Review - Airman

This morning I finished Airman by Eoin Colfer. Colfer is the author that has written one of my favorite series, Artemis Fowl, plus several other titles that, in my opinion were not half as good as the Artemis Fowl series. But he has a winner here. I even hope he decides to make this a series because he has indicated he would be taking a few years off from writing the Artemis Fowl series.

Meanwhile, the former sixth-grade teacher from Ireland has written a cross between the Three Musketeers, Escape from Alcatraz, Princess Bride and Airborn. The premise of the book is that Conor Broekhart dreams of flying. He is born in a balloon and studies flight under the careful eye of his tutor and mentor. His best friend is Isabella, the princess of the small nation of Saltee Islands, located off the Irish coast. When he discovers a plot to kill the king and tries to intervene, he is quickly branded (literally) a traitor and thrown into prison. His family thinks he was killed in the assassination along with his mentor. There he is forced to mine for diamonds and fight for his life. His intelligence and cunning quickly make him feared among the inmates and the guards. While in prison, he continually plots a way off the island, the only way is to fly. Once he escapes he seeks revenge on those that have put him there and destroyed his life and reputation.

The book is a little over 400 pages but reads very quickly. I found myself reading 40-60 pages a sitting while in other books I struggle to get 20 pages read. It helps that the plot moves quickly and is mostly unpredictable. Only the ending was predictable. It has the hero and villain fighting to the death in the end. And it sets up the book well for a sequel or as part of a series.

There was little foul language and nothing that was really offensive. There is a little violence portrayed in the book but it does not last long and can be quickly read through. I'd recommend this book for any elementary school student with about a 4th grade reading level or above and anyone with an interest in historical fiction, flying, royalty, or Victorian lifestyles.

Now I am reading The Appeal by John Grisham.