ah, a new Artemis Fowl is always an excuse to just revert to one's childhood. I went teen-age instead, and was up until gone 5:00 AM this morning listening to nathaniel Parker's narration.

bit of a mixed bag here, really. The plot, old enemy comes out of the woodwork and reeks havoc, is nothing new; but it's refreshing that it wasn't Opal this time. Artemis' psychological problems are far more powerful than one would have thought, which sort of leaves the issue of global warming hanging in the balance.

There are good things, too, of course. Foaly is much more involved, I don't remember him being above ground and in danger since the first book and his out-and-about attitude adds spice to the story. The banter and language is as always deliciously Colfer, and the issues faced are truly relevant to today's society.

whilst listening, I did have a sense; not so much of deja vu per se, more of incredulity. I think my problem was that in the earlier books, the characters were forced to find and rely on each other - i.e. artemis kidnaps short, The LEP attempt a rescue, Mulch gets called in. The pattern is repeated for other books, but there's very much a sense of the characters 'neding' to be where they end up. here, it felt as though the players were simply put together for forms sake, somehow, and whilst the language and description gelled very well, I couldn't help but wonder if all of these people in a situation similar to so many others was perhaps a little too much.

the good things, the personalities and the humour, the characterisation and the technology, the whole world Colfer's made - these were very good, but I can't but help feel this was let down by a few niggles. I've already mentioned the feeling of disconnection as to how characters just appear when they're needed. holly's rank seemed to bounce from Captain to Commander with alarming rapidity, and the chapters didn't seem as well thought-out or cohesive as in previous works. Parker's reading suffered also, for although his timing and tone were perfect, some of his voices and pronunciation were a little off, and I am a stickler for consistency.

I remember reading somewhere that the Time paradox was going to be "the last Artemis book at least for a while". it's been 18 months or so, but no other Artemis book has made me feel, as this latest instalment did, that perhaps it is time colfer started to wind down the series. This time, the placing and pace seemed a little off. Hopefully the jokes and characters we've all come to love won't ware as thin.