Terry

funny, action-packed, adventurous

I feel that the entire Artemis Fowl series (8 books) is at the very least as good as the Harry Potter franchise. I'm surprised it's popularity hasn't blossomed more than it has.

Nathaniel Parker has narrated all of the Artemis Fowl books, and he has come to be the life of the characters to me. No one else could transition from Artemis's dry deadpan wit, to Holly Short's frustrated outbursts to Foley's egotistical musings as weel and with such ease as he does. He makes every character come to life.

I loved this book. I only hate that it is planned to be the series finale to the Artemis stories.

Artemis Fowl, the teenage criminal mastermind - turned - hero, and his fairy friends Holly Short, Foley the Centaur, and Mulch Diggums the Dwarf of the underground (quite literally!) LEP (Lower Elements Police) - Recon unit, are back in the 8th and final novel in the series. The evil Pixie Opal Coboy has come up with a plan that will cause Armageddon on earth - and it's up to genius Artemis and his friends and ever present bodyguard Butler to once again save the world!

I have long been a fan of Simon R. Green and his graphically horrific Urban Fantasy series "The Nightside", and I love his new novel "Ghost of a Chance", so I decided to give his "Secret Histories" series a try. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. Green's masterfully blended elements of the macabre and urban fantasy shine through in this series as well as it ever does in any of "The Nightside" novels. The only thing I regret is that I waited this long to start on the "Secret Histories"! As far as the first book of a continuing series goes, you can't get much better than "The Man with the Golden Torc". The one thing I especially like about this book is that in addition to the urban fantasy element, Green manages to deftly add a touch of the spy world. I definitely give this book the full 5 stars!!!

I was a little curious when this book showed up in my "We Thought You Might Like" list on audible, but I was intrigued by the title, so I bought it. Trust me, it's well worth the money (or the Credit!) This was one of the most beautifully described books I ever listened to. Molly Harper certainly has a way with imagery - Grundy, Alaska is painted so beautifully you'd almost swear you were there! And you couldn't ask for a better narrator than Amanda Ronconi. All in all, this is one of my favorite new books this year. Molly Harper is certainly in my favorite author list now!

Simon R. Green's Nightside is one of my favorite series, alongside Jim Butcher's "The Dresden Files". Green's Nightside is much darker though, and his very graphic descriptions of the baseness of Human need and descent into decadences we can only imagine are chilling. Then, like like a flaming Neon Sign blazing against the Nightside comes John Taylor, the bad boy that every girl loves and every boy wants to be. If you are looking for a series to take you into places you never thought you'd go, this is it.