This month, July 2008, the sixth and fina book in the Artemis Fowl series will be released. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox is now available for pre-order on Amazon. The Amazon page for the book lists the release as July 15.

Well that sure snuck up on me. I had no idea until I decided, randomly, to visit author Eoin Colfer’s website today.

There is also a post up on EoinColfer.com with a short promotional video for the upcoming book. It overviews the key part of the story, complete with imagery of similar ilk to those seen in the Artemis Fowl graphic novel.

The Overlord Protocol, by Mark Walden, is the sequel to another book in the same series, though I haven’t had the fortune of reading the first book yet.

H.I.V.E., or the Higher Institute of Villainous Enterprises, is a school set-up by an international league of villains, known as G.L.O.V.E. (Global League of Villainous Enterprises), to train future villains. When villain Cypher launches a plot to storm H.I.V.E. and overthrow G.L.O.V.E., Otto Malpense and company land right in the middle of things, and end up having a key roll in stopping Cypher.

The book is full of humorous bits, and hidden jokes, and I like the overall premise. It was an enjoyable read, but the level is too low for my personal liking. And for some odd reason, people have decided to compare it to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. (When will people cut it out?) I fail to see how they can make the comparison. I find it closer to Artemis Fowl, though H.I.V.E. is a somewhat lower reading level than that.

Overall, The Overlord Protocol was enjoyable, though I wish it’s level was a little higher. It stands well by itself, but I would like to read the previous book nonetheless.

I think it’s safe to say you’ve heard of Jurassic Park.

I just finished reading the book last week, and it’s a lot better than the movie, that’s for sure. There is plenty of character background, back story, spread throughout the novel, along with some scientific factoids blended in. It is a well-crafted cross between a sci-fi book and a horror novel.

The storyline is significantly different, and much darker than its cinematographic counterpart. The characters are different as well. While Spielberg played-up the “Cool, Dinosaurs! Oh no, they’ve escaped” part in the film (though many character deaths were written out), the book has plenty of other things to balance it out.

Jurassic Park opens with the attacks of several Compsognathi, which had somehow escaped Isla Nublar. While everyone is confused about the “lizards” behind the attack (which were assumed to be Basilisks), Dr. Grant and company are at a dig site. They are asked a few questions by a government official concerned about the actions of the InGen corporation, who had been transferring supercomputers and genetic sequencers to their island off the coast of Costa Rica. After the official leaves, Hammond contacts them, and offers Grant and his student Dr. Sattler payment to come down to his park for the weekend.

In 2007, I read a lot of fantasy books (as usual). The best ones I read that year, in my opinion, are as follows.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

In Deathly Hallows, Harry leaves the Dursleys for the last time, going to The Burrow for Bill Weasley’s wedding. As soon as he sets foot outside, a group of Death Eaters attack. From that moment onward, the book is action-filled and full of the usual plot-twists and, of course, the explanations we’ve all been waiting for.

Of course, you should not read this book unless you have finished reading the previous ones. Sorry, the movies don’t count.

The Lost Years of Merlin Series and The Great Tree of Avalon by T.A. Barron

In Arthurian legend, much of Merlin’s history is unaccounted for. What was he doing before? It seems he was busy in the fantastic realm of Fincayra. T.A. Barron’s epic, The Lost Years of Merlin, is a five-book series detailing Barron’s idea of the history of Merlin. Though I wasn’t a big fan of the first book, the rest of them are great.

The Great Tree of Avalon: The Child of the Dark Prophecy follows the Lost Years series. A thousand years later, Merlin comes briefly to Avalon, and leaves his staff to the Heir of Merlin, who is prophesied to save Avalon from an upcoming disaster.

Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix

In a world full of necromancers, the Abhorsen reverses their work. When he gets trapped in Death by the necromancer Kerrigor, he sends a package to his daughter Sabriel, who resides across the Wall, a barrier separating the magical Old Kingdom from Ancelstierre.

The Old Kingdom trilogy is different and unlike anything else out there. Oh, and it’s not going to be a trilogy for much longer (two more books are in the works).

Moist von Lipwig became the model citizen (mostly) in Going Postal. His fiancée, Miss Dearheart is out searching for golems, and he has to amuse himself, until Lord Vetinari assigns him his next task. The controlling owner of the Royal Bank is dying , and a stand-in is necessary to keep the bank out of the control of the hands of the Bank’s corrupt family. Lipwig is , of course, volunteered for the job with Vetinari’s usual style.

In an effort to rejuvenate the Bank, Moist introduces the idea of paper money and personally takes to the street to experiment with his theory. A nephew of the owner has a liquid model of the banking system which pinpoints problems or successes (and can be manipulated). An Igor assists him in his work. Mr. Bent keeps the books and supervises all bank employees. Lipwig’s interfering in his bank may be enough to topple his carefully balanced mind. Add in the expected attempts of the Bank’s family to grab control and Miss Dearheart’s golem find, and the book is as quirky as all Pratchett books.

This task turns out less successful for Lipwig than the Postal Service. With his failure will he be hanged yet again?

As always Pratchett is entertaining. There are certainly enough oddities to keep readers coming back. However, this book didn’t have quite the appeal for me that Going Postal had. Maybe because Going Postal was my first adult read of his, it was new and fresh. Maybe I was just in a different mood. I think that Making Money has less commentary; it’s solely for laughs.

The Magic of Ink has a huge list of books that are being made into movies.

Here are a few that I’ll want to see:

• Airborn by Ken Oppel
• The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
• Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
• The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
• The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
• The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Hopefully they’ll turn out better than some book-movies. I didn’t even bother watching “The Dark is Rising” movie. They totally ruined it. I like book-movies when they turn out good (Harry Potter, for example). The Golden Compass could have been better, but it wasn’t too bad.

Quite entertaining!

Pratchett’s characters are the highlight of the story-various and wonderful. The focus is on 3 of the witches in the Discworld series: Granny Weatherwax (the one who controls the whole show), Nanny Ogg (the no-nonsense matriarch to so much of the community, think mafia queen), Agnes (the large and insecure maiden with a skinnier girl inside who has a mind of her own). Though the vampire family lends the book an odd setting (taking over the country when King Verence invites them into the country for a naming party for his daughter), a couple of them are not what you would expect. Their servant Igor takes issue with the newer count’s directives and throws in his own surprises. The traveling minister (the natural enemy of the witches) turns out to have 2 minds as does Agnes. The castle’s falconer single-mindedly searches for phoenix eggs despite the contrary folklore. The Nac Mac Feegle/Wee Free Men put in an appearance, but it is an early version, and their distinctive traits are not developed.

Pratchett throws in his usual social commentary for fun and/or contemplation. Not my favorite of the books, but there are some great details. I haven’t read anywhere near the whole series; it may be a must read for understanding the books involving the witches.

Buy on Amazon

In Arthurian legend, much of Merlin’s history is unaccounted for. What was he doing before? It seems he was busy in the fantastic realm of Fincayra. T.A. Barron’s epic, The Lost Years of Merlin, is a five-book series detailing Barron’s idea of the history of Merlin.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book, though it contains important storyline. The remaining books are great though, and who knows…maybe I’d like the first book better if I re-read it.

The two series I’ve enjoyed the most since reading the final Harry Potter volume are The Lost Years of Merlin, and the Old Kingdom series.

The books are quick to read, though the language is not watered-down at all. I’d put them at a high-school reading level.

BookAdvice.net has a more thorough review of the series, though (as of now) not all of the books have been reviewed.

Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal is yet another tale from the mythical land of Discworld.

After faking con man Alfred Spangler’s execution, the lord of Ankh-Morpork gives him a job instead. As the new postmaster of Ankh-Morpork, Spangler (a pseudonym, actually) must re-start the post office after twenty years of inactivity. Along the way he employs his knowledge of forgery to invent postage stamps, revolutionizing the way the mail is handled.

In addition to running the post office, Spangler must expose the corrupt Grand Truck communications company, an internet/telegraph-like network of “semaphore towers,” avoiding sabotage to the postal service (via the owner of the Grand Trunk) along the way.

It turns out Vetinari, the slightly tyrannical (but cool) lord of Ankh-Morpork, picked the right man for the job, as Spangler (or “Moist van Lipwig,” as is real name is) soon begins to enjoy his new job as postmaster.

Going Postal is filled with Terry Pratchett’s signature humor, as you’ll see quickly upon opening the book.

In this sequel to The Sea of Trolls, Jack returns from his adventures in the North, only to be met by more adventure and peril.

For several reasons, Jack and some others must go to The Land of the Silver Apples, a place where time doesn’t pass, to confront the elves. Their to-do list includes

• Convincing the elves to return the water to a town
• Finding Jack’s sister Lucy, and bringing her back from Elf-land
• And a few other things that I won’t mention, so as to avoid spoiling the book for you.

I enjoyed The Land of the Silver Apples, though not as much as its predecessor. I was disappointed about its lack of the Northmen (vikings) and their mythology that were so prominently featured in The Sea of Trolls. Instead, the book takes and odd turn and deals more with Arthurian legend and other folklores.

Interestingly, the Picts (mentioned in The Sea of Trolls) are mentioned yet again, though not in depth. Also the chapter art consists of Pictish symbols. Is the author setting up a sequel featuring them?

Well, it was a good book (despite its lack of Northmen).

Edit: According to the book jacket, the conclusion to this trilogy (The Islands of the Blessed) is slated for a 2009 release.