuttle.
The B'wa Kell have now breached the front doors of Police Plaza, and Briar has everyone believing Foaly has orchestrated this and locked himself in the Ops booth. Briar attempts to "negotiate", and is taken to Koboi Labs, where the other goblins are staging an assault, to divert suspicion from Opal. Butler, Holly and Root run into the goblins and have to fight, weaponless.
While meditating, Artemis hears groaning from Mulch. He climbs through the rod, and learns that Mulch has blockage in his gut, which he removes using dwarf reflexology just in time to incapicate a goblin coming by. When Artemis asks Mulch how he got out when he broke in, Mulch says he left in the LEP uniform he came in. Artemis thinks there should be another way to the headquarters and decides to try the plasma feed for the DNA cannons, which were also turned off by Koboi's signal. Cudgeon has actually reprogrammed the DNA cannons to fire on all goblins, so when he feels the B'wa Kell has outlived its usefulness he can betray them. Artemis makes it to the sanctum, and sees Foaly on a monitor, who tells him to put Foaly's feed on all screens. Foaly plays the recorded conversation he had with Briar, in which Briar revealed that he would return weapons control to the LEP, and eliminate the goblin threat. The three goblin generals get really angry, and are about to shoot Cudgeon, when he reactivates the DNA cannons, shooting all goblins in the labs and inadvertently saving Butler, Holly and Root.
Butler, Holly, and Root make it to the inner sanctum, but Butler sees that Cudgeon has captured Artemis. He breaks down the door, and threatens Cudgeon. Artemis's phone rings. After listening to it for a few seconds, he tosses it to Opal, who hears the second part of Briar's recorded conversations, in which he reveals she will have a "tragic accident" after they take over. She attacks Briar, he gets flung into the plasma feed, and is fried by a million radioactive tendrils. His remote is electrocuted as well, returning control of the Operations Booth to Foaly. Foaly eliminates the goblins in Police Plaza, and Artemis can now rescue his father (if you're wondering where Mulch is, he's taking his two-day head start).
After saving the fairies, Fowl travels with Holly and Root to Murmansk to rescue his father. He deceives the captors of his father by pretending to shoot his father (using a fairy invention to make it look convincing), and getting them out of the way by telling them that the ransom money is in a case lighted up with a flare. However, Artemis Senior is accidentally pushed into the freezing water of Murmansk by a Russian, and Holly has to dive into the water to save him. Fairies hate cold and radiation, but she manages to rescue and heal Artemis' father, who they deposit at a hospital in Helsinki.
The story ends with Artemis back in his private school talking to a psychologist. Artemis is waiting for a phone call from Helsinki confirming his father's condition. The man, the same one from the beginning, asks if Artemis has declared anyone an equal. Thinking of Butler, Holly, and his father, he remarks, "Yes, I believe I have."
[edit] Coded Message
In the first book, Artemis Fowl, the coded message along the bottom of the pages were in Gnommish. In Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, the codes were in Centaurian. Only UK versions of this book had this secret message.
The message on the cover of the book reads:
"FAIRY CREATURES HEED THIS WARNING ON EARTH THE HUMAN ERA IS DAWNING"
This is the message inside the book:
“Congratulations Human. If you have cracked this code then you are more intelligent than most of your species. This is a message from the Fairy People. We are seeking out our allies among the Mud Men. Though most Humans are dullwitted creatures there are exceptions. You for example. The reason for your intelligence is that you have Fairy ancestors. Do you feel different from those around you? Are your ears a bit pointier than most is your tongue long enough to touch your nose? Do you dream of flying? Have you ever thought that you do not belong among the Mud Men? That is because you have Fairy blood in your veins. So young Mud Fairy I have a mission for you. As one of the People it is your duty to protect the Earth from those who would destroy it. You must become one of a new race of Mud men who love this planet as much as the Fairy Folk. There is one simple rule. Use only what you need and use it wisely. Do this and the Earth will survive. Go now and begin your quest. I shall repeat this message for those Humans whose Fairy intelligence is buried a bit deeper than yours.”
The message then repeats itself throughout the rest of the book.[1]
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