Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, by Eoin Colfer

I have to say, I have lost faith in Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series. I thought the first two were great. The third, by far the best, left me wishing for more. I loved it. But the fourth, the Opal Deception, was lackluster - relying on an old villian and no funny parts. The latest one, the Lost Colony, was abysmal, confusing and with no character development.
But then this one changed my view.
The Time Paradox is a very, very good story. Yes, in the beginning I didn't like it. But it catches its stride in the middle with action, breathless pace, and bang-up suprises. I loved it.
The story is that Artemis Fowl, a teen genius who is less-than-good, has a mother who is dying with a rare disease. The only cure is the brain fluid of the silky sifaka lemur, which Artemis made exctinct a few years back. Naturally, they go back in time to save it, but one person gets in the way. Artemis himself.
Yes, the plot sounds a little outlandish, but Eoin Colfer not only pulls it off, he entertains us and leaves us laughing along the way.

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Finally, my first review! Alright, this book was the first book I read after HP7, so I knew it couldn't beat that. But this is a great book. Some things that I like about it are...
1) the author created a fantasy masterpiece, but it is written as a biography-a nifty touch that adds to the splendor.
2) The characters all have cool names (I know, not much to go by, but...)
3)The action scenes are actiony - there are a lot of them, too!
This book centers around 15 yr old Conor Broekhart (see, I told you the names were cool!), a boy who was born IN a balloon. He lives in the Saltee islands, off Ireland, in the 1890s. He and his french tutor have always dreamed of creating a flying machine. But in a turn of events (you know, the oh-my-god-did-that-just-really-happen kind) he is left convicted of a terrible crime and sent to prison by the evil Hugo Bonvilain (another cool name.).

This book has a great beginning, ok middle and fantastic end, so I heartily recommend it. I would say this is without a doubt the best book of 2008 so far. The author, Eoin Colfer (say "Owen") is the author of, among others, one of my personal favorites, the Artemis Fowl series. But I enjoyed this book twice as much as I did any of those. So even if you're not a Fowl fan, grab this one!

Grade: A-

Age Group: I don't think you will enjoy this as much if you are not in middle school (there are some slow parts in the middle, and some violent parts), so confirm w/ your parents if 10 or younger.