The Artemis Fowl series, by Eoin Colfer, began with Artemis Fowl, and moved through AF: The Arctic Incident, AF: The Eternity Code, AF: The Opal Deception, and AF: The Lost Colony. The most recent continuation is Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox. When we meet the title character in the first novel, he is ten years old and is hatching a plot to steal a code book which will allow him to find the Fey civilization — which is underground. He is not the most pleasant of boys, nor ethical, but he is a genius and we find that he does have a poignant reason for wanting to locate the Fairies.

Through subsequent books, Artemis matures and he turns over a new leaf, too — trying to make ethically healthier (for everyone) decisions and use his mental powers and monetary fortune for "better" instead of "worse." He acquires friends who come to respect and like him, and he likes them as well — especially fairy police captain Holly Short. But, in The Time Paradox, Artemis must face his own worst enemy — actually two of them: the pixie Opal Koboi, who has murdered her way to power before and is intent on gaining it back; and himself, as a ten-year-old once again. For, Artemis travels back in time to gain a cure for his dying mother and, in violation of the primary time-travel rule of not encountering other people, manages to entrap himself by and with himself. This causes all sorts of complications — both for the present and the future, to which Artemis and Holly must return within a certain time frame, or be trapped forever in the past. Throw in the dwarf Mulch Diggums, the last silky sifaka lemur, the Centaur Foaly, the bodyguard Butler, and a pack of human beings who want to destroy other species to give more resources to themselves, and there are quite a few twists and turns to be navigated as Artemis the Elder tries to succeed in saving his mother and finding the way back to his own time.

This series was very suspenseful, and filled with surprises and humor. Both Artemis the Younger and Artemis the Elder are true to their personalities and capabilities. Their foe Koboi must be defeated to save both civilizations and it will take both Artys, and all their friends, to pull it off! I have enjoyed the entire series, as well as Colfer's other books, and readily recommend this latest book to you if you have already read the previous books in the series. If you haven't, then this is a good time to start! The books are suitable for Intermediate level and older readers — making great gifts to others or yourselves!

Happy Reading!