Airman by Eoin Colfer and John Keating

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Airman
Available from Amazon
Price: $32.12
Updated on 12-28-2008.

Features

Reading level: Young Adult

Audio CD

Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (December 26, 2007)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0739359746

ISBN-13: 978-0739359747

Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces ()

Product Description
Conor Broekhart was born to fly. In fact, legend has it that he was born flying, in a hot air balloon at the Paris World’s Fair.

In the 1890s Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying the science of flight with his tutor and exploring the castle with the king’s daughter, Princess Isabella. But the boy’s idyllic life changes forever the day he discovers a deadly conspiracy against the king. When Conor tries to intervene, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his life, as he and the other prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions.

There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and that is to fly. So Conor passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines on the prison walls. The months turn into years; but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the skies.

About the Author
Eoin Colfer is the New York Times bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series, Half Moon Investigations, The Wish List, and The Supernaturalist. Listen to all of these on audio from Listening Library. Eoin is also the author of Eoin Colfer’s Legend of . . . books, Benny and Omar, and Benny and Babe. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.Visit his website at www.eoincolfer.com

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Airman (Hardcover) I love the Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, Book 1) series and Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer, so I was excited to pick up this book and delve into a story of adventure in the great blue yonder. What I didn't expect was how enraptured I would become by this book, especially after reading the first chapter that made me roll my eyes with its campiness. Conor Broekhart was born to fly, or more accurately, he was born flying. From his legendary birth in a hot air balloon to his heroic feat saving the princess from a deadly fire by turning a flag into a parachute, Conor has always looked to the skies for inspiration. But when his tutor and king are both killed in a plot to take over the government, Conor spends the next two years in prison, thinking his father has turned his back on him and his love blames him for the death of her father the king. After nearly loosing himself in the inhumane conditions of the prison mines, Conor finds escape drawing designs for flying machines on his cell walls. His plans finally take flight ex machina in the form of a balloon that carries him to safety. Conor must then decide if he will turn his back on those who abandoned him or stand against the evils that threaten the freedom of his nation. It was like reading The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics), The Princess Bride: S Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure and an H.G. Wells novel all in one. It had all of the elements of a great adventure novel in a very contemporary writing style. It made me laugh, it broke my heart, and it left me wanting more. I absolutely adore this book and hope that Colfer continues to write adventure novels. This book is for a slightly older audience than Colfer's usual readers because of its complex themes and sometimes violent overtones, but it is still an appropriate book for advanced middle grade readers, high school students or adventurers of any age.

Airman
List Price: $44.00
Available from Amazon
Price: $32.12
Updated on 12-28-2008.