Why have I not read Artemis Fowl before?!

I would just like to say that I have never read "Artemis Fowl", so I know absolutely nothing about this series. Thus, my first question is that: are there fairies in these books? They always seemed a bit more of the science fiction side instead of that of fantasy. Either way, I enjoyed the use of amusing chapter titles. It reminded me so much of Percy Jackson. After reading the excerpt, I regret not reading this series sooner. I will definitely be picking up this book and all the other ones at the library.