Book Review Blog #1

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox
By: Eoin Colfer

The novel I read for my first book review was Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer. I chose this novel because I have read the other books in the Artemis Fowl series and enjoyed them. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox was one of the most exciting novels I have read in years and I am very glad I chose to read it.
After disappearing for 3 years, Artemis returns to his home to find that everything has changed. He has two younger brothers who he spends most of his time teaching and entertaining. Unfortunately, Artemis’ mother contracts a rare disease that can only be cured by the brain fluid of a silky sifika lemur. Ironically, this lemur is now extinct due to an inconsiderate deal made by Artemis earlier in his life to keep his family’s lavish lifestyle in tact. Artemis has to call upon his fairy friendships created years ago to help him break all the rules of time travel and go back in time to save this lemur. To accomplish such a large feat Artemis has to use his superior intelligence and a little bit of luck in order to outsmart anything that comes in his way and his most devious opponent yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.
The science-fiction novel, Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, contains many themes that contribute to the development of the plot. These themes are courage, love, betrayal, guilt and violence. Artemis has to betray a close fairy friend, Holly Short, in order to complete his devious and violent plan to save his mother. Unfortunately, the love for his mother and the want to save her life clouds his sense of judgement and this results in very large amounts of guilt after realising the things he willingly takes part in. Artemis needs to use much more than his wits to overpower his rivals in this addition to the Artemis Fowl series.
The author of Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, Eoin Colfer, uses modern language and some of the current slurs that come along with it. This is also the case because the novel is written around a teenage boy. Eoin Colfer wrote the novel in third -person, which was very effective. The third-person point of view allowed me to be objective because of the large amount of opinions expressed by all the characters.
The feeling of wanting to do anything to help a loved one is raised in this book when Artemis’ mother becomes seriously ill and he will do anything to save her. I know this pertains to me because I remember the feeling of wanting to help my mother when she was sick. I would have gone through all the same things that Artemis went through if it would make a difference.
The interesting thing about this novel is that it relates to Great Expectations. In Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, Artemis is coming of age and becoming a man that has to make many independent decisions very much like Pip in Great Expectations. Both novels are based around the development of characters. Artemis has to get used to constant new surroundings when he travels back in time, which also happens to Pip when living in London.
To improve this book, I think the author could get a more thorough editor. Unfortunately, spelling and grammatical errors made it through to the final copy that I found slightly annoying. An example of a spelling error is, “The Extinctionists gathered aroun Tommy Kirkenhazard’s raised finger, listening intently as if the noise emanated from inside the finger” (301). In this sentence, “aroun” should be spelt “around.” Other than the occasional spelling and grammatical error, I think the novel was well written. The novel is fast-paced, humorous, witty and action-packed, which is why I would recommend the novel to others. I would recommend the book to teenagers and even some adults seeking a fast-paced and interesting science-fiction novel, but not younger children due to some violence. One of the great things about Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox is that it keeps the reader attentive and alert for any plot changes. I was entranced by the novel and was constantly surprised to discover that I had spent hours reading it without looking away from the novel. The novel sucked me into a fantasy world, which made this 400-page book fly by.
The constant use of similes, puns and irony enhanced the writing of this novel. Similes such as, “Kronski squealed with each explosion, balancing like a scared ballet dancer,” (213) make this novel humorous and enjoyable for the reader. Along with this, puns such as, “He’s in a Fowl mood, thought Butler, in a rare moment of wit,” (168) also have the same effect on the novel. In this pun, Artemis’ bodyguard named Demovoi Butler swapped Artemis’ mood with his last name, Fowl. Also, the use of irony such as, “Caged Extinctionists, thought Holly. I’m sure Artemis appreciates that irony,” (268) makes the novel very entertaining. In this phrase, the “Extinctionists” Holly refers to are a group of human elitists who despise and kill animals that do not contribute to the human race. This group often put these animals in cages and this is why the fact that the Extinctionists themselves are caged in their own building by unknown officials is ironic.
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox was a very interesting novel with a good sense of humour along with a fascinating plot. I enjoyed reading this novel and I am looking forward to any additions to the Artemis Fowl series.