The fairy people have wiped all knowledge of their world from the brain of the only human they're scared of: criminal genius Artemis Fowl. But now they need him and fast. Evil pixie Opal Koboi is planning world destruction. Stopping her will involve clearing Captain Holly Short's name of murder, springing a kleptomaniac dwarf from jail and convincing a superintelligent centaur that he doesn't know it all. If only Artemis could remember why all these strange creature are depending on him . . .