Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl ^[45] series features a criminal genius protagonist, the conscience-impaired Artemis Fowl who pits his brains against the law, in the guise of the fairy police and particularly Captain Holly Short. Though set in a realistic near-future setting on Earth, with computers and other technology being prevalent, this world is also peopled by dwarfs, goblins and other mythical creatures.

In Susan Cooper’s The Boggart ^[46], the setting is present day Scotland and Canada, but one of the main characters is the boggart, an ancient trickster who, when his longtime human companion/target dies, attaches himself to the family that inherits the Scottish castle where he dwells. The boggart travels back to Canada inside a chest and then takes up residence inside the family’s computer. His pranks cause trouble for the children who are blamed for them, and his intent seems sinister until the children decode his messages and find a way to appease him.