The Hardy Boys

Meet Frank and Joe Hardy, the Hardy brothers. They are the sons of Fenton Hardy, a famous retired private detective in New York. Now, his sons are keen to follow his footsteps. They work together to tackle the most difficult cases, and always get the job done. They are assisted by their school-mates Chet Morton, Biff Hooper, and the like. Chet's love for food provides some comic relief in grave situations. Another peak of the series is the Boys' Aunt Gertrude, who despite her acid outward appearances, has a deep appreciation for the Hardys.

Here I'll be briefly reviewing the series, and then providing some download links.

Artemis Fowl

Twelve year old Artemis Fowl Jr. is the son of a rich Irish criminal warlord. He is also a child prodigy who is really one of the smartest persons in the world. But his life takes a turn when his father is kidnapped by the Russian Mafiya, who are jealous of his large share in Russian business. Artemis Jr. hatches a daring plan to rescue his father. He has heard stories of fairies and their Crock of Gold as a child, and browsing though the internet and the library, he found credible evidence for their existence. He decides to catch a fairy for himself.

Armed with his superhuman bodyguard, Butler, he visits Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, where there are rumours of a fairy. He finds a fairy, old with green coloured skin, in the basement of a house. He makes a deal with her and manages to get The Book of the People, the holy book of the fairies. But he decides that he wants a more important fairy for his next plan. He manages to capture another one, a female elf called Holly Short.  

Eoin Colfer, the Author

Next the story reveals that the a huge population of fairies actually live underground, in large cities that they have built for themselves. They have a much more advanced technology than humans, masterminded by a smart centaur (yes, I said centaur!) called Foaly, who is the technological brains of the fairies.

Now back to the story. Artemis decides to hold the fairy he kidnapped for ransom from fer fairy friends. Artemis demands one metric tonne of gold. But at the last moment he decides against it and returns half of the gold. As the series develops, Artemis is seen as a friend of the People (fairies), and gradually stops all his criminal activities, helping the fairies to fight against evil.

The series is excellently written in a very simple language. Good humour is another important factor in making this series fun to read. Artemis' mastermind plans and daring escapes create a feeling of awe among the reader. The author has also created a wonderful and original new world filled with wonderful new creatures. Another must read. Don't miss it.

There are eight books in the series, which was completed only in 2012. Here are the download links. Convert using docspal to a format of your choice.

1. Artemis Fowl
2. The Arctic Incident
3. The Eternity Code
4. The Opal Deception
5. The Lost Colony
6. The Time Paradox
7. The Atlantis Complex
8. The Last Guardian

The Artemis Fowl Files is a companion book to the series. I features several side stories that are set in between the main stories. Get it here (login required, create one).

The first two books were released as graphic novels (comics). Not an ideal substitute for the main books, but good graphics. Grab 'em here:

1. Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel
2. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident: The Graphic Novel

The eBooks were also released for the Nintendo DS as part of the Flips eBook series. If you have a DS or use a DS emulator, you can download the ROM here. Load it using your emulator, or flash it to your DS using a Flashcart such as SuperCard.

That's all for this post. Hope you enjoy reading the eBooks. Do let me know your comments about my blog.