Eoin Colfer’s ‘Artemis Fowl’ strikes again

  The sixth installment of Eoin Colfer’s “Artemis Fowl” series finds our sometimes criminal, sometimes heroic boy genius in quite a pickle.
  In “The Time Paradox,” Artemis’ mother contracts a rare disease, one that could decimate the fairy realm as well as kill his mom. The only cure lies in the brain of the silky sifaka lemur, a species now extinct after Artemis, years earlier, made a deal with a member of an extremist group to hand over the last lemur.
  Artemis, being smart and all, comes up with a plan to save his mother. He decides to go back in time and save the last lemur from his younger, not-so-nice self — not an easy challenge.
  “One moment he was in control, enjoying the smugness that comes with being the smartest person in the metaphorical room. The next he was crashing back to earth, having sacrificed his queen for a rook, realizing he was up against somebody just as smart as he was, only twice as ruthless.”
  “Time Paradox” has the charm of the previous books since it includes the familiar characters of Foaly, the smart-mouth centaur; Mulch Diggums, the farting dwarf; as well as Capt. Holly Short, an elf with whom Artemis seems to be a bit smitten.
  While Artemis’ lovable friends add some laughs to the book, it’s also fun to see how much the once-evil boy genius has grown. When confronted with his 10-year-old self, Artemis can hardly believe how obnoxious and patronizing he was as a child. He also comes to see that he is no longer fulfilled by a life of crime.
  “Have I changed utterly? Artemis asked himself. He realized that he was running out of palatable crimes. Not so long ago, nearly all crime had been acceptable to him.”
  Of course, an Artemis Fowl book wouldn’t be complete without some surprises. And there are a couple, but you’ll have to read to find out.
  Colfer puts an original spin on the fairy world with this series, one that children and adults should find amusing and entertaining.
  The other books are “Artemis Fowl,” “The Arctic Incident,” “The Eternity Code,” “The Opal Deception” and “The Lost Colony.”