The Time Paradox

Summary: Artemis Fowl has returned from the demon dimension to find out that three years have passed, and that he has new younger brothers. He's used the remnants of his secretly procured fairy magic to persuade his parents not to notice that their eldest son is three years younger than he's supposed to be, but settling back in to a normal life is proving tricky. But then his mother gets sick: terribly sick, sick with a magic-borne disease that invariably proves fatal unless treated. The only problem is that the only known cure involves the cerebral fluid of a lemur... from a species that went extinct over eight years previously. A species in whose extinction a younger Artemis just may have had a hand. But in order to save his mother, show more Artemis is willing to risk everything, including having the demon warlock Number One send him and the fairy Holly Short back in time to save the last lemur. But everyone seems to want that lemur, and Artemis will have to outsmart not only the leader of a group that calls themselves the Extinctionists, but he will also have to outwit a younger version of himself... and he will have to do it all before he and Holly are forced to return to the future.

Review: I realize that by my review of the Artemis Fowl books, I may be getting a little repetitive, but thus far, all of the books in this series have been just plain reliably fun. They're geared towards the younger end of the YA set, but they're snarky and clever enough that they're fun for adults as well. Similarly, there are always some interesting moral quandaries and honest emotional moments amid all the running around and fairy technology and explosions, plus there's been some really interesting character development over the course of the series - highlighted in stark relief here, since we get to see book-6-Artemis literally right next to just-before-book-1-Artemis.

This book in specific had a number of things that I liked, and a few that didn't work quite so well for me. To start with, I love time travel books, and thinking about the paradoxes of the title (does traveling into the past cause the need to travel into the past in the first place, etc.) is like catnip for me, and I thought this book managed to hit just the right level of complexity on that score without getting itself irretrievably tangled. I also enjoyed watching older Artemis be forced into some self-reflection, and it was interesting to watch him deal with situations not only without Butler to lean on, but with past-Butler as an adversary.

My primary negative was that I found the Extinctionists a little too contrived and silly for them to really be effective as villains. (Although they did remind me of the Epicurean Society from Neil Gaiman's short story "Sunbird".) They were okay as a foil for both older and younger Artemises to play off of, but I felt like Artemis vs. Artemis was the more interesting conflict. The other thing with which I wasn't entirely pleased was the direction it appears Colfer is taking the Holly/Artemis relationship. I think they're much more interesting as friends and allies, and although I suppose as Artemis ages he's going to invariably become more interested in romance than he was as an 11-year-old, I liked the fact that prior to this point, the story didn't have - and didn't seem to need - a romantic component. (Plus, despite some time-travel shenanigans fudging with their relative ages, Holly's still substantially older than Artemis, and it's just kind of gross.)

But those are both relatively minor points. On the whole, this book had no problem drawing me in, keeping me interested, invested, and entertained, and I flew through the audiobook (which Enn Reitel does an excellent job narrating) in shockingly quick time. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: So much of this book is based on what's gone before that the series absolutely must be read in order. But this one's a fun installment, easily on par with the rest. (Although it did suffer from a relative lack of Foaly. Ah well.) show less

I cannot, for the life of me, understand why I gave this three stars when I first read it ten years ago. Also, I can't believe it's been ten years?! The Time Paradox is so much fun, plus I love the time travel aspects. I love the mixture of science and magic and Colfer manages to splice into everything. And I love the characters in this one - the awkward love story, and Artemis trying so hard to do the right thing but doing it the completely wrong way.

Things I loved about this? The way the message works with the story rather than the story just preaching about endangered species. The way we get BOTH No. 1 and Mulch, instead of just one comical sidekick (I still like Mulch better, but No. 1 tends to be the favorite after his show more introduction). The way that the time tunnel messed with Holly and Artemis, and of course... the aspect of two Artemis Fowls is super fun.

Honestly, after the reread, I think The Time Paradox jumps to my favorite in the series? So many elements of what I love in the series as a whole are present here, and it was a delight to read.

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Original review (2008) - Three Stars show less

Finally returned to his family, Artemis Fowl now must save his mother from the ravages of a magical disease. To do so, he reunites with his fairy friends - and enemies - to travel back in time to reserve the consequences of actions he had taken eight years ago. The time travel back to Artemis' own past can make the plot convoluted at times, but most of the loose ends are tied up neatly by the conclusion. A fun read, full of humor and wit. It was good to see both versions of Artemis Fowl and fully see the transformation the criminal mastermind has undergone.

I gave up on reading the Artemis Fowl series a while back because I felt it was becoming formulaic with diminishing returns. But I had a change of heart, and after a decade decided to pick up where I left off. It felt good to be reacquainted with the characters like old friends. And this book strikes me as more mature than the earlier novels. In order to save his mother, a teenage Artemis has to go back in time with Holly to face his most devious opponent yet: his 10-year-old self. The novel oozes with philosophical ideas and pondering of mortality. The book also features a group of people whose goal is to cause extinction of animals, which is particularly grim. Sure, the formula is still there (Mulch Diggums shows up for some fart show more jokes and the ultimate villain is the same old character) but it feels refreshed and new. I'll have to continue reading the newer installments of this series. show less

I really enjoy this series, but as I was explaining to a friend the other day, it has changed significantly. It started out as funny fluff -- a clever redux on the idea of fairyland (LepRECON is a division of the fairy police force), neatly threaded with the dreams of any 12-year-old boy (hey, who doesn't want to be a criminal mastermind?) -- but these days, after several volumes and the passage of years within the series, the tone has mellowed from fairy-tale-on-speed to a calmer, though still clever, attempt at emotional maturity. Whether this makes the later books better, worse, or simply different depends, I suppose, on the reader. Certainly, the fact that, by this volume, Artemis has "gone straight" and is trying to save his show more mother's life instead of gleefully wreaking havoc in order to reap illicit fairy technology for joy and profit makes this newest book less wickedly delightful. But the story, and the way Colfer deals with the title issue, is a fresh concoction with characteristic sharp twists. For those familiar with the series, the climactic scene has both predictable and surprising elements. The reappearance of a familiar villain did not bring me much joy (eligible for Most Annoying Villain Ever award), and I'm not sure how I feel about the fleeting romantic tension between two of the main characters; still, there were laugh-out-loud moments and hilarious mental visuals, as well as the sheer pleasure of having to figure out what's REALLY going on. Ultimately, one may not feel the same mischievous satisfaction as in previous installments, but especially for those attached to the characters, this is still worth reading. show less

It's always a risky strategy when time travel is involved, especially when you have your heroes tampering with their own pasts and altering the events leading up to previous books. Colfer pulls it off very well resulting in the ultimate time paradox that will hurt your brain if you think too much about it. There is always a strong environmental theme in these books, but this one in particular really hammered the point home, focusing on endangered species both real and mystical. Definitely my favourite of the series after the first book, it goes a lot darker and there were a lot less fart gags and an altogether more serious tone.

Perhaps I would give this four and a half stars. It was good (I especially liked the kiss, what was the deal with that? I have never, EVER liked inter-species romance before until this one, which is killing me and I really want them to kiss again, and why is that? I never would have thought it. Never would have predicted it, so is that why I liked it? Sorry, I digress), but I felt most of the story was a little long. And there is a certain antagonist that I just wish would DIE already. Why didn't Artemis just kill her? I would have been so happy. Artemis should have just taken his lovely gun, and instead of it being a tazer of some sort or another, it should have blasted her away. The end. Seriously. Don't soften it for the kids... I'm show more sure they all wish she was dead too. show less