Eoin Colfer (born May 14, 1965, Wexford, Ireland) is an Irish author. He is most famous for having written the Artemis Fowl series and the novel The Wish List along with The Supernaturalist.

Colfer deplores comparison of his popular, pseudo sci-fi fairy tale to the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. Artemis Fowl was written as a modern 'fairy tale', paying homage to Raymond Chandler and James Bond as much as Cinderella.

The title character, Artemis, is a child prodigy and heir to a fortune gained largely through crime. At the onset of the series, his father (having unsuccessfully tried to go straight) is missing and his mother, distraught, is bedridden and suffers from nightmares and delirium. Artemis, naturally, does the responsible thing and formulates a fiendish scheme to boost the family fortunes (somewhat lessened in the elder Fowl's aforementioned ill-fated move towards legitimacy). Fowl Jr., along with his manservant and ultra-competent bodyguard Butler set out to kidnap a fairy. The Fairies of myth and legend, who call themselves "The People" (Artemis deduces from some web-surfing) have been in hiding deep underground since the beginning of recorded history to stay out of mankind (the Mud Men)'s wars and environmental disasters. Not that Fowl would be interested but for the legends of gold at the end of rainbows. What Artemis finds, though, is that while fairies were out of sight they have largely replaced magic with advanced technology. His appeal as a more knowledgeable, science-oriented author has made many prefer his works to Rowling's more traditional fairy tales.

However, Colfer has been criticised for being "too modern", for dropping acronyms and names without reference, and for slight inconsistencies within the books. In addition, some believe that Colfer's books are too violent for the young adult audience, which has sparked heated debates between fans and those opposed to his books.

Colfer's books are largely humorous, but Artemis does have pangs of conscience regarding his criminal activities, and his character develops significantly over the course of the trilogy. Not that he reforms entirely, either.