Eoin Colfer

Conor Broekhart was born to fly. /DIVDIV It is the 1890s, and 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 intervenes, 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 into 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.

Airman

Christine

It was fun! Not revolutionary or anything, but highly enjoyed the adventure.

Jeni Enjaian

A review from my old blog...

So far only one book of Colfer's outside of the Artemis Fowl series has lived up to the excellence, in my eyes, of that series. This was not that book.

Now, that does not mean that Colfer's writing is any less excellent or that the picture and the characters he creates any less real or vivid. Sometimes I think though that Colfer's desire to create a hero with any number of complexes goes a little too far.

I felt great compassion for the Airman (once again I am writing this review over a week after having read the book so please forgive me for forgetting the character's actual name) and for the injustice. Colfer threw in so many plot twists that my head came away spinning.

The ending felt a little unfulfilled. All of the loose ends didn't seem to be quite tied up so I wonder if this is the first in another series for Colfer. If so then I would be willing to revisit this character and series because I can remember not liking the first book in the Artemis Fowl series for almost the same reason.

Hope Brockway

"Airman" is the thrilling story of a fourteen year old boy named Conor Broekhart who dreams of flight. Unfortunately, his dreams are dashed when Conor is accused of murdering the king and is sent to the dreaded prison island of Little Saltee. All throughout his stay, Conor draws up his plans of escape, but the only way to escape Little Saltee is to fly. 

I loved Conor Broekhart so much. He was this sweet, innocent, and nerdy kid who was obsessed with planes and gliders and such. I loved getting to read about little Conor at the beginning and seeing how much he grows and changes throughout the book. And I also loved seeing how he dealt with his crush on Isabella. *snickers* 

I must warn you that this book gets a bit dark. During his stay at Little Saltee, Conor changes. There's this part where I almost put the book down. Don't. It gets so much better. It almost broke my heart when he almost carried out his foul deed. But he didn't. #spoilers There are also a few parts where I was a bit horrified by the violence, though. *nods* Yeah. 

The beginning, to me, was a bit boring. At first, I didn't quite understand how this tied in to the rest of the story, but as the story went on, it got really good. It takes a little while for the book to get started, but once it does, it goes quite fast. 

It seemed like the story jumped around a bit. I would have liked it if the author focused on a few parts more than others, but oh well. 

I wasn't a huge fan of the last chapter. It just . . . I dunno. I thought it was kind of unnecessary. *shrugs* 

All in all, this book was great. I loved the characters, the plot, and the fast paced-ness. I would totally recommend this book to anyone and everyone who loves a good, adventurous story.

Hannah Nugent

Sparrow Hall

zaynah

aamkh ana

Darren C.

Tim Pennington-Russell

jess

Kaela Childers

Ali Weber

Savannah Lowe

Christopher McCaffery

chloe g

'A fast-moving, action-packed read' - Sunday Express 'Wonderfully inventive . . . great stuff' - Mail on Sunday One dark night on the island of Great Saltee, fourteen-year-old Conor is framed for a terrible crime he didn't commit. Thrown into prison by the dastardly Hugo Bonvilain, Conor is trapped in a seaswept dungeon and branded a traitor. He must escape and clear his name; he wants his old life back - his family, his friends . . . and his princess. Conor knows there is only one way out. It's an impossible task, which has never been done before. But Conor is determined to do it. He'll have to fly. 'A swashbuckling adventure full of excitement, betrayal . . . it has a dashing young hero, a dastardly villain . . . explosions and a princess' - Irish Independent 'Better fun than this will be hard to come by . . . enjoy it while it lasts' - The Times

Lewis John Fisher

Elise

Sarah Ford

Kaitlin

Airman

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