Artemis Fowl: The Seventh Dwarf
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Artemis Fowl: The Seventh Dwarf is a short story in the Artemis Fowl book series. It was published for World Book Day 2004 and cost £1 in Britain, €1 in Europe or exchangeable for one World Book Day token. It was also published as one of the short stories in The Artemis Fowl Files. In the series' chronology, The Seventh Dwarf takes place between Artemis Fowl and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident.
[edit] Plot
Artemis lures the dwarf, Mulch Diggums, to New York City and then brings him back to Ireland to steal the priceless Fei Fei tiara which contains an enormous blue diamond. Artemis claims that he intends to use it for a laser. However, a gang of six dwarfs led by Sergei the Significant have already stolen the tiara and plan to sell it at a circus to several European jewellery fences. As the dwarfs perform in the circus, Mulch sneaks in underground and takes the tiara, also knocking out their leader, Sergei.
Captain Holly Short has been relaxing in a luxury resort belonging to the People while waiting for the Council to clear her name after the incindent at Fowl Manor. However, Foaly calls her saying that she must track Artemis's plane; the LEP have been alerted by Mulch's stolen LEP helmet. He also asks whether Holly has picked up Foaly's hoof mosturiser. Holly Short catches Artemis with the tiara but not before he manages to swap the priceless blue diamond for a fake.
Ultimately, it is discovered that Artemis stole the diamond as the colour reminded him of his father's eyes. He gives the diamond to his mother as a gift and promises her that he will find his father.
[edit] Continuity error
In this story the character Mulch Diggums physically meets Artemis Fowl for the first time in the timeline of the series. However, in The Arctic Incident, Mulch's encounter with Artemis is again described as his first. This is probably due to the fact that The Arctic Incident was published two years before The Seventh Dwarf, so it is possible that Eoin Colfer had no intention of writing The Seventh Dwarf until shortly before World Book Day 2004.
Though in the story, he (Eoin Colfer) pulls it off by hiding the identity of Mulch Diggums. (The helmet prevented young Artemis from "meeting him.") In actuality, it should be that Mulch remembers Artemis, and yet doesn't mention it in Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident.
[edit] Trivia
- The title references the fairytale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and possibly The Third Man.
- The Circus Maximus is set in Wexford, the town in which Colfer grew up.
- Blue diamonds do actually exist. However they are extremely rare in nature and very valuable.
- The story is 59 pages long.
- The story also appears in The Artemis Fowl Files.
- Blue diamonds seemed to be a recurring theme: graduates from Madame Ko's Academy (where Butler trained to be a bodyguard) receive a blue diamond tattoo on their chest
