Airman

By: Eoin Colfer

Narrated by: John Keating

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.©2008 Eoin Colfer; (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

Praise for Airman:

'Swashbuckling high adventure . . . His strongest work yet' – Guardian

'Better fun than this will be hard to come by' – The Times

'A classic swashbuckling adventure' – Irish Independent Review

Praise for other books by Eoin Colfer:

'Wickedly brilliant' – Independent (on Artemis Fowl)

'As ever, Colfer's story rattles along at a tremendous pace with a cast of eccentric and explosive characters' – Guardian (on The Supernaturalist)

'Unputdownable' – Irish Times (on Half Moon Investigations)—

High Adventure at it's Best

A tale of high adventure on the level of Dumas. Colfer is such a brilliant storyteller and the fun he is having here is apparent as you listen to the drama unfold. While I never quite worried that Connor would fail, I was completely caught up by what his success would cost him. Also, I haven't seen a villain like Bonvilland (spelling?) since Dolores Umbridge. I loved to hate him and root for Connor's eventual revenge against the man who destroys his life.
As for the narrator, John Keating is one of the best. The voices he is capable of creating bring Colfer's beautiful characters to life.
If you love adventure fiction, look no further. Though this is a story for children, it's a tale for the ages that all will love. I intend to return to this book to read it to my own children and can hardly wait to do so.

Fantastic

Colfer is a master of fiction. His characters are delightful, his plots intelligent, well designed creatures, and there is a depth found that many if not most authors fail to create. This writer is a classic, a storyteller of high caliber, belonging to a class all his own.

Well written and entertaining

Performance and story were a pleasant surprise. Had never heard of this book and I enjoyed the writing style and the reading

yes

there's so much love put into both the writing and the narration the depth of character's and their voices are thrilling

Super Story!

My kids and I couldn't wait to get back in the car to listen to this book! Great story. We were sorry when we were done with it...