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The Time Paradox

The Time Paradox Cover

Details

  • Length: 391 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin Books
  • Language: English
  • Format: Hardcover/Paperback
  • Release Date: 15th July, 2008 (US & Canada) and 7th August, 2008 (UK)

Synopsis

Artemis Fowl, say hello to Artemis Fowl.

When Artemis Fowl’s mother contracts a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down. The only hope for a cure lies in the brain fluid of the silky sifaka lemur. Unfortunately, the animal is extinct, thanks to the money-hungry deeds of a younger Artemis.

Though the odds are stacked against him, Artemis is not willing to give up. With the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it to the present. But to do so, Artemis will have to defeat a maniacal poacher, who has set his sights on new prey: Holly Short.

The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother Artemis will have to break them all…and outsmart his most cunning adversary yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.

(Thanks to FowlStar for pulling this info together for us!)

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Pre-Release

Prior to this book being released, we tracked the rumors and whispers around the web. If you’re curious to see what the build-up was like, read on!

The next book is going to be “the last one for a few years,” so it had better be good! It is called The Time Paradox, and is due for release on 15th July 2008 in the US and Canada, and 7th August in the UK. So far Artemis has battled fairies, the mafia and even time-warped demons. There’s only one thing worse than that; himself a few years back.

What Do We Know?

July 08 – Concrete Release Dates, a Full Plot Summary, and an Extract from the Book

Release Dates: 15 July 2008 (US) and 7th August 2008 (UK)
Book Extracts: Read or Listen here
Plot Summary:
(NB: Full plot summary courtesy of the official US Artemis Fowl website. All typographical errors have been preserved as noted with “sic”.)

After disappearing for three years, Artemis Fowl has returned to a life different from the one he left. Now hes [sic] a big brother, and spends his days teaching his twin siblings the important things in life, such as how to properly summon a waiter at a French restaurant.

But when Artemis [sic] mother contracts a life threatening illness, his world is turned upside down. The only hope lies in the brain fluid of a silky sifaka lemur. Unfortunately, the animal is extinct, due to a heartless bargain Artemis made as a younger boy.

Though the odds are stacked against him, Artemis is not willing to give up. With the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it back to the present. But to do so, Artemis will have to defeat a maniacal poacher who has set his eyes on a new prey: Holly Short.

The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother, Artemis will have to break them all and outsmart his most cunning adversary: Artemis Fowl, age ten.

April 08 – US and UK Book Covers

These book covers have started circulating on the Internet.
Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox UK Cover Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox US Cover

December 07 – Name, Release Date and Plot!

Name: The Time Paradox
Release: 15th July 2008 (Source)
Plot: “Artemis has to go back in time to defeat his most dangerous foe, his younger, and less amiable self.” (Source)

August 07 – The Last Book For a While

Colfer said in a video blog, that book 6 will aim to tie up all of the loose ends so far, but the story will leave open a possibility for him to continue the series a few years later if enough people want him to. The sad news is that it will be at least 3 years later…

May 07 – Some Plot Background

Colfer posted on his blog a message about helping young writers, which included this little snippet:

I am working on Artemis 6 at the moment- no title yet. I am trying to tie up a lot of loose ends in this one- why Artemis is the way he is. Holly’s past. Mulch’s behind. A few new characters but mostly old ones. So far we have visited Finland, Ireland and Morocco. So a nice mix there.

Loose ends? Have a look at the bottom of the page to see the loose ends that we’ve noticed, which may be answered in this next book!

May 07 – The Twin’s Names

Furthermore, Colfer has said that the twin’s names will be Beckett and Myles. Beckett is a Nobel Prize winning Irish author and playwright who wrote Waiting for Godot, and Myles is a figure from Greek mythology, said to mean “strength.” For the record, there is also a “Myles Beckett, accredited expert on the paranormal.” You never know with Colfer…

January 07 – Basic Outline

Colfer has mentioned the plot in an interview with another site, saying that:

“I am working on the plot at the moment. It will involve Finland, monstrous creatures that have lain dormant for millennia, time travel and little brothers who are pains in the butt.”

This was then confirmed in UK paperback version of The Lost Colony, which states that the first chapter of the book will take place in a harbour in Helsinki (The capital of Finland).

What may happen?

BlackOpal has composed a list of loose ends we have from the series so far, and hopefully, at least some of these will be answered in the next book.

  • Who will Artemis end up with? Minerva? Holly? Juliet? Or nobody at all.
  • Will Artemis ever turn honest?
  • If so, what will he occupy his spare time with?
  • How will demons adjust to society?
  • His parents now know (or have been told about) fairies, how will the react? Will the have an important role in the next book?
  • How much magic does Artemis have? Will it slow down his aging? What can he use it for?
  • Will Foaly still be monitoring Artemis?
  • How will the fact that Artemis lost toyears in a time war be handled? Will people notice that he is younger than eighteen?
  • How will his parents react to having him back? How will Minerva react?
  • Has Artemis Fowl Senior gone completely aboveboard? Will their family be officially be legal?
  • Has Foaly read Artemis’ memories (he took a copy of them in the Eternity Code)? If so, what does he think of them? (Inspired by MMK)
  • Who’s the new LEP commander?
  • Will Butler ever be the same?
  • Will Juliet receive her blue diamond? Is she permanently out of body guarding?
  • What will happen to the Warlock Daemons?
  • Will Artemis stay in touch with his fairy friends?
  • What are the twin’s names?
  • Will they be a pain, helpful, or just there?
  • Does Artemis want siblings?
  • Will they be anything like him?