Collideoscope

The other night I took the kids to the library and saw a book called Artemis Fowl on cd. It looked interesting enough so I decided to borrow it and give it a listen. I couldn't be more impressed!

Now keep in mind that the following comments are based on hearing the first four chapters. Those of you who have read this book or others in the series may be able to enlighten me if I'm wrong. But here are my first impressions.

-This is really lighthearted stuff for fantasy genre fiction. I'm not much of a fantasy genre person (no dragons, witches, elves, etc), but this book has fairies and leprechauns and trolls that are tech savvy (using holograms, satellite phones, jet packs, etc.) and at times are even comical. The result is a "light" magic...not the dark, Harry Potter stuff. Most of the time, the otherworldly creatures seem human enough (get caught in traffic jams, have a police force, have to deal with protestors in the streets).

-Wouldn't you know, Artemis Fowl lives in Dublin, Ireland, and much of the story either takes place or revolves in some way around the Emerald Isle (surprise, surprise).

-The guy who reads the audio book is really good, with different voices and accents for each character (and it's not cheesy...really good, believable voices that are mean, funny, sad, timid, etc. where appropriate).

So my question is, has anyone read the entire series? Does it stay lighthearted like this, or does it drift to the dark side over the course of the series?

If you are looking for something lighthearted and entertaining to listen to during your daily commute or while you exercise or just whenever, I'd highly recommend Artemis Fowl.