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.

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 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.

When Sabriel receives the Abhorsen’s necromancy bells and ensorcelled sword, she sets out across the Wall, unwillingly assuming the title of Abhorsen. At first determined to find her father, she fights her way through Dead Hands and Mordicants, all the way to the Abhorsen’s House. There she finds Mogget, a Free Magic elemental in the shape of a cat. Mogget, who served the Abhorsens for thousands of years, sheds some light on the strange goings-on of the raised Dead, and helps her escape the Mordicant literally waiting at the gates.

Flying a Paperwing aircraft, Sabriel and Mogget set off to find the prior Abhorsen’s body, to locate him in death. Along the way they discover the plans of the necromancer Kerrigor. In his quest for immortality, spanning over 200 years, he has been trying to destroy the Charter Stones, the monoliths regulating magic, Life, and Death. If he could destroy them, then the Charter would cease to exist, and everything would be controllable by Free Magic.

Sabriel is an interesting and different book. While reading it, I had a hard time putting it down. I’m a fantasy maniac, as some of you may know by now, and Sabriel is an exceptional work of fantasy by an innovative author.

Endymion Spring isn’t your average mystery.

In the year of 1453, Gutenberg and his apprentice Endymion Spring are setting the type for the book they will be mass-printing. Gutenberg’s financier, Johann Fust, shows up, bringing with him a locked chest.

In present day Oxford, Blake Winters finds a blank book in a library. Marked “Endymion Spring,” the ancient book eventually shows him, and only him, a prophecy.

The story moves back and forth between 1453 and the present, slowly revealing everything. In the present, Blake searches for the Eternal Codex, a book containing all of history and future, the blank book pointing him toward it. Back in 1453, Endymion Spring hides the Codex to keep it out of the hands of Johann Fust, the investor who obtained the book through nefarious means, so as to have all of time’s knowledge.

Matthew Skelton, an expert on books and printing, has done an excellent job of merging fiction and history in Endymion Spring. It’s worth reading, especially if your addicted to books.

J. K. Rowling has once again penned an amazing story that even surprised people who had been speculating and theorizing about the series for years. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, released on July 21, 2007, is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter Septology. JKR’s narrative is brilliant, and the characters believable. Personally, I like Deathly Hallows better than it’s predecessor, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, though it’s not my favorite of the series. Can one really have a favorite among seven amazing books? If I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

In Deathly Hallows, Harry leaves the Dursleys for the last time, going to The Burrow for Bill Weasley’s wedding. On his seventeenth birthday, a day before the wedding, he is legally enabled to use magic outside of Hogwarts. On that day, he also finds that Albus Dumbledore had left him and his friends a number of odd objects with no explanation why. Their importance only comes into play later in the book.

Right after the wedding, Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave The Burrow to hunt for Voldemort’s four remaining horcruxes. With several setbacks, discoveries, and close encounters with Voldy’s followers, they eventually succeed in finding (and destroying) most of them. Unfortunately, one horcrux remains….plus Lord Voldemort himself.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is one of the best books in the series. It’s absolutely packed with plot-twists, explanations everyone’s been waiting for, and surprises no one would have guessed. I highly recommend this book, though you should definitely not read it unless you’ve read the previous six books in the Septology.