SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Opal Koboi is back, and planning to take over all of mankind. She sets her sights on Fowl Manor and it's up to Artemis and Holly to rush to the rescue. But she has a whole army of undead Berserkers on her side.
FOWL MANOR-VAGUE SPOILERS
The idea to return where the story started has a poetic feeling to it. But I didn't think Colfer needed to carry it as far as he did. The idea that Arty's ancestors all wanted to catch faeries but he didn't know because they were mind wiped is casually dropped into the story by the therapist. My first thought was, so there is nothing special about Artemis? He is just following his genes?
And the idea that something magical happened long ago on that property, so something had to happen there again felt lazy. Colfer could have easily written a different reason to return there. Like it was where Arty's family lived, so if someone wanted to hurt him, they would go there.
WHERE'S MOM & DAD?
When the story goes back to the Fowl estate, Arty's parents are gone. It's this aspect of the series I have always had a problem with. After the flashbacks in "The Eternity Code" that Arty has, there is basically no interaction with them. We are told of how much he loves them in many of the books, but we have to take his word for it.
I thought at least his mother should have been there. So much could have been done with her character, as after "The Time Paradox", she learned all about Artemis' secrets. But all we get is a phone call in “The Atlantis Complex” and nothing in this book.
POSSESSION-SPOILERS
Juliet and the twins are all possessed by Berserkers, that Opal commands. The idea was interesting, that Arty and Butler would have to fight and not harm their loved ones. But I think the main thing was for it to be comical to see a four year old talking like an old man. Arty was rather clever in goading the berserker on, but it needn't have possessed the twins.
I think the idea of an enemy showing up and taking them hostage would have been more effective. It would have been better if his parents had been home. Having to face head on with the fact that he had lied to his parents and now had to save them and explain things would have been a great ending.
A SPIRITUAL ASPECT
Everything in this series thus far had to do with technology, or fairy magic, which is handled as if it were a science. There is no religion presented, not by the People or by Artemis. So when we suddenly learn about an Earth mother named Danu, an afterlife, and souls, I felt kind thrown for a loop. Like I had read a series by an atheist who suddenly revealed he was actually into a New Age religion.
Also, I felt it didn't have the affect it should have had. Arty just found out there is an afterlife and people have souls. Instead of making him humble, he is still the same old cocky boy who knows everything. I don't think this truth should ever have been presented to him. He already thinks he knows everything. Let there be something that is still a mystery. And that's if we present religion as an element of the story at all. And judging by the whole series, he probably shouldn't have.
TIME TRAVEL AGAIN-SPOILERS
There is an explanation about there being two opals that I found convoluted. I think Colfer was trying to be original but I was left feeling confused.
If the younger Opal dies, how could there be an older Opal?
How come her death affects everything she made, but not the older her?
I would have been happier if he had stuck to conventional ideas about time travel. Instead Opal becomes a super-being for some reason. It seemed like a lot of hard work to make her stronger, when he could have easily come up with something more simple and less confusing.
SIDE STORY
There is a side story about Foaly and his wife. Turns our she is put in danger. We get a flashback of how they met, but I had little interest in it. Perhaps if she had ever been crucial to the plot in the past books, but she wasn't. It was just mentioned that Foaly had a girlfriend, and later that he married. I think it was just a last ditch attempt to flesh out Foaly's character.
PEACE LOVING PEOPLE
It's mentioned in the story that there is a huge lobby in Haven that wants to go to war with the humans. But through al of the series we have been told how evil humans are, and that The People are peace loving. It's basically mentioned in every book. But Holly never thought to mention that half the population (she says there will be a civil war, indicating this is not a small minority, but a good chunk of the population) wants to kill or oppress humans and take back earth.
AFTERMATH-SPOILERS
After one Opal is left, the younger's absence creates an effect upon all of the technology she created. Not just in Haven, but apparently her tech has secretly been flooded into human tech. So basically all of her stuff stops working. And apparently that means everything stops working. So we get an Armageddon. I found this confusing as well. How did most of tech become all of tech?
ARTEMIS' LAST CHANCE
Artemis has had to endure six months of therapy due to his Atlantis complex. Although I found that the last book a waste of time, we do get a good scene out of it. Artemis shows kindness to his therapist. After noting the pain in his leg, he sketches out a leg brace. It was a sweet scene. Clearly Artemis wasn't used to sharing his feelings or being kind.
Basically, my dream came true. Artemis was nice to someone! And later, he shows kindness to Holly about Opal's clone. It feels like some character development. Unfortunately, it's far too late. I feel like this scene should have happened in book three or four.
Later Colfer takes it to extremes to show us how Artemis has changed, by making him make the ultimate sacrifice. But it doesn't feel natural, because it is so out of the blue and not the natural progression of someone learning to be moral.
CLIMAX
The climax has a twist that I found clever. It is set up that Arty has a plan, but we don't know about it until the last second. It was a good aspect of the book. Also, Colfer plants a seed with Nopal in the beginning that finally pays off.
Unfortunately, it was marred by the death of a side character that was barely in the book (so I had little attachment) but one that was completely innocent. It felt unnecessary. After all, Arty is rescued by magical elements so why couldn't this person have been saved as well?
After the villain is vanquished, Arty thinks it's sad, because no one has won. He won. Earth won. Peace won. His reaction made no sense.
LOOSE ENDS-SPOILERS
Arty had a plan and it involved his DNA being left on Holly. But she doesn't realize until six months later. This made no sense. Has Holly not bathed for six months? I don't know why we needed the time jump anyway.
Did Colfer just want to show us how the planet had a green revolution? Even though all tech is eventually restored and there is no explanation why things just didn't go back to normal. He points out wind and solar are used more than oil. But not why. Have they suddenly become more effective?
If water is the new gold, wouldn't that mean that all of the planet is a third world country and water is hard to get? How does that fit in with tech being restored?
Also, Opal says she revealed the fairy world to mankind. Arty even thinks he can be the new ambassador for them. And then at the end of the book, apparently everyone is convinced it was a mass delusion. Seriously. I felt like Colfer was all over the place when he should have just been focusing on Artemis.
CONCLUSION
Although there is good pacing and some good writing, mainly the plot twist in the climax, the story is marred by inconsistent and confusing ideas. From the strange ideas about time travel that make little sense to the weirdly inserted plot component about Armageddon and a green utopia. Not to mention mankind learning about the People and then pretending it never happened. And the lack of character growth and the demonization of Artemis cannot be undone. I give “The Last Guardian” two and half stars.
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