The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges
The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges is the second novel in Eoin Colfer's The Fowl Twins series, a spin-off and continuation of the Artemis Fowl series and second cycle of The Fowl Adventures,[1] following Myles and Beckett Fowl, the younger twin brothers of criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II, as they live out their house arrest under the supervision of pixie-elf hybrid Lazuli Heitz.[2] Deny All Charges was released 20 October 2020 by Viking Press and Disney Hyperion. The novel was well-received by critics, with reviews comparing its quality and success to that of the original series.[3]
![]() Irish and UK cover | |
| Author | Eoin Colfer |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Goni Montez |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Fowl Twins |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Viking Press/Disney Hyperion |
Publication date | 20 October 2020 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 978-1-368045-04-9 |
| Preceded by | The Fowl Twins |
| Followed by | Get What They Deserve |
Background
Colfer stated writing Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian that he had had "enough" with the series, opting to take a "breather" from it in favor of other projects, stating with regards the writing of The Fowl Twins that "[i]t would probably be a lot easier if I was on Artemis 15 by now. I just find I get bored, and if I get bored, the work suffers", having decided to return to the Fowl series after having "had too many stories running around in [his] head to ignore", referencing that while it is "not very Irish to be proud of something, but I started to feel a pride in the [Fowl] world. I'm kind of a curmudgeon, really, but I went back into it more positively."[4][5] Colfer received an initial order of two books for the The Fowl Twins spin-off series from Disney Hyperion, writing both The Fowl Twins and Deny All Charges simultaneously.[6][7]
Reception
Critical reception for The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges was positive, meeting with praise from most reviewers. Kirkus Reviews praised the book, writing: "Colfer [continuously] strings dazzling displays of high tech, heartwarming peeks at the family dynamics of the closely knit if decidedly eccentric Fowl clan, dolphin-back rides, huge blobs of slime (some of it explosive), and a climactic exhibition of prejudice gone off the rails that is intense enough to leave readers queasy."[8] The Irish Times praised the novel as an "offer [of a] page-turning adventure with a side of ridiculous fun", numbering it among the "best children’s books of the year".[9] while Laughing Place praised how "Colfer has proven that you can capture lightning in a bottle twice with this supremely hilarious and joyful read", and of his "gift with language and for creating such likable characters that makes this reader chuckle from page to page."[10] Better Reading complimented the novel's "multi-faceted" characters and for "action sequences [that] are jam-packed [with a] dialled-up [form of] craziness [at] maximum levels in a kind of literary challenge."[11]
References
- Cain, Sian; Lea, Richard (7 January 2020). "Guardian children's books podcast: Eoin Colfer on returning to Artemis Fowl". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- Maughan, Shannon (20 February 2020). "Fall 2020 Children's Sneak Previews". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- Paynter, Michael (11 April 2018). "Eoin Colfer signs Artemis Fowl spin-off series deal". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- Mesure, Susie (8 November 2019). "Eoin Colfer on The Fowl Twins and his Artemis Fowl success: 'It's not very Irish to be proud of something'". iNews. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- Corbett, Sue (22 October 2019). "Q & A with Eoin Colfer". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- Kantor, Emma (11 April 2018). "Disney to Publish 'Artemis Fowl' Spin-Off Series". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- Barter, Pavel (20 October 2019). "Twins peak in Eoin Colfer's spin-off to Artemis Fowl series". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- "Review: The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges". Kirkus Reviews. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- Keating, Sara (20 December 2020). "The best children's books of the year and the best Christmas stories". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- Gowsell, Bill (20 October 2020). "Book Review — "The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges"". Laughing Place. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- "Thrilling, playful, Fast and Furious: Read a review of The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges by Eoin Colfer". Better Reading. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
