There Are Always Consequences | The Time Paradox Ch 1-4 | Artemis Fowl Read Along

Chapter One: Espresso and Treacle

Hello, Fowl Twins!

My first thought on being introduced to this fascinating pair is that Beckett might very well have a rough childhood. Doubtless loved by all, but when your older brother is the genius mastermind Artemis Fowl, and your twin is looking to take after his brains, there's a lot poor Beckett is going to miss out on, a lot he's probably going to feel inadequate about, and a lot of times he's going to feel the insane pressure to prove himself and live up to the 'Fowl name'. My theory, obviously. Of course, as I read on, the more I think Beckett, while not as smart as Myles, is certainly smarter than your average two-year-old. These two will be quite a handful.

Bring on the spin-off series!

Artemis as big brother is freaking ADORABLE. Abandoning French vocabulary in favor of 'play'? Grinning at his father about finger painting? And it was all interrupted far too soon. I don't care if it doesn't really pertain to the 'plot', I want more of big brother Artemis. If Artemis pops up in the Fowl Twins frequently solely to fill the role of big brother, I will be a happy reader.

Way back in The Eternity Code, Holly makes a very good point when Artemis asks her to revive Butler. 'This was not how magic was supposed to be used.' Artemis has a history of 'doctoring' things to do what he wants and manipulating to get his way, even against nature and time itself. And as a sprite once told him so long ago '...you have no idea what you're dealing with.'

Artemis is jumping the gun here, from one conclusion to another. Mother dying of a mysterious and incurable disease? Say no more! Magic healing! He acts on very little info or research and I'm trying to mesh this behavior with his personality in my mind, because this is a very un-Artemis like thing for him to do.

On the other hand, he does have a deadline and his mother is dying; Artemis has been known to do rash and uncharacteristic things concerning endangered loved ones. I have also established -at least in my own head cannon- that Artemis also has a tendency to develop blind spots when he is too focused on something else (like trying to sell the C-Cube and not realizing the danger it might put the People in).

Okay. This works better in my head now. Moving on!

Magic doesn't work. It actually makes his mother worse. For Artemis, this is a surprise gut punch. Let's think about it; over the last 6 years (counting the 3 lost in Hybras) and five books, Artemis has come to rely on magic as his ace in the whole, his fix-all, his hi-tech duct tape. And now, when he needs a magic fix-all the most -it lets him down.

There's an interesting parallel here. Before Artemis relied so heavily on magic to solve problems, he had his intellect to do the same. The entire kidnapping/ransoming scheme was a child of his intellect, after all. He thought he understood magic then and it threw him for a loop. And from The Arctic Incident to The Opal Deception, there's been a theme under the surface, a little moral trying to poke its way into Artemis' big brain: intellect, magic, and power are nothing compared to friendship. The Lost Colony delves a little deeper into Artemis actually grasping that idea. I suspect The Time Paradox will continue on the same note, especially since 'magic' isn't going to fix this problem and -as we learn later- Artemis himself is actually the problem.

Chapter 2: The World's Biggest

Fart. The World's Biggest Fart. Mr. Colfer's flatulence humor strikes again!

Commander Trouble Kelp. How did I forget that Trouble became the Commander of Recon?! Wherever Julius Root is, I'll bet he's cackling around a noxious fungal cigar.

Holly is simply incapable of routine, easy missions. Seriously. They should just stop sending her out for 'simple' assignments; by now they must have learned they're ALL going to explode. Some more literally than others.

Chapter 3: Echoes of Magic

I love that Butler and Artemis Sr agree leaving Artemis the Genius alone is a bad idea because he could 'turn a Sunday picnic into an international incident' and Artemis just nods and accepts this without fuss, meddler and trouble magnet that he is.

CENTAUR. Artemis' security password is CENTAUR. Remember how I said these two have such an underrated relationship of jibing and competing and respect? I really need that Artemis and Foaly team-up story. Pretty, pretty please?

That's right, Arty; the only chance to save your mother and you're responsible for destroying it. This isn't the first time Artemis has done serious damage with his actions, to himself or others, but it's such a harder blow when he's finally on the straight and narrow and the repercussions are from so long ago and they hit so. damn. hard. Ain't no rest for the wicked, eh?

Chapter 4: Monkey's Uncle

If you don't automatically hear Scar in your head, what kind of childhood did you even have?

10-year-old Artemis eavesdrops on his father promising his mother the world as soon as he's finished the Russian/cola deal, and Artemis himself suspects that, once trade is established in the Arctic, his father will have trouble pulling away where there are billions more to be made.

This is interesting in two ways. 

First, that Artemis is (and has perhaps on previous occasions) predicting an unhealthy cycle in his parents' relationship of Sr promising Angeline the world (literally) only to break it for the sake of money, which he valued above all. Rather a dangerous role-model for impressionable Arty.

Second, simply a reiteration of earlier commentary. Which was it that truly changed Artemis Sr? His brush with death and imprisonment or Holly's magic?

Oh, poor Arty! Standing firm and being strong in the wake of Angeline's impending nervous breakdown -to talk finances! Poor, silly boy. It almost makes one wonder... Would Angeline have gone so far off the mental edge if her son had been there for her emotionally, rather than financially?

GUYS. 10-year-old Artemis, dressed for business in his suit for the first time, with an unfamiliar coldness in his voice. THIS IS ARTEMIS' ORIGIN STORY.

Artemis sold the lemur in attempt to save his father. Because he's responsible for the lemur's death, his mother is going to die. Yet another ironic twist of fate in this series, and I love that.

It's been mentioned before that Artemis uses music to plot, but I love the emphasis on it here. Young Arty, finger conducting while concocting his first evil scheme and present Artemis putting on a mental soundtrack to plot out how to save his mother.

Artemis NOOOOOOOOO!!! You silly, stupid boy! D'arvit! Have you learned NOTHING?! But nooo, why not just manipulate Holly again; lie to her, tell her it's her fault and make her feel immeasurable guilt, even though you're perfectly aware it wasn't her!

You just told Holly and Foaly how horrible it was that you rationalized trading the lemur for your father's life, but this isn't much different, is it?

"Be strong." Both times Artemis uses this to bolster his resolve, he shouldn't.

First, hounding his distraught mother about finances.

Second, when he considers telling Holly the truth, instead of committing to this latest -and probably worst- manipulation.

Nope, here I go. I'm about to give Artemis crap.

You, young man, are not trusting your friends again. We've talked about this! Look at all the progress you've made. You're digressing.

While guilting your friends (falsely) might have made it easier to convince them, you had other good points in your favor -how the People via Opal were just as responsible for the extinction of these lemurs as you were; how desperation drove the People to do things they never would have.

What you're relying on is their fear of another outbreak, which you know won't happen. You're manipulating them because you don't think they'll bend the rules just for your mother and father. Just for you, their friend. Because it's not like they've ever done that before.

And now? Well, I guess we won't know what they would done for you, will we? Because you didn't give them the chance to help you.

March's reading schedule for The Time Paradox:

March 7: Chapters 1-4

March 14: Chapters 5-8

March 21: Chapters 9-12

March 28: Chapters 13-16

Heroism is a Mixed Basket | TLC Ch 13-16 | Artemis Fowl Read Along

Chapter 14: Leader of the Pack

When Holly complains about Artemis' bad timing for developing a sense of humor, Artemis explains that usually he'd be planning, but that's in Qwan's hands now.

Ladies and gentlemen, Artemis has all but admitted that the only reason he's not a comedian (read as: donning clown shoes and turning cartwheels in the main hall) is because he won't devote the time to it, among his other enterprises.

There could be an alternate reality out there where Artemis Fowl is born with a funny bone, instead of a drive for gold and power, and becomes comedic mastermind, instead of a criminal one.

At the first sign of trouble, who does Artemis miss? At the first sign of manual labor, who does Artemis miss? The mountainous, insanely strong, and deadly bodyguard, of course.

Artemis has come a long way since he first plotted to kidnap a fairy. He's developed out of some of his nastier flaws and even become something of a good guy. He may have earned the trust of his People acquaintance-turned-friends, but what would be the ultimate test for this genius criminal mind no so long since he craved only gold and power?

Give that boy some magic! We'll see his true colors before long and whether, as Qwan advised, Artemis will use this new gift wisely.

I suppose it is inevitable that the creator supreme of Mulch Diggums would demonstrate the effects of time surges with bathroom jokes and bodily functions.



As the island is breaking away, Holly catches glimpses of alternate dimensions, including enormous, multi-tentacled monsters.

Guys.

GUYS.

Eoin's talking about CTHULHU and the GREAT OLD ONES.

There is nothing quite so harsh or painful in this series as the moment Holly Short lies dying, a sword wound in her chest, bleeding out, with no hope of magic saving her and, knowing that Artemis is the only one who might possibly be able to help her, she calls out for her friend -and he regards her for a dispassionate second before turning away. Leaving Holly to die, alone; broken, scared, and abandoned.

Deep down, we know -we know!- that Artemis has a reason for this, that he's really working on a way to save her, that he's not abandoning her or casting her aside. After nearly five books watching Artemis grow into not only a hero (by tiny degrees), but into a friend, we know Artemis isn't abandoning his first and best friend to die alone.

But, D'arvit, it hurts.

Chapter 15: Home Again, Home Again

This moment, this scheme when Artemis fires the Neutrino into the past to save the lives of Holly and the warlocks after the fact, from the future -this is one of my favorite Artemis moments. Period.

This is, perhaps, his first truly heroic act. Sure, he's done some life-saving and executed grand schemes, but those were usually at the behest of another heroic figure, like Holly or his father, or they were an effort to put right his own mistakes, like saving the People from the likes of Jon Spiro.

This time is different. This time, Artemis is in now way responsible for the terrible event. This time, he has no one with greater experience to rely on. This time, he's on his own. The cost was terribly high -losing Holly- comparative to losing Butler in The Eternity Code, but this time Artemis has to do it all on his own. With Butler, Artemis could only do so much; it was up to Holly to truly save our favorite bodyguard. But more than that, with this scheme's wide margin for error -what if Abbot went for Artemis before he went for the warlocks? What if Artemis missed his literal second of opportunity?- there was every possibility it would fail. 

And if it failed, Artemis would not only have lost Holly, but he would have condemned her to die alone, abandoned, and scared.

Those are some pretty high stakes for Arty boy. So when he magically preserves the memory of shooting Abbott and erasing the possibility of his friends' grisly deaths despite the time quandary in his brain wreaking potential havoc on his sanity, it screams with significance.

And I love it.

When Artemis feels the phantom weight of the gun he shot at Abbot and also did not shoot at Abbott, he knows there will be consequences for meddling in time, but he'll bear them. That's a burden he'd gladly shoulder. Just like with Butler's deaths, Holly's was too horrible to accept. It is well worth the price of erasing.

But what, fellow readers, is that consequence going to be?

While No1 helps to power the spell and Qwan directs the casting, Holly focuses on the place, and what does Artemis get? Time. And how does our favorite boy genius properly land them back in his own time? By following his heart and relying on feelings. Not a cold, hard fact in sight. Time to embrace all that humanity and sentimentality you've been grudgingly developing, Artemis; you're going to need it.

Artemis realizes, while they're engulfed in the transportation spell and the magic is flowing through him, opening up parts of his brain that have never been used before, that once upon a time, humans had once possessed their own magic. They have forgotten how to use it.

This is a huge statement. After all, if humans have merely forgotten how to use their magic, it stands to reason they could possibly relearn it, yeah? I mean, Artemis is exceptional of course, but he took to magic pretty quick. Isn't there hope for other humans?

Hello, spin-off possibilities?

Chapter 16: Point of IMPact

One last IMP pun before we're done! Thanks, Eoin. ^_^

TWINS?!

This book honestly ends with more questions than resolutions concerning Artemis and his development.

What will Artemis tell his parents?

How will it affect and change their relationship?

TWINS?!

What consequence will Arty face for his meddling with time?

What will he do with his ill-gotten magic?

How will this especial heroic venture and its rather drastic physical and emotional costs affect our would-be hero?

So many possibilities!

The Lost Colony gave us a good look at Arty as a hero, trying to do good for the sake of doing good from the get go rather than executing some scheme of his own. Personally, I think this is a good look on him. But Artemis also got his first taste of exactly what costs heroes have to live with. We've already talked about this concerning Holly and Root in The Opal Deception, but let's look at everything Artemis gained on his first truly heroic jaunt:

• He saved his best friend from a grisly death
• He gets to keep that memory of his best friend's grisly death forever, and the sound of Abbott's sword sliding out of her body will haunt him for the rest of his life
• He also gets heretofore unknown consequences for using time to change events
• He rescued an entire species from extinction, saved hundreds of lives
• He lost three years of his own life and caused unimaginable pain and loss to his family

I think we can all agree, this is a pretty mixed basket. That's a lot of uplifting highs and damning traumatic lows that Arty's going to have to deal with.

Artemis also gained magic, though considering it was 'stolen', that wasn't much of a heroic gain. But how that magic affects him in the future is entirely dependent on how Artemis uses it and -well, remember when I talked about Artemis' true turning point doesn't occur until The Opal Deception when he realizes he should let him family and friends help him, rather than relying solely on himself?

Artemis showed remarkable improvement in this area, and it shows in the quality and success of his schemes (with a few exceptions). Outside his initial time jaunt (which arguably wouldn't have gone as wrong if he'd worn some silver himself and kept Butler apprised of the situation), Artemis' plans do not go awry until Taipei 101, and the fault for that lies on Minerva, who insists on doing something incredibly stupid and puts them all in danger.

But the most notable exception is right here, when Artemis convinces Holly he doesn't have any magic left. Perhaps he feared the People wouldn't let him leave with it -a legitimate concern- but considering he stole it in the first place, I feel this is a step back into his old ways for Artemis Fowl. Scheming. Plotting. Doing things he knows his friends wouldn't approve of and keeping them in the dark about it. At best, this is left ambiguous until we can see the consequences ourselves in The Time Paradox, next month.

Will you join me?

But before you go! Tell me, what did you glean from The Lost Colony? Any deep, philosophical ponderings within the pages or the characters? Any jokes you finally understand? Any specials turns of phrase that made you giddy?

Please share in the comments! I want to hear everything. ^_^

March's reading schedule for The Time Paradox:

March 7: Chapters 1-4

March 14: Chapters 5-8

March 21: Chapters 9-12

March 28: Chapters 13-16

ENDLESS Blog Tour: Book Review

Whether you're stopping in for the blog tour or one of my regular minions, welcome and enjoy your stay!

Endless
A Modern Cinderella Tale

by Jaclyn Weist
3 ½ stars

Sydney dreams of stairs. Her nights are filled with an endless spiral staircase that she can't escape. Exhausted from running them every single night, there seems to be no escape. Add to that her obnoxious stepsisters and monstrous stepmother, Sydney's life is less than peachy. But things are about to change when Sydney's father signs her up for a magic summer camp to help her learn about her powers.

Endless is a new and interesting twist to the Cinderella story, both in the retelling of it and how Weist decided to use the modern day twist. This is distinguished from most modern retellings because she has kept the magic in play, as opposed to the more popular strictly contemporary versions. The magic added a great pizzazz and good depth for this almost-familiar world. It lent to a more complicated story, with a secret magic society that added a great aura of mystery.

My favorite part of this tale is the personal development from Sydney. In the beginning she puts up with the stepmonsters with little complaint. She is complacent of her position because 'that's just the way it is', but she's also insecure and self-deprecating. It's fun to watch her rebellious streak as she starts to take control of her own life.

As a YA romance, nothing about this book made me happier than the lack of a messy love triangle. And the peasants rejoiced!

The closest it gets is the threat of a love triangle, but it's totally in the range of acceptability. Plus, Sydney and her love interest Luke are completely adorable together.

What irks me in most Cinderella adaptations is when they don't provide a solid reason or explanation for why the father married such a repulsive woman, but Endless gave me a satisfactory answer for it that made the whole story work. It's not just a Cinderella adaptation; it can stand on its own legs.

Any flaws with this book probably fall under hastiness. Some things simply develop too quickly to be totally realistic and others could have done with a little more build-up, back story, or foreshadowing.

On the whole, this was a fun read, a light and fluffy romance with a strong female character. It's a definite feel-good story and would make a great weekend read.

Endless by Jaclyn Weist gets the

TO READ seal of approval.

Jaclyn Weist is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school, when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close, but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve at BYU and they have six happy, crazy children that encourage her writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. 

You can purchase Jaclyn's books here.

Find Jaclyn on her blog: http://jaclynweist.blogspot.com

BOOK REVIEW: Dark Dancer by Jaleta Clegg

Steampunk fairy land.

That is what first drew me to this book, and it didn't disappoint. There are elves and pixies, mushroom fairy rings, magic, and machines. The world Clegg has created here is fascinating, part traditional fairy folklore, part steampunk.

(Strictly speaking, 'steampunk' isn't a completely accurate description, as steam isn't really what powers the machinery. It's better than that. Clegg went and invented a whole new 'punk' genre: Magicpunk.)
 
This blending of steampunk-style machines with magic was my favorite element of the entire book because it works. The steampunk and the magic aren't in conflict with each other, but symbiotic. Granted, there is some repercussion in the world because of this symbioses, but that's just a plot bonus. Clegg found a way to make something new out of the two elements, rather than to try holding on too hard to their traditional connotations.


My fascination with Clegg's world doesn't stop with the magicpunk. There's an interesting twist on the old English feudal system going on with the politics here, bindings and oaths, and a natural order of the fairy land tired of being ignored. There is so much about this world to learn, the pages go by fast.


The story itself is mainly plot driven, but interesting enough to keep my interest. The main character, Sabrina, learns she is the answer to a prophecy in the fairy land, and everyone wants her allegiance. Or her death. There doesn't seem to be anyone she can trust, except maybe the dashing elf outlaw pirate captain on board his airship. Yep. Dashing elf outlaw pirate captain. If Dark Dancer didn't have you at 'steampunk fairy land', Captain Joren and his airship should pull you in.


Aside from Captain Joren, there's a whole fun band of characters -including a rather short-tempered pixie, a personal favorite of mine. I did wish I could have gotten better acquainted with them all. Being primarily plot-driven, it didn't delve too deeply into character development or back story, which I would have really enjoyed. I got the same feeling with these character as I did when I first watched 'Serenity' before ever seeing 'Firefly' -namely that there's a great cast of characters, full of fun rapport, but you've caught them in the middle of something, and it would be better to find the beginning.
 
Bonus points to Clegg because this story presented the perfect trappings for a love triangle, or at least dual love interests, but she resisted, and the book was definitely better for it.


I wish Sabrina -and myself- had more of a chance to become better acquainted with the fairy land. A lot of what she learns about the world and its people is second-hand or from a distance. A sequel or companion novel to explore more of the world wouldn't be remiss, though isn't necessary. Still, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

To Read or Not to Read?

While there was a lack of character development here, I think the fascinating world balanced it out. (I'd still love to see some more background info on Joren, like how Mikkle is previously acquainted with him, etc.)

The ending wrapped up the main story, but I still had questions. There were elements stretching back as far as Sabrina's childhood that weren't entirely answered, at least to my satisfaction.

The world building was steady, but not suffocating or overbearing. Clegg also managed the story well, balancing two villains and half a dozen conflicting sides throughout the story. The book is short and sweet, goes by fast, and leaves a sweet aftertaste of pure guilty pleasure reading. (Did you catch the bit about the elf pirate?)

Dark Dancer by Jaleta Clegg gets 3.5 stars, and is definitely a fun read.

Don't miss Jaleta Clegg at Salt Lake Comic Con September 4-6!


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