this book was such a relief. it had seemed like artemis fowl would end as a trilogy, and the end of book three made everything that had happened until then seem utterly pointless. i kinda liked that arty was off balance most of the book- it made him more human, and he had to come up with things on the spur of the moment. he also develops a surprising sense of humor (always a plus). all in all, a great book. the only thing is, when he's coming up with and even implementing his secret plans, you don't know any more about them than the villains. it can really be kind of irritating.