Eoin Colfer's bestselling antihero is back in Artemis Fowl: TheArctic Incident--the superb sequel to the hyper-hyped Artemis Fowl, shortlisted forthe Whitbread Children's Book of the Year. The Arctic Incident sees theslightly older, perhaps slightly more mellow arch-criminal Artemis recoveredfrom his last adventure, richer now that he has his half of a hoard of fairygold, and happier since the Clarice Starlingesque superfairy Captain Holly Shortof the LEPrecon returned his mother's ailing mind to full health.But there is still much unfinished business: Artemis Fowl Sr. disappeared when adaring escapade designed to free his family from their criminal--not to mentiondeeply lucrative--past and move the family's assets into legitimate enterpriseswent horribly wrong. Held captive by the Mafiya (the Russian organized crimesyndicate) for over two years, he has been declared officially dead, but ArtemisJr. knows in his heart (yes, he does have one) that his beloved father is stillalive, and he is determined to find him. Meanwhile Captain Short is temporarilyon assignment to Customs and Excise as punishment for letting Fowl separate herand her People from their gold and is finding her stakeout duties a little dull.It soon becomes obvious that the pair have need of each other's considerableskills, and before long they are on track for an adventure that will ultimatelyhave far-reaching consequences for both of them.If you enjoyed the first book, you won't be disappointed by the second.Initially the pace is a little slower, and the slightly more mellow Artemis iscertainly a tad unnerving at first (particularly as one of the things that madehim such an unusual character was the fact that there was something distinctlyunlikable about him), but once the sparks between Holly and Artemis begin tofly, and the adventure that tests their endurance to their emotional, physical,and intellectual limits begins, the pages just keep on turning.The high-tech hocus pocus, the complex underworld, and the James Bond-stylestoryline will keep even the most reluctant reader enthralled. Add to the mix afair dollop of humor, the occasional sprinkling of right-on commentary about thestate of the planet, and enough hooks in the story to ensure you will beclamoring for the next book. This chilling, thrilling adventure is a seriouslycool (in more ways than one!) must-read for anyone age 9 and older. --SusanHarrison

1986年欧因·科弗成为一名小学教师，业余时间坚持写作。1991年婚后的数年间，曾旅居意大利、突尼西亚和沙特阿拉伯等地，这段经历对他后来的文学创作产生了很大影响。

艾欧因·寇弗的儿童文学创作之路可谓一帆风顺，处女作《班尼和欧玛》一经出版即跃上畅销书榜。2001年夏天，他完成了后来风靡全球青少年的《阿特米斯奇幻历险》第一部。这部作品的巨大成功令他决心放弃教职专心写作。

《阿特米斯奇幻历险》系列是欧美畅销书榜的常客，获得很多奖项，已在43个国家和地区出版，全球销量1300余万册。36岁的爱尔兰中学老师欧因·科弗因此收到了英国历史上最高的儿童文学作品稿酬——70万英镑。他的《阿特米斯奇幻历险》系列如今在欧洲畅销榜的排名已超出《哈利•波特》系列，兴高采烈的Miramax出版公司随后又支付了25万英镑。前三册的电影版权已由迪斯尼购买。

J.K.罗琳和欧因•科弗被英国媒体津津乐道地做比较，都是教师、短时间内迅速成名、出版系列都非常畅销、内容和魔法有关、主角都是12岁左右的男孩。对此科弗不耐烦地说：“我喜欢罗琳，但我们的风格也有差异，苹果和橘子有什么好比的？”