Artemis Fowl is a young adventurer. Artemis' father was once the leader of an organized crime group and Artemis has learned many of his father's secrets. For this reason, Artemis has lived a life of crime, using cruelty and his extreme intelligence to get what he wants no matter who it hurts. However, recently, Artemis has become more moral and has begun to give up his life of crime in the pursuit of more humane quests. As a part of this, Artemis has recently befriended one of his enemies, the fairies.
Artemis has recently returned from Limbo, where he spent several weeks in battle but has returned to discover three years have passed in reality. Artemis is surprised to find that his parents have had twin boys, Miles and Beckett. However, Artemis quickly adjusts and takes on the role of older brother with relish. Everything seems to be good in Artemis' life until his mother becomes ill. No one seems to know what is making her sick. Artemis tries to heal his mother with magic, but it only makes the situation worse.
Artemis learns that his mother is dying from a disease that is specific to fairies. The only cure is the brain fluid of a lemur, but Artemis himself arranged the death of the last surviving lemur. For this reason, Artemis decides he must go back in time to save his mother, proving that changes in his personality that have made him much more compassionate are still going strong.
