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Artemis Fowl #6
The Time Paradox
Alternate Cover Edition for ISBN: 9781423108368
After disappearing for three years, Artemis Fowl has returned to a life different from the one he left. Now he's a big brother, and spends his days teaching his twin siblings the important things in life, such as how to properly summon a waiter at a French restaurant.
But when Artemis Fowl's mother contracts a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down. The only hope for a cure lies in the brain fluid of the silky sifaka lemur. Unfortunately, the animal is extinct due to a heartless bargain Artemis himself made as a younger boy.
Though the odds are stacked against him, Artemis is not willing to give up. With the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it back to the present. But to do so, Artemis will have to defeat a maniacal poacher, who has set his sights on new prey: Holly Short.
The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother, Artemis will have to break them all.and outsmart his most cunning adversary yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.
After disappearing for three years, Artemis Fowl has returned to a life different from the one he left. Now he's a big brother, and spends his days teaching his twin siblings the important things in life, such as how to properly summon a waiter at a French restaurant.
But when Artemis Fowl's mother contracts a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down. The only hope for a cure lies in the brain fluid of the silky sifaka lemur. Unfortunately, the animal is extinct due to a heartless bargain Artemis himself made as a younger boy.
Though the odds are stacked against him, Artemis is not willing to give up. With the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it back to the present. But to do so, Artemis will have to defeat a maniacal poacher, who has set his sights on new prey: Holly Short.
The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother, Artemis will have to break them all.and outsmart his most cunning adversary yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.
391 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2008
2227 people are currently reading
28046 people want to read
About the author
Eoin Colfer
199books11.7kfollowersEoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father and mother, who were both educators.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,586 reviews
January 28, 2021
(A-) 84% | Very Good
Notes: Treats adolescence as a mind-altering drug and youth as a more singularly-focused, less compunctious state of being.
Notes: Treats adolescence as a mind-altering drug and youth as a more singularly-focused, less compunctious state of being.
July 3, 2024
(A-) 84% | Very Good
Notes: Wherein logic pains (aches your brain), a hero's hormone-drunk, and sense begets kiss-regret: a fandom ship is sunk.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
Notes: Wherein logic pains (aches your brain), a hero's hormone-drunk, and sense begets kiss-regret: a fandom ship is sunk.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
November 24, 2021
"Fabulicious"
"Peace be inside me, tolerance all around me, forgiveness in my path. Now, Mervall, show me where the filthy human is so that I may feed him his organs."
I've never being a fan of time travelling: too many things to think about. But I guess I should've seen this coming, with Colfer wanting to explore pretty much every fantasy element he could think of. Still, I think this became one of my favorite time travel books. It's not just because of the ever so entertaining Opal's younger version was there, but for keeping the loopholes of such a sequence well in control. With time travel, it's always a gamble that rarely pays off. While I don't look forward to anymore timeline manipulation within Fowl series, it was nice of the author to bring these completely new areas to the story to keep things entertaining.
"If there's one thing the Mud Men do know, it's how to explain away and explosion. The Americans invented Area 51 just because a senator crashed a jet into a mountain."
"Oww. Why-for miss, dost though torment me?"
"Peace be inside me, tolerance all around me, forgiveness in my path. Now, Mervall, show me where the filthy human is so that I may feed him his organs."
I've never being a fan of time travelling: too many things to think about. But I guess I should've seen this coming, with Colfer wanting to explore pretty much every fantasy element he could think of. Still, I think this became one of my favorite time travel books. It's not just because of the ever so entertaining Opal's younger version was there, but for keeping the loopholes of such a sequence well in control. With time travel, it's always a gamble that rarely pays off. While I don't look forward to anymore timeline manipulation within Fowl series, it was nice of the author to bring these completely new areas to the story to keep things entertaining.
"If there's one thing the Mud Men do know, it's how to explain away and explosion. The Americans invented Area 51 just because a senator crashed a jet into a mountain."
"Oww. Why-for miss, dost though torment me?"
November 10, 2023
Artemis Fowl finds himself up against his most dangerous opponent ever --> himself!!! So a time paradox story; can the Artemis Fowl franchise succeed where the Heroes TV show, The Star Trek Voyager finale, the 12 Monkeys TV show and so many other franchises imploded?
I getting to an age when I feel that sci-fi or fantasy franchises that don't use a time travel story are the only one's worth reading. Yet somehow Eoin Colfer puts together a pretty entertaining time paradox story with some sweet series' impacting twist, but, as with so many time-travel stories it felt convoluted and sort of needless, and even worse will now feed into the next instalment, I fear. The clash of the Fowls still makes it worth a read though. There's also a very nice Holly Short bonus short story at the end, which is a must-read for fans of the franchise. The weakest of the series so far, yet still an 8 out of 12 Four Star read!
2023 and 2019 read
I getting to an age when I feel that sci-fi or fantasy franchises that don't use a time travel story are the only one's worth reading. Yet somehow Eoin Colfer puts together a pretty entertaining time paradox story with some sweet series' impacting twist, but, as with so many time-travel stories it felt convoluted and sort of needless, and even worse will now feed into the next instalment, I fear. The clash of the Fowls still makes it worth a read though. There's also a very nice Holly Short bonus short story at the end, which is a must-read for fans of the franchise. The weakest of the series so far, yet still an 8 out of 12 Four Star read!
2023 and 2019 read
March 11, 2017
You do not own a copy of the rule book, and if you do, you have certainly never opened it.
I liked this book more than the last one. But still this book has little problem which I faced.
In this book, Artemis' mother gets ill by some serious disease. There is only one cure which is an extinct species. He asks Fairies for help. With the help of fairies, Artemis gets back in time to find that species. But he comes to know that, in past time, his younger self and Opal Koboi (antagonist), are also after this species.
The whole book revolves around how he will get that species to present time through life threatening dangers.
Main problem is:
This thing didn't look good to me that, that species got extinct by Artemis himself when he was younger.
This series always set Artemis for every bad deed. I liked that thing in previous books. But in this book, this thing seems little baseless to me.
Never mind, I enjoyed it a lot!
2 books are left!! Hope I will get the good conclusion!
(^_^)
November 28, 2018
A very gripping tale... reading novels like these ensure that a parallel to the 'popular literature,' there is something called 'meaningful literature'. Cheers to the author!
April 21, 2019
Done reading THE TIME PARADOX - Book 6 in Artemis Fowl Octalogy, entirely read in Amazon Kindle. All in all, I give it a solid 5 of 5 stars!
This is by far my favorite. Artemis Fowl becomes a big brother to twins - Beckett and Myles. Sadly, his mom is terribly ill. There is no cure but the Irish boy genius will do whatever it takes to heal his mom. Even if it means changing the past.
The last four chapters are over the top. Totally ambitious storytelling though all is great. The author finds a way to connect the dots.
This is by far my favorite. Artemis Fowl becomes a big brother to twins - Beckett and Myles. Sadly, his mom is terribly ill. There is no cure but the Irish boy genius will do whatever it takes to heal his mom. Even if it means changing the past.
The last four chapters are over the top. Totally ambitious storytelling though all is great. The author finds a way to connect the dots.
July 26, 2008
I LOVED this book! Eoin Colfer writes such great fun to read stories! I loved the ending of this book and the whole idea of the book too with the whole time traveling and Artemis meeting his past self and being outsmarted by his younger self. After reading this book, I definitely want to reread the first one again.
Everyone must give Artemis Fowl a chance! It's a great series and one of my absolute favorites!
Everyone must give Artemis Fowl a chance! It's a great series and one of my absolute favorites!
February 7, 2024
The entire series of Artemis Fowl has been an enjoyable romp, fraught with the perils of real death (a major character died in an earlier novel), yet also replete with hilarious toilet humor (Mulch Diggums and his bum-flap overalls which allow him as a dwarf to. . . um, digestively process dirt). Although Artemis is a human being, he has found a way to remain in contact with the fae-folk, in general, and Holly Short (a fairy) and Foaly (a centaur) in particular. They have served to deviate Artemis from his formerly criminal path and have set him on a more altruistic one.
When Artemis finds out that his mother is terminally ill and that the cure is presently extinct, he determines that he must travel back in time with the fairy-folk and find the cure. The major obstacle in his way is a ten-year-old version of himself who at that time was as conniving and vile as possible. Hence, the Time Paradox storyline, always a difficult narrative to elucidate with all of its inherent pitfalls common to the subgenre.
I love these novels a great deal, especially because I got a chance to share these with my middle child. The story is a little more convoluted than previous ones, but still a fun read.
When Artemis finds out that his mother is terminally ill and that the cure is presently extinct, he determines that he must travel back in time with the fairy-folk and find the cure. The major obstacle in his way is a ten-year-old version of himself who at that time was as conniving and vile as possible. Hence, the Time Paradox storyline, always a difficult narrative to elucidate with all of its inherent pitfalls common to the subgenre.
I love these novels a great deal, especially because I got a chance to share these with my middle child. The story is a little more convoluted than previous ones, but still a fun read.
January 22, 2009
When did these books get so bad? The plot was half-baked and meandering, and the dialogue was so awkward I could barely stand to read it. The writing is all just clichés and people trying to be cooler/smarter than someone else, with technology thrown in as a deus ex machina whenever it's needed. Is that what appeals to boys? I don't know. I hated the twins and Professor Primate and Holly being the biggest emotional wreck ever and THE KISS oh god don't get me started on the kiss. :|
But most of all? I hated Artemis. WHY would you create an evil super-genius with no morals and then have a long character arc set over six books where he eventually becomes a model citizen? I liked him far more when he was inherently selfish, because then the occasional twinge of doubt or guilt he had were real Events. THAT was why the ending of the first book was so momentous. A nice person isn't interesting, no matter how clever they may be. (And yet I hated little!Artemis for being a whiny brat. I guess he was too emotional at that age.)
But most of all? I hated Artemis. WHY would you create an evil super-genius with no morals and then have a long character arc set over six books where he eventually becomes a model citizen? I liked him far more when he was inherently selfish, because then the occasional twinge of doubt or guilt he had were real Events. THAT was why the ending of the first book was so momentous. A nice person isn't interesting, no matter how clever they may be. (And yet I hated little!Artemis for being a whiny brat. I guess he was too emotional at that age.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2020
Second time around and my feelings about this book haven't changed. It also helps that I read this book back in April, unlike the previous books in the series. Angeline was not my favorite person, or mother, in the world. She seemed to be like the London Tipton of this book and didn't really care about what she spent money on.
I also found it interesting that what I found interesting the first time around.. just annoyed and frustrated me. For example, the lemur and his mom... ugh, just no. I was so done with his mom in this book.
Then Artemis just seemed to backtrack and become more robot to me which just made me sad. In the end, I'm hoping that the next book will pick things up again and make me happy. If not, then I have no idea what I will do.
____________________________________
Eh, it was okay. Not my favorite.
The Time Paradox sounded like it would be an interesting book. Yet, after diving into it... I just don't think it actually worked for me. As far as I know, if time travel really existed then wouldn't it be more realistic to have an altered future if someone interacted with someone in the past?? Now I get it, it's not real but I wouldn't assume talking to people in the past would still leave me to the exact present I left.
Other than that, Artemis just seemed off to me in this book. The whole lemur and his mom being sick was intriguing enough but it's like.. things seemed way too easy in this one. I get it, he destroyed a lemur that would eventually end up saving his mom's disease. What I don't get is how Artemis could handle all the new technology with a snap of his fingers. It also didn't help that I was confused throughout most of this book as well.
In the end, I'm hoping that the next book will be better.
I also found it interesting that what I found interesting the first time around.. just annoyed and frustrated me. For example, the lemur and his mom... ugh, just no. I was so done with his mom in this book.
Then Artemis just seemed to backtrack and become more robot to me which just made me sad. In the end, I'm hoping that the next book will pick things up again and make me happy. If not, then I have no idea what I will do.
____________________________________
Eh, it was okay. Not my favorite.
The Time Paradox sounded like it would be an interesting book. Yet, after diving into it... I just don't think it actually worked for me. As far as I know, if time travel really existed then wouldn't it be more realistic to have an altered future if someone interacted with someone in the past?? Now I get it, it's not real but I wouldn't assume talking to people in the past would still leave me to the exact present I left.
Other than that, Artemis just seemed off to me in this book. The whole lemur and his mom being sick was intriguing enough but it's like.. things seemed way too easy in this one. I get it, he destroyed a lemur that would eventually end up saving his mom's disease. What I don't get is how Artemis could handle all the new technology with a snap of his fingers. It also didn't help that I was confused throughout most of this book as well.
In the end, I'm hoping that the next book will be better.
July 18, 2012
**Not too spoilery, there may be one or two things that aren't present in the official premise, but you discover them fairly quickly anyway.**
I have truly grown fond of the Artemis Fowl series since I first read it as a child, which is probably the reason why I can go back and read the first four books in the series, despite the younger age demographic and slightly juvenile writing. The first four books were great fun to read because they had charm and they made enough sense for me to suspend reality and just enjoy it. *This* book, however, jumped the shark...enormously.
First off, Colfer practically shoves his environmentalist views on the reader the entire time. Though this isn't exactly new to the series, and it's not always a terrible thing, subtlety is the key. This book is about as subtle as an oil tanker crashing into a field of baby seals. My God, the antagonist in this book is so one sided, so hilariously evil, that there is no facet of his personality or plan that the reader can even understand, never mind sympathize with. Colfer's one attempt at giving this eco-terrorist a motive, ambiguity, humanity...fails horribly. The fact that so much of the plot rests on this man's shoulders makes my heart ache.
Let's move on to the second problem with this book, the one that the title implies: A Time Paradox. Time Paradox, indeed. In this book, Artemis and Holly must go back in time to change the past, because, as we all know, Artemis was kind of a douche when he was younger, and he made a ruthless deal with the...*shudder*...Extinctionists, whose goal is to make most animals in the world extinct. Why? Who knows? (It is actually explained in the book, and it has to do with some convoluted utilitarian philosophy that made me want to throw the book out the window in disbelief). So this deal happened and the one thing that could have saved his mother was extinguished from the world by his own doing. How poetic...and also dismally contrived. I mean, really, what are the chances? There's no magic or fate or anything, it's just by pure frickin' coincidence. Anyway...throughout the book, there are several interactions between the future Artemis and Holly and past characters. This is dangerous, dangerous territory. Some authors do this well, many do not, and one can guess by my tone that I don't think Colfer executed this trope very well...at all. When you retroactively add scenes into a universe, which is obviously what he did, it has to make sense; some detail from the earlier books should come into place that makes the reader go "huh, I guess that's why that happened", or something like that, but NO. These isolated interactions are just there, they are never fully explained, the reader says to him or herself "Wow, they should really be effing up the space-time continuum" but...nope, guess not.
I don't have much to say about the characters, except that some of them have strange traits that were never mentioned before in any of the five books before it, therefore adding nothing to the story and, actually, retracting from it by ruining the immersion. For example, Holly cricks her neck to the side to do magic. It's just a thing she does. Oh, really? Well, thanks for never mentioning it in any of the previous books. This may seem small but it is important. Always establish basic character traits off the bat. Major changes, even outright betrayal, etc. That's fair game for future books (as long as it makes sense in the context of the story). It's called character development. Little stuff like this, don't bother if you didn't establish it in the first place. It's irking, and it makes me feel like I don't really know the characters anymore. One thing I have to say about the book, though, is the baffling and unexpected romance that springs up. It's a bit weird, to say the least, but it piqued my interest, so there you go.
This book...I can't say I had huge expectations after reading the last one (which I was also fairly disappointed in), but I did not anticipate such a heartbreakingly bad book. I don't know what happened, but I am seriously bummed out, because although I love these characters and grew up with them, I truly can't get past how badly I hate the writing in this book. Reading many of these reviews, most people seemed to like it, which I don't really understand but it's cool that other people are satisfied with it, I guess. I just wish I hadn't invested such a chunk of myself into this book series that turned into something that I despise. I guess I'll always have the first four, though, and that'll have to be enough.
I have truly grown fond of the Artemis Fowl series since I first read it as a child, which is probably the reason why I can go back and read the first four books in the series, despite the younger age demographic and slightly juvenile writing. The first four books were great fun to read because they had charm and they made enough sense for me to suspend reality and just enjoy it. *This* book, however, jumped the shark...enormously.
First off, Colfer practically shoves his environmentalist views on the reader the entire time. Though this isn't exactly new to the series, and it's not always a terrible thing, subtlety is the key. This book is about as subtle as an oil tanker crashing into a field of baby seals. My God, the antagonist in this book is so one sided, so hilariously evil, that there is no facet of his personality or plan that the reader can even understand, never mind sympathize with. Colfer's one attempt at giving this eco-terrorist a motive, ambiguity, humanity...fails horribly. The fact that so much of the plot rests on this man's shoulders makes my heart ache.
Let's move on to the second problem with this book, the one that the title implies: A Time Paradox. Time Paradox, indeed. In this book, Artemis and Holly must go back in time to change the past, because, as we all know, Artemis was kind of a douche when he was younger, and he made a ruthless deal with the...*shudder*...Extinctionists, whose goal is to make most animals in the world extinct. Why? Who knows? (It is actually explained in the book, and it has to do with some convoluted utilitarian philosophy that made me want to throw the book out the window in disbelief). So this deal happened and the one thing that could have saved his mother was extinguished from the world by his own doing. How poetic...and also dismally contrived. I mean, really, what are the chances? There's no magic or fate or anything, it's just by pure frickin' coincidence. Anyway...throughout the book, there are several interactions between the future Artemis and Holly and past characters. This is dangerous, dangerous territory. Some authors do this well, many do not, and one can guess by my tone that I don't think Colfer executed this trope very well...at all. When you retroactively add scenes into a universe, which is obviously what he did, it has to make sense; some detail from the earlier books should come into place that makes the reader go "huh, I guess that's why that happened", or something like that, but NO. These isolated interactions are just there, they are never fully explained, the reader says to him or herself "Wow, they should really be effing up the space-time continuum" but...nope, guess not.
I don't have much to say about the characters, except that some of them have strange traits that were never mentioned before in any of the five books before it, therefore adding nothing to the story and, actually, retracting from it by ruining the immersion. For example, Holly cricks her neck to the side to do magic. It's just a thing she does. Oh, really? Well, thanks for never mentioning it in any of the previous books. This may seem small but it is important. Always establish basic character traits off the bat. Major changes, even outright betrayal, etc. That's fair game for future books (as long as it makes sense in the context of the story). It's called character development. Little stuff like this, don't bother if you didn't establish it in the first place. It's irking, and it makes me feel like I don't really know the characters anymore. One thing I have to say about the book, though, is the baffling and unexpected romance that springs up. It's a bit weird, to say the least, but it piqued my interest, so there you go.
This book...I can't say I had huge expectations after reading the last one (which I was also fairly disappointed in), but I did not anticipate such a heartbreakingly bad book. I don't know what happened, but I am seriously bummed out, because although I love these characters and grew up with them, I truly can't get past how badly I hate the writing in this book. Reading many of these reviews, most people seemed to like it, which I don't really understand but it's cool that other people are satisfied with it, I guess. I just wish I hadn't invested such a chunk of myself into this book series that turned into something that I despise. I guess I'll always have the first four, though, and that'll have to be enough.
March 10, 2009
Listened to on audiobook by Listening Library, narrated by Enn Reitel.
Very disappointed that Nathaniel Parker did not narrate this latest installment in the Artemis Fowl series. I had grown so used to his characterizations and really enjoyed them. It was a bit like having all the actors change in the middle of the season on your favorite TV show. Not that Enn did a bad job, it just wasn't the same.
This story seemed a bit draggy and convoluted. Artemis goes back in time to save a lemur that his earlier self had sold to an extinctionist society. He'd sold it in order to fund the rescue mission to Russia to save his father. Now he needs it back because his mother has contracted a fairy plague and fluid from the lemur's brain is the only thing that can save her. All the possible situations that can arise in time travel happen in this book and the going back and forth between the young and old Artemis becomes tiresome and confusing.
I don't know if it was because of the new narrator or if the story really wasn't up to par, but this was not my favorite Artemis Fowl book.
Very disappointed that Nathaniel Parker did not narrate this latest installment in the Artemis Fowl series. I had grown so used to his characterizations and really enjoyed them. It was a bit like having all the actors change in the middle of the season on your favorite TV show. Not that Enn did a bad job, it just wasn't the same.
This story seemed a bit draggy and convoluted. Artemis goes back in time to save a lemur that his earlier self had sold to an extinctionist society. He'd sold it in order to fund the rescue mission to Russia to save his father. Now he needs it back because his mother has contracted a fairy plague and fluid from the lemur's brain is the only thing that can save her. All the possible situations that can arise in time travel happen in this book and the going back and forth between the young and old Artemis becomes tiresome and confusing.
I don't know if it was because of the new narrator or if the story really wasn't up to par, but this was not my favorite Artemis Fowl book.
August 21, 2023
Put your thinking cap on before you dive into this awesome story. There are plenty of twists and turns and good fun to be had as you set off on another adventure.
May 23, 2017
I'm not going to finish this one after all, I'm just going to admit it.
It's like a ghostwriter took up writing this one because Eoin Colfer couldn't be bothered, and everything just took a turn for the worse, with a ridiculous, rushed plot and additions like "Holly cracked her neck, she always did that before using magic" No, she didn't?? Such a thing was never mentioned in the previous not one, not two, but five books in the series.
I don't care if I'm nitpicking, but I enjoyed the first few books, and even while reading the first few pages of this one, I knew I couldn't do it. Too bad.
I should also mention that I really hate time travelling in books. It's just one of the reasons I DNFed this one.
It's like a ghostwriter took up writing this one because Eoin Colfer couldn't be bothered, and everything just took a turn for the worse, with a ridiculous, rushed plot and additions like "Holly cracked her neck, she always did that before using magic" No, she didn't?? Such a thing was never mentioned in the previous not one, not two, but five books in the series.
I don't care if I'm nitpicking, but I enjoyed the first few books, and even while reading the first few pages of this one, I knew I couldn't do it. Too bad.
I should also mention that I really hate time travelling in books. It's just one of the reasons I DNFed this one.
February 28, 2020
Not the strongest in the series to far, and yet... The beginning was a bit slow, or rather didn’t grab me as much, with some of the elements in the premise feeling too ‘engineered�. However, as the narrative progressed, the crazy adventure mode takes precedence and I couldn’t help enjoying it. Additionally, I love time travel stories and Colfer is definitely adept at juggling with this, even reaching a point where everything made actual sense LOL
June 27, 2020
Ο Αρτέμης Φάουλ έγινε επιτέλους ταινία και εδώ και λίγο καιρό πέφτω πάνω σε κριτικές που λένε πόσο ανεκδιήγητα κακή είναι. Δεν ξέρω αν έχω σκοπό να τη δω (μάλλον όχι, λέω να μην ταράξω την ψυχική μου υγεία) αλλά εξαιτίας της θυμήθηκα ότι δεν είχα τελειώσει ποτέ τη σειρά! Reread λοιπόν το 6ο, το τελευταίο που είχα διαβάσει (σε λίγο θα το μάθω απ' έξω), και συνεχίζω με τα δυο τελευταία!! :D
March 1, 2023
*3.75 stars
Artemis has come a long way from his 10 years old self and all for good. I like this boy and wish him well.
Artemis has come a long way from his 10 years old self and all for good. I like this boy and wish him well.
August 31, 2009
Highly disappointed by this book. Artemis Fowl was such a huge part of my childhood, and I spent forever waiting for this last book to come out. I had already sort of moved on from the series, but I was looking forward to it because I expected another excellent book out of the 4 book winning streak of the series.
What a letdown. Obviously this book was written out of popular demand, not because the author had a really well-structured, tailored plot in mind to continue the series with. It felt like bad fan-fiction.
And this book created cliches within the series. The most suspenseful parts of the book were supposed to be that a) Opal Koboi came back for the THIRD time, and b) Butler nearly died for the third time, too.
Strange to think that Koboi used to be my favorite villain of the series.... Okay, if you're going to have the main, surprising twist of a book be that some villain you thought was dead comes back for revenge, make it only happen ONCE. Like in The Opal Deception. Then it's good--that book was my favorite of the series. But twice?? Come on, like we didn't see THAT coming! Not to mention, this time it's completely illogical and blows huge holes in the plotline of the entire series. And she has to come back in the possible seventh book because the ending is a cliffhanger--Opal gets away.
Butler, Butler, Butler. If you're such an awesome bodyguard, why do you keep dying?? Again, first and second time we cared about it and we were really scared, but the third time makes all of the surprise go away.
It's difficult to create your own cliche, but Colfer seems to have managed two of them...
Yes, it's a time travel book--it's going to be confusing. But does it have to be so confusing that at the end we find ourselves asking "What the hell just happened??"
Perhaps the only thing I liked about this book was the last few sentences--how it connects back to the beginning with the thought "Fairies. Something about fairies."
That's a total of four really decent words in a 400 page book.
What a letdown. Obviously this book was written out of popular demand, not because the author had a really well-structured, tailored plot in mind to continue the series with. It felt like bad fan-fiction.
And this book created cliches within the series. The most suspenseful parts of the book were supposed to be that a) Opal Koboi came back for the THIRD time, and b) Butler nearly died for the third time, too.
Strange to think that Koboi used to be my favorite villain of the series.... Okay, if you're going to have the main, surprising twist of a book be that some villain you thought was dead comes back for revenge, make it only happen ONCE. Like in The Opal Deception. Then it's good--that book was my favorite of the series. But twice?? Come on, like we didn't see THAT coming! Not to mention, this time it's completely illogical and blows huge holes in the plotline of the entire series. And she has to come back in the possible seventh book because the ending is a cliffhanger--Opal gets away.
Butler, Butler, Butler. If you're such an awesome bodyguard, why do you keep dying?? Again, first and second time we cared about it and we were really scared, but the third time makes all of the surprise go away.
It's difficult to create your own cliche, but Colfer seems to have managed two of them...
Yes, it's a time travel book--it's going to be confusing. But does it have to be so confusing that at the end we find ourselves asking "What the hell just happened??"
Perhaps the only thing I liked about this book was the last few sentences--how it connects back to the beginning with the thought "Fairies. Something about fairies."
That's a total of four really decent words in a 400 page book.
September 24, 2016
“Ah, yes, the trusty time paradox. If I go back in time and kill my grandfather, then shall I cease to exist? I believe, as Gorben and Berndt did, that any repercussions are already being felt. We can only change the future, not the past or present. If I go back, then I have already been back.�
Artemis’s mother is sick and the only option how to save her is to travel in time and save a lemur, who only can cure her. But before he has to prevent his younger self, who’s helping with extermination this species.
If I wouldn’t read the last 70 pages or so than would be this book my favorite one. But Unfortunately I have read them.
I loved the idea with the whole time traveling and duel between past-Artemis and present-Artemis but the end was really bad. Don’t get me wrong, I really love this series and I can even say it’s one of my favorite ones but The Time Paradox contains few flaws I couldn’t get over:
- the basic rule of time traveling is ‚don’t interact with anybody from the past or it will affect the present day� � what happend with it? Holly and Artemis interacted almost with everyone with no effect on the future.
- narration from past and present Artemis was sometimes really confusing. It took me few sentences before I knew whose POV I was reading.
- the solution was just weird. I think that Eoin himself was confused with the story and didn’t know how to solve the whole situation so he threw new technologies and more confusing Artemis’s explanations whenever he needed. That all was too smart even for Artemis and I’m not completely sure if I got the solution right.
But I still liked the book. If you don’t focus on every word, it’s pleasant and funny read, just next time make it simple and don’t get confused yourself and us, Eoin.
I am highly curious if there will be something more between Holly and Artemis!
I really recommend to peek inside Artemis’s world to everyone.
May 21, 2019
I love both time travel and Artemis Fowl, and this book had them in abundance. It had two Artemises (Artemisi?) because of the time travel, and to see them match up in a battle of wits was so entertaining. As much as I loved this series when I was a kid, I never got to this book, or at least I don’t think I did because I didn’t remember anything about it. But I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Artemis needs to go back to the past in order to find a cure for his dying mother. He enlists Holly Short to help, and the two of them go on an adventure to capture a lemur that Artemis himself killed years before. It’s a very interesting story, and I think my favorite thing is that one of their main enemies in the book is ten year old Artemis Fowl. By going up against himself, it shows how much he’s grown as a character from an evil mastermind to a complex but mostly good genius. I did really like Artemis as an anti-hero, but seeing him grow throughout the books as he ages made for a good story. However, I didn’t necessarily love the ending, but the rest of the story absolutely made up for that. This is such a good series, and even though it’s meant for a younger audience than me I can’t help but feel that it’s still entertaining after all these years.
Artemis needs to go back to the past in order to find a cure for his dying mother. He enlists Holly Short to help, and the two of them go on an adventure to capture a lemur that Artemis himself killed years before. It’s a very interesting story, and I think my favorite thing is that one of their main enemies in the book is ten year old Artemis Fowl. By going up against himself, it shows how much he’s grown as a character from an evil mastermind to a complex but mostly good genius. I did really like Artemis as an anti-hero, but seeing him grow throughout the books as he ages made for a good story. However, I didn’t necessarily love the ending, but the rest of the story absolutely made up for that. This is such a good series, and even though it’s meant for a younger audience than me I can’t help but feel that it’s still entertaining after all these years.
December 23, 2016
can you believe Holly and Artemis are soulmates
December 21, 2017
review to come
March 11, 2020
3.5 stars
I liked this instalment less than the previous ones, even though I quite like all kinds of time travel stories. To me it resembles more book 1 in that it sometimes is quite childlike (if I'm using the right word). What also bothered me was that young Artemis may be twice as ruthless but the older one has more experience yet the younger one outsmarts him every time. Having said all this, I always enjoy being back with the characters. So, looking forward to the next up in the series!
I liked this instalment less than the previous ones, even though I quite like all kinds of time travel stories. To me it resembles more book 1 in that it sometimes is quite childlike (if I'm using the right word). What also bothered me was that young Artemis may be twice as ruthless but the older one has more experience yet the younger one outsmarts him every time. Having said all this, I always enjoy being back with the characters. So, looking forward to the next up in the series!
August 23, 2021
--4/5 stars--
So, forget about what I said about Artemis and Minerva being a power couple (believe me, they still are and would make a fabulous pair), but never has the romantic tension between Artemis and Holly been so present. I mean, sometimes you can't help but start to feel things for someone who's been with you for every saving-the-world adventure, especially when you're a hormonal teenage boy or elf.
Obviously, the story isn't all about Holly and Artemis making goo-goo eyes at each other (though I not-so-secretly wish it were). In this fantabulous installment, Artemis must find a way to cure his mother of a presently incurable fairy disease, so he takes his friends on a time-travel journal to do battle with his worst adversary yet: his ten-year-old self. Unfortunately, there are some missteps along the way--because things just aren't allowed to be simple for Artemis and Holly--and they end up with a lapful of trouble from Earth's greatest threat, Opal Koboi.
As with the previous book, here is where Artemis's true character bursts through: the sarcasm, wit, and ever-abundant genius are still there, but interspersed with the will to help people other than himself or his immediate family, and the desire just to be a better person in general. He's still fourteen (almost fifteen) and a child, but that doesn't mean he can't make a difference, and he still doesn't let age define what he can and can't do. I wish I had been as persevering--or stubborn.
This actually concludes my reread of the series; I have yet to read the seventh and eighth books for the first time. Though I have the seventh ready to go, I think the last one will probably just break me, so we'll hold off on it for now.
So, forget about what I said about Artemis and Minerva being a power couple (believe me, they still are and would make a fabulous pair), but never has the romantic tension between Artemis and Holly been so present. I mean, sometimes you can't help but start to feel things for someone who's been with you for every saving-the-world adventure, especially when you're a hormonal teenage boy or elf.
Obviously, the story isn't all about Holly and Artemis making goo-goo eyes at each other (though I not-so-secretly wish it were). In this fantabulous installment, Artemis must find a way to cure his mother of a presently incurable fairy disease, so he takes his friends on a time-travel journal to do battle with his worst adversary yet: his ten-year-old self. Unfortunately, there are some missteps along the way--because things just aren't allowed to be simple for Artemis and Holly--and they end up with a lapful of trouble from Earth's greatest threat, Opal Koboi.
As with the previous book, here is where Artemis's true character bursts through: the sarcasm, wit, and ever-abundant genius are still there, but interspersed with the will to help people other than himself or his immediate family, and the desire just to be a better person in general. He's still fourteen (almost fifteen) and a child, but that doesn't mean he can't make a difference, and he still doesn't let age define what he can and can't do. I wish I had been as persevering--or stubborn.
This actually concludes my reread of the series; I have yet to read the seventh and eighth books for the first time. Though I have the seventh ready to go, I think the last one will probably just break me, so we'll hold off on it for now.
March 13, 2011
Another stellar visit into the world of Artemis Fowl (teenage genius) and Holly Short (captian of the L.E.P.).
Back from the place where time doesn't exist (where he saved Number 1 - a warlock), three years has gone by but Artemis (and Holly) both find that they are the same as when they left on their last journey. Artemis has two new (twin) 2 year old brothers.
But, Angeline Fowl is sick. Deathly ill. And it's because of magic. She has been infected with a plague like illness that struck down fairies in the past but now is virtually unheard of. Cure? lemur brain fluid.
Problem? Artemis (his 10 year old self) had the last lemur killed 8 years ago. Answer? GO BACK IN TIME!
Artemis and Holly get closer in this novel and you can see the bonds between the pair get stronger. Artemis's nasty criminal mind is becoming more moral in his old age and he's realizing what it really means to have friends and family.
I'm anticipating another novel in this series. I hope it comes out soon.
First read:
Start: September 9, 2008
Finished: September 11, 2008
Second read:
Start: February 22, 2011
Finished:
Back from the place where time doesn't exist (where he saved Number 1 - a warlock), three years has gone by but Artemis (and Holly) both find that they are the same as when they left on their last journey. Artemis has two new (twin) 2 year old brothers.
But, Angeline Fowl is sick. Deathly ill. And it's because of magic. She has been infected with a plague like illness that struck down fairies in the past but now is virtually unheard of. Cure? lemur brain fluid.
Problem? Artemis (his 10 year old self) had the last lemur killed 8 years ago. Answer? GO BACK IN TIME!
Artemis and Holly get closer in this novel and you can see the bonds between the pair get stronger. Artemis's nasty criminal mind is becoming more moral in his old age and he's realizing what it really means to have friends and family.
I'm anticipating another novel in this series. I hope it comes out soon.
First read:
Start: September 9, 2008
Finished: September 11, 2008
Second read:
Start: February 22, 2011
Finished:
October 3, 2021
#1) Artemis Fowl ★★★☆�
#2) The Arctic Incident ★★★☆�
#3) The Eternity Code ★★★☆�
#4) The Opal Deception ★★★★�
#5) The Last Colony ★★☆☆�
#7) The Atlantis Complex ★★☆☆�
� Trigger warnings for .
� � �
February 2, 2023
Mimo, że ewidentnie nie jestem targetem, to doskonale się bawię <3
May 6, 2019
I always seem to forget just how fun this series is. The action picked up from the first page, and kept me turning the page with farcical situations and interesting plot twists. The plot twists kept coming thick and fast, until the climax exploded onto the page. The major reveal was a little bit of let down, but I did enjoy how this played out. I was further disappointed by the resolution, and will have to read the next in the series soon.
January 17, 2016
This book only furthered my displeasure that stemmed from the 5th book. Colfer stretched out his plotline to unnecessary proportions.
Since the subject of this novel was time travel, there were many questions left unanswered, especially because Colfer could not establish one set of rules for his time traveling universe. I am unconvinced with Colfer's "ability" to write science fiction - I think he should stick to fantasy, since this book obviously failed at being a mix of a sci-fi/fantasy book.
1. What happened with the whole warning of "Don't interact with anybody from the past or it will affect the present" deal? I vaguely understood that Fowl understood time travel to wind around the idea that even if the event had not happened yet, it had still happened (i.e. Opal's plan). But then why would No. 1 and Foaly warn Artemis and Holly not to interact with anyone in the past? (They interacted with EVERYONE)
2. Mind wiping - what about Julius? I would believe even that small interaction would cause change in the future.
3. Artemis seemed to remember the past wrongly. At one point, he even has a revelation as to why this is so, but we never get back to it. Why? This was a very important idea in the plotline - why were things not as Artemis remembered them? And why are we never told why this was so?
4. How the hell did Artemis get a message to past Mulch?
5. Why was Artemis not smart enough to think of getting the lemur after his past self had sold it? The past Artemis needed the money to find his father. If he had succeeded in stealing the lemur from himself, it would have screwed up the future. Though I realize everything worked out in the end, why didn't Artemis THINK of these consequences? (he thinks to himself about how it was too unpredictable to get the lemur from his enemy because he does not have memory of those events - kind of a weenie way out of an explanation, isn't it?)
6. Considering that the 4th book has happened, Opal will somehow return back to her time and time will occur as normal and she will try to regain power through the coarse of the rest of the books. Why on earth would Colfer leave opening for another freaking novel about Koboi?
And two more things:
1. The twins were useless - they did nothing for the plot or characters. Why add them in at all?
2. Everyone keeps mentioning the power of warlocks, when I thought that the 5th book made it perfectly clear that they were all dead except for No. 1 and his mentor?
Though I was unsatisfied with the general subject and plotline of this book, it was a generic, fun read. I was less displeased with this one than the 5th one.
Since the subject of this novel was time travel, there were many questions left unanswered, especially because Colfer could not establish one set of rules for his time traveling universe. I am unconvinced with Colfer's "ability" to write science fiction - I think he should stick to fantasy, since this book obviously failed at being a mix of a sci-fi/fantasy book.
1. What happened with the whole warning of "Don't interact with anybody from the past or it will affect the present" deal? I vaguely understood that Fowl understood time travel to wind around the idea that even if the event had not happened yet, it had still happened (i.e. Opal's plan). But then why would No. 1 and Foaly warn Artemis and Holly not to interact with anyone in the past? (They interacted with EVERYONE)
2. Mind wiping - what about Julius? I would believe even that small interaction would cause change in the future.
3. Artemis seemed to remember the past wrongly. At one point, he even has a revelation as to why this is so, but we never get back to it. Why? This was a very important idea in the plotline - why were things not as Artemis remembered them? And why are we never told why this was so?
4. How the hell did Artemis get a message to past Mulch?
5. Why was Artemis not smart enough to think of getting the lemur after his past self had sold it? The past Artemis needed the money to find his father. If he had succeeded in stealing the lemur from himself, it would have screwed up the future. Though I realize everything worked out in the end, why didn't Artemis THINK of these consequences? (he thinks to himself about how it was too unpredictable to get the lemur from his enemy because he does not have memory of those events - kind of a weenie way out of an explanation, isn't it?)
6. Considering that the 4th book has happened, Opal will somehow return back to her time and time will occur as normal and she will try to regain power through the coarse of the rest of the books. Why on earth would Colfer leave opening for another freaking novel about Koboi?
And two more things:
1. The twins were useless - they did nothing for the plot or characters. Why add them in at all?
2. Everyone keeps mentioning the power of warlocks, when I thought that the 5th book made it perfectly clear that they were all dead except for No. 1 and his mentor?
Though I was unsatisfied with the general subject and plotline of this book, it was a generic, fun read. I was less displeased with this one than the 5th one.
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