The Early Word: New and Notable Fiction for the Week of July 14, 2008

Part of: The Early Word: Fiction

It's been a year since the final installment of the wildly popular Harry Potter book series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, hit the bookshelves to great fanfare. Since the end of the Harry Potter series (despite the rumored prequels and other such buzz among Harry Potter fans), book publishers have scrambled to find a children's book series that would match the marketing prowess J. K. Rowling has created.

Even though there haven't been too many contenders so far, count Eoin Colfer's popular Artemis Fowl series as one. The series has generated a sizable fanbase, and the series continues this week with the much anticipated Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox.

Unlike the Harry Potter series, Colfer's books aren't centered around a tale between good and evil; in fact, his main character is comically evil, making things better (and eventually worse) for himself by manipulating the system around him for financial gain. In The Time Paradox, Artemis' mother contracts a disease that can only be cured by the brain fluid of the now extinct African Lemur. The problem is that Artemis knows his actions were what caused the African Lemur's extinction, so he must find a way to go back in time to find the curing brain fluid. Colfer enlists all of the fantastical elements of his Artemis Fowl series, fairies and all. But now, Artemis' mission is personal, even if he hasn't always been on his best behavior.

For the adults, there are plenty of new hardcovers out right now that follow along the same lines as some of our recent new hardcovers this month. Women's mystery writer Lisa Gardner's latest novel, Say Goodbye, is bound to be a thrilling read. Say Goodbye follows FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy as she find out details about a recent string of disappearing prostitutes - and the stories behind the disappearances become strange and twisted. Before she knows it, Kimberly is stuck trying to uncover clues to the disappearances as she gets wrapped further into the complexities of the cases - she discovers there might be a psychopathic serial killer hot on her trail. Although it follows a fairly predictable plot line for a mystery novel, Gardner's latest will surely appeal to fans of suspense.

Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2

Article tags

Spread the word
Bookmark and Share
Profile image for kevin-eagan

Article Author: Kevin Eagan

Kevin Eagan is a Blogcritics Books Editor and (occasional) freelance writer based in the Greater St. Louis, MO area. He also writes at There There Kid, a blog that focuses on literature, culture, and music.

Visit Kevin Eagan's author pageKevin Eagan's Blog

Read comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own
  • The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, Book 6) The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, Book 6)

    Artemis's mother has contracted a deadly disease--and the only cure lies in the brain fluid of  African lemurs. Unfortunately, Artemis himself was responsible for making the lemurs extinct five years ago. ...

  • Rules of Deception Rules of Deception
  • Say Goodbye Say Goodbye
  • Killer View Killer View
  • Last Kiss Last Kiss
  • Just Too Good to Be True: A Novel Just Too Good to Be True: A Novel
  • The Likeness: A Novel The Likeness: A Novel
  • Real World Real World

Article comments

Add your comment, speak your mind

Personal attacks are NOT allowed.
Please read our comment policy.
Please preview your comment.

blogcritics lists for Nov 24, 2009

fresh articles Most recent articles site-wide

fresh comments Most recent comments site-wide

most comments Most comments in 24hrs

top writers Most prolific Blogcritics for October

top commenters Most prolific Commenters in 24 hrs