The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, Book 6)

I have thoroughly enjoyed all five books read by Nathaniel Parker; he performs every book superbly, giving each character a unique flavor that, to me, was as important as the book's storyline. Once I got ahold of "The Time Paradox" my heart sank as I listened to the sixth audio book narrated by Enn Reitel. After the first few minutes I had to stop listening and returned it to the library. There must have been some fallout between Random House audio and Nathaniel Parker, hence the new voice actor. But it just isn't the same...sort of like watching an epic movie like Lord of the Rings with a different Frodo in the final movie. Yuk. But wait -- I discovered that Nathaniel Parker does indeed perform "The Time Paradox" but is not available in the United States. The narration by Nathaniel Parker is available as an unabridged downloadable audiobook at www.audible.co.uk . I've listened to this sixth installment in the voice I've come to love and expect. Ahh...now I have my fix.

As an ardent fan of Artemis Fowl from the first book onward, I was more than just a little excited to find out that THE TIME PARADOX was in the works. The previous book in the series, THE LOST COLONY, was one of my favorites, and it opened so many doors that I wanted desperately to see explored. After reading THE TIME PARADOX over the course of a single day, my reactions are mixed, but one thing's for sure: with Artemis Fowl in the mix, there's never a dull moment. The storyline opens only a short while after the end of the previous book. Fourteen-year-old genius Artemis Fowl has been out of his home time for nearly three years as the result of the events of THE LOST COLONY, and the world has changed around him. But the presence of younger twin brothers at Fowl Manor is not nearly as surprising as the fact that Artemis has managed to retain some of the fairy magic that he stole while in the time tunnel, making himself part magical in turn. Early on in the story, the readers find out that Artemis has used this small magic to mesmerize his parents into forgetting all about his three-year disappearance, and is learning how to control it for specific purposes. So when Artemis's mother develops symptoms of several deadly illnesses overnight, Artemis's first instinct is to use his fairy magic to save her. When that fails, draining all of the magic out of Artemis, his first call is to Holly Short, reinstated Captain in the Lower Elements Police. Holly arrives and diagnoses Artemis's mother with a rare disease known as spelltropy, usually passed between magic users by the use of power. The only cure is the brain fluid of a silky sifaka lemur--a species that became extinct nearly eight years ago, thanks to the work of a younger Artemis Fowl desperate for money to fuel the search for his then-missing father. Artemis is convinced there's a simple solution to this problem: go back in time using the magic of demon warlock No. 1 and steal the lemur from his younger self before returning to his own time. Of course, with Artemis involved, nothing could ever really be that simple. Nonetheless, he and Holly both make the journey almost eight years back in time to outsmart the ten-year-old Artemis and a group of Extinctionists bent upon getting their hands on the lemur--not to mention a mysterious third player who may be manipulating everyone from behind the scenes. The storytelling is vivid, the jokes are always funny, the puns are horrendous in the best of ways. The repartee between Artemis and Holly gets better in every book. But for whatever reason, I didn't enjoy this Fowl adventure as much as I did previous ones. It seemed somehow like there was less at stake. It was an interesting ploy, since the "villain" Artemis faces off against for the first half of the story is himself, but a lot of the major weight of the story felt psychological. Of course, there were the requisite explosions and high-speed cross-country ch

I've read them all as have my kids (15 and 16). This is my 2nd favorite in the series (of course #1 has to be the favorite as it's the introduction to this world created by Colfer). The reviews I've read are way too critical, I found this book to be great at adding new characters (new book coming up?). The villians are not the smartest, but I really enjoyed the read. Colfer had to have a breakout book like this to expand the characters, and I really liked it.

I couldn't put The Time Paradox down. Like the previous Fowl books, this one is brimming with sly humor, re-imagining fairies that pack heat and have super-cool gadgets. What kept the pages turning for me, however, was the idea of traveling back in time to interact with yourself. In The Time Paradox, instead of plotting the perfect crime as in earlier installments, this time Artemis Fowl races to undo one of his previous criminal acts. This sets in motion a showdown between the teenage genius and his younger, more heartless self. My favorite Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, dealt with the same intriguing situation. Harry and Hermione went back in time to right a terrible wrong, and had to save the day while occupying the same time and space as their earlier, clueless selves. They were successful in part because they never directly faced themselves. In The Time Paradox, Artemis Fowl doesn't have that good fortune. Fans of the Fowl series will recognize many of the memorable characters here. Antihero Artemis Fowl himself, an autocratic teenage genius. Plucky elf Captain Holly Short of the elite LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance). The explosively flatulent dwarf Mulch Diggums. Evil pixie Opal Koboi. This book has something for everyone. It's a fairy tale with high-tech James Bond gadgetry. The action is nonstop. Author Colfer handles the fledgling love story between elf Holly and human Artemis with delicacy. It's a bit of a tearjerker, with Artemis's beloved mom near death. It's a morality play, about the extinction of a sweet and curious lemur species. It may be a bit hard to follow if you haven't read the previous books, but it's still plenty diverting. It will make you want to pick up the earlier installments. Other Eoin Colfer books include Artemis Fowl, Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code, Artemis Fowl (The Opal Deception), The Lost Colony, Airman, Half Moon Investigations, The Supernaturalist and The Wish List. Here's the chapter list: Prologue 1. Espresso and Treacle 2. The World's Biggest 3. Echoes of Magic 4. Monkey's Uncle 5. I Now Pronounce You 6. I to I 7. Talk to the Animals 8. A Blob of Phlegm 9. The Prince Frog 10. A Fowl Mood 11. Pigeon Droppings 12. Gone Forever 13. The Hairy One is Dead 14. The Hole in the Ace 15. Murder Most Fowl 16. A Team of Hairdressers