The Time Paradox is the sixth book in Eoin Colfer’s series about young and ruthless criminal genius Artemis Fowl. Now Artemis is not quite so young - he spent the last three years in Limbo, so he’s effectively 14 although he should be 17 (remember, this is a fantasy) and he’s not quite so ruthless, either. Regular readers know the conniving kid has been mellowing since the first book was published in 2001; his journey toward a kinder, gentler antihero continues in this book. Fans also will be glad to know that Fowl’s haughty brilliance remains intact.
He’ll need it.
Artemis’s mother, Angeline, is dying - and Artemis may or may not be responsible for causing the killer infection. Making the antidote requires brain fluid from a silky sifaka lemur; unfortunately, Artemis killed the very last one a few years earlier.
The average boy would waste a lot of time feeling guilty, but not Arty. He realizes there’s nothing to do except go back in time and save the lemur. Of course, to do so he’ll have to outwit his (younger) self.
The kid has been in tight spots before, but never with his mother’s life hanging in the balance. And never with such human frailty or humility.
Of course “The Time Paradox” isn’t just about time travel, saving the world, a lemur, and mom, and righting old wrongs. That’s a code Fowl fans can understand: it means Artemis is up against more than a few formidable foes, and in this case, he also has to deal with his own failures.
Like previous books in the series, the climax of The Time Paradox is packed with so many near-death experiences and reversals of fortune that the final 50 pages are a bit too jarring; those pages give credence to some of Colfer’s literary detractors.
And I say ignore them. The final product is a high adventure, full of humor – sometimes wry, sometimes slapstick.
Colfer has said he will take a few years off from the Artemis series, and for that reason, series followers may be disappointed that some long-kept secrets remain secrets, including the narrator’s identity and his (or her?) reason for telling Artemis’s story. The author also stops short of allowing Artemis a real romance, although Arty does get kissed in book six...by a fairy, of course. But I've spilled way too much already.
If the Artemis series doesn't continue, will there really be legions of disappointed fans? Only temporarily. Many, I suspect, will pick up other titles by Colfer to fill the void, and they'll be glad. Like Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, So Long And Thanks For All The Fish, etc.) Colfer can tell a great yarn, and string along his readers, through the most fantastic of fantasy worlds.
Of course he glosses over a few details as he goes. Hey, if he really took the time to explain time travel, would you believe it? ;)
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