Airman

Feb 25, 2008 Betsy rated it 5 of 5 stars

How Not to Review a Book: Do not begin your review by jumping off into some big old rant about how you never liked anything the author wrote before, particularly if you are about to praise their newest novel. Do not use phrases like “how did this happen?” and “why now?” and “are they near death?” You may mention how impressed you were with the author’s speaking engagements, mentioning in passing their brilliant encapsulation of, oh say, The Legend of Spud Murphy. Do not then mention how disappo...more

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Dec 16, 2008 Michael Ames rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult

Fact: I was a nerd growing up (still am). Theory: Eoin Colfer was, too. Evidence: His books are a total celebration of nerd-dom. Honestly, between Artemis Fowl and now Airman, he's satisfying every daydreaming-during-trigonometry fantasy of every boy out there who's had to struggle with the fact that he has more brains than biceps.

I'll admit that the main character in this book, Conor Broekhart, is tough and good-looking. But that's entirely secondary to the fact that he's a mechanical genius a...more

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May 18, 2013 ✮ Ї'м Йоt Шєїґd, Ї'м Gїftєd ღ ~ Йцмєу ☮ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, arm-chair-travels, school, to-write-review

“A monkey glances up and sees a banana, and that's as far as he looks. A visionary looks up and sees the moon.”
― Eoin Colfer, Airman

-> "An average human sees a book as pages and ink. An avid reader looks up for an adventure and knowledge"
- Numey

Airman by Eoin Colfer, about a crisp-sarcastic-determined-soft.from.heart-knighted-flyer aka Conor Broekhart

((Will write later, soon))

My 'soon' never comes :/ Even after my tomorrow goes, my soon never comes, no idea why!

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Oct 10, 2012 Danny rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an amazing story about a king, a princess, a teacher who thinks highly of himself, and a young boy born in the clouds with a dream of flight. One day there is a fire in the castle because the princess left some of her dad's chemicals open. Conor, the boy, had made a kite fit for humans to get them both out of there. Once that happens the king comes to him to inform him he will become Sir Conor for saving the king's daughter. The king gets him an amazing teacher that helps him with his lo...more

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Jul 02, 2010 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult, fantasy, 2010, blog_etb, humorous, reviewed, challenge-1010

I picked this book up quite a while ago, but never got around to reading it until I decided to give it away. I'm not sure why I never read it, because everything about this seems like it would be to my taste. I really enjoyed the Artemis Fowl series, and laugh like a loon whenever I read them, so I had a pretty good idea that I would like his other books, but still I put this off.

Well I'm glad that I decided to give it away, because it gave me an excuse to read this sooner than later, and I'm h...more I picked this book up quite a while ago, but never got around to reading it until I decided to give it away. I'm not sure why I never read it, because everything about this seems like it would be to my taste. I really enjoyed the Artemis Fowl series, and laugh like a loon whenever I read them, so I had a pretty good idea that I would like his other books, but still I put this off.

Well I'm glad that I decided to give it away, because it gave me an excuse to read this sooner than later, and I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it.

This was nothing like the AF series. There's not really any fantasy here, or magic or ridiculous jokes or gutter-humor or any of the stuff that I loved about the AF series, but I enjoyed this as much for the lack of those things as I loved AF for them. This book definitely has a more serious, somber tone, and in many ways it reminded me of one of the greats, The Count of Monte Cristo. That is a huge compliment coming from me, because COMC is without a doubt one of the greatest books about betrayal and revenge ever written, and I adored all 1300 pages of it. This is not a YA reproduction of The Count of Monte Cristo, however. The storyline here veers off in its own direction, and follows its own trail, but the tone, and some of the details just brought the classic to mind.

I glanced at a few reviews of this book and see that a common complaint was the darkness and bleak feeling of the story, the hopelessness. I don't agree that that's how the story was portrayed. Yes, overall it was far from light and happy, but again the story warranted a darker and hopeless feeling. I thought the somber tone was appropriate for this story, considering all that poor Conor endured, and all that he lost: his freedom, his family, his love, his country, his honor. These are not happy events. Even so, Colfer did a great job at weaving some threads of lightness and humor into the story to break up the solemnity of the main story. It was done in a very subtle manner, not at all overstated and blatant like the humor in the Artemis Fowl series, but it had me giggling all the same. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that the tone fit the story for me, and anything much lighter would have been out of place.

Moving on to the characters, I have to say that I really liked all of them. I would have liked a little bit more depth, especially in Conor. As much as I liked him, and I really did, his only real flaw was in his despair and willingness to move on and start over without even trying to bring out the truth and set things to rights. I know that he'd been through a torturous 3 years, but considering that he was so determined in everything else, you'd think that his determination, and the anger at his mistreatment would spark a vengeance in him. He was just a little too perfect, a little too noble and charitable.

I really liked Declan, Conor's father, and felt for his loss. He was grieving and feeling guilty and angry and lost himself. Even though I empathized with him, I still would have liked a bit more personal grief and anger from him. It was told, not felt. It served the purpose, but I would have just liked a bit more.

The Marshall was decidedly villainous and evil, and even though I immensely disliked him, I could not help but laugh at some of his wittier comments and thoughts. He's so unabashedly bad that he becomes a bit funny, but not funny to the point at which he's no longer awful, but just funny as in "Wow, I can't believe people are really THAT horrible!"

I really liked the scientific and engineering historical references in this story. It lent the book a feeling of realism and groundedness that it would have been lacking otherwise. I would still classify it as an adventure story, but with these details, it has a more real historical feel.

I must admit that I was so engrossed in the story that I was surprised to find that 3/4 of it had passed in build-up, and that the resolution was yet to be hinted at. You'd think that the end would feel rushed in this kind of a situation, but I didn't feel that way after everything was said and done. The resolution, while very different than what I thought would occur, fit the story very well, and left the reader an opening to extend the ending as they choose.

Overall, I really liked this one, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone looking for something enjoyable and interesting to read. (less)

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Aug 27, 2010 Sara ♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, action-adventure, audiobook, books-i-own, 2008, challenge-summer-2010, 2010, steampunk, ripped

August 27, 2010
Fabulous the second time around, too! :)

November 9, 2008
If I could give it 42 stars, I would.

Ahhhhh!!!! It was SOOO SOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! Seriously... listening to it in the car probably wasn't safe, as periodically, I would slam the steering wheel in frustration or anticipation and yell, "HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!!" It was SOOOOOOO EXCITING!!! I loved it. (And of course I did.... it is "recommended to listeners ages 12 to 17... durrrrr...)

It ended so well! *giggly-happy sigh* :...more

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Aug 15, 2008 Snorkle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, read-2008, review-on-blog

Conor Broekhart lives on a small island governed by King Nicholas Trudeau. Conor's days are spent with his tudor and playing with princess Isabella. But Conor's real passion is flying. All Conor's life he's dreamed of flying. He spends massive amounts of time and energy pursuing his obsession. That changes when he discovers a plot to overthrow the king and becomes tangled in the mess and branded as a traitor, being sent off to work in the diamond mines on little Saltee.

I decided to read this boo...more Conor Broekhart lives on a small island governed by King Nicholas Trudeau. Conor's days are spent with his tudor and playing with princess Isabella. But Conor's real passion is flying. All Conor's life he's dreamed of flying. He spends massive amounts of time and energy pursuing his obsession. That changes when he discovers a plot to overthrow the king and becomes tangled in the mess and branded as a traitor, being sent off to work in the diamond mines on little Saltee.

I decided to read this book because I saw that my friend had read it and given it 5 stars....so I was curious. I've read some of the artemis fowl books, but I wasn't impressed, and I thought that they were awfully violent. I really could have cared less about any new books Eoin Colfer had published, but I had read his Supernaturalist book and it wasn't too bad, so I decided to give this book a try.
In the beginning I found the storyline to be pretty interesting, I kept reading because I wanted to know what would happen at the end, but when I finally got there, I was disappointed. I really thought it was annoying how the main character, Conor kept getting stuff thrown at him - all the time. It seemed like he could never really rest because something was about to happen, which was a little tiring for me. Even though I do approve of exciting and thrilling books, I do think that there are such things as "too much excitement" and this book crossed the line.
I do know not what it is about Eoin Colfer but he always seems to include a decent amount of violence, and it really is rather unnerving. Everybody is constantly being brutally beaten up. Also, the bad guys are always BAD TO THE CORE, and Conor can usually tell what they are thinking by the look in their eyes (something I thought was unrealistic and slightly aggravating).
Conor, that's another interesting aspect; I really thought that he was just a little too perfect. He was handsome, brilliant, athletic and loved by a princess - what more could he want? To me, the author describing him as such only made me like him less, I wanted someone that I could relate to.
The reason this gets such a low rating is because I just could not bring myself to group it with the "three star" books, it just didn't seem quite up to par, while I thought it was an okay book without any language or adult content, I didn't enjoy it enough to recommend it to friends. I just don't really care for Eoin Colfer's writing style, his characters and the way they are portrayed just bugs me, but if you are a fan, you'd probably like this book.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...(less)

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Apr 10, 2009 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is my first Eoin Colfer book and I thought it was a good story. I think it is a book that will really appeal to young readers (6th to 12th grades) and those who already love Colfer's books.
Conor Broekhart lives the fantasy life of many a young boy (and girl), I'm sure. Born in fantastical circumstances (which were a little bit over the top for me personally), he grows to be a smart, witty, talented young man. He is schooled in science and fencing and excels in both. The characters were eit...more

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Oct 25, 2011 El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 10-eltemplo, reseñas, novela-extranjera, finalista, templis-2009

"Al estilo de historias como Los tres mosqueteros, El conde de Montecristo o Viaje al centro de la tierra, Airman es una novela de aventuras a la más pura usanza. </p><p>Eoin Colfer nos sitúa en las Islas Saltee, en la costa irlandesa en torno a 1890, donde nos presenta a Conor, un joven cuyo sueño es surcar el cielo. Desde bien pequeño, y tras demostrar su coraje salvando a la princesa Isabella de una muerte segura, el dicharachero espadachín y científico Victor Vigly le acoge como...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Ruhama rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

Conor was born in the air, so it's only natural that wanting to fly is in his blood. His parents were visiting the World's Fair in Paris and decided to take a virgin flight in a hot air balloon. While in the air, a bullet pierces the canvas and the shock of the sudden descent sends Catherine into premature labor. Everyone is fine, and head back home to the Saltee Islands, just off the coast of Ireland, where Declan is the captain of the sharpshooters. The Saltees have a diamond mine, the only th...more

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Jan 06, 2009 Cooper added it

As always, Eoin Colfer has delivered a stunning book full of action, and make it one of my favorite reads. Connor Broekhart is obviously the hero, and has many, many, good attributes. As always, the hero always has someone to fight, and in this case it's Hugo Bonvillian. Villian? Broekhart? It seems like Mr. Colfer seemed to like making names obvious. On the island of the Saltees, Connor Broekhart lives with his family, not knowing much evil. The history of the Saltees is great, it being a rugge...more

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Dec 23, 2008 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, alternatehistory

Conor Broekhart was born in the sky—literally. He was born as his parents were shot down in a hot air balloon, and it was an omen of what was to come. Conor always knew that one day, he would fly.

His early years were idyllic—he spent them roaming the halls of the castle on his home of Great Saltee with his best friend, princess Isabella, and learning with his beloved tutor, Victor Vigny, who shared Conor’s dream of the skies. But when Conor discovers a terrible plot against king and country and...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Matthias123 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: airman

Plot Summary

Eoin Colfer’s Airman tells the story of young Conor Broekhart, who from the beginning is a boy hardwired to be a scientist. Significantly, the subject most intriguing to him was flying. This is ironic, since he was born in a hot air balloon. While growing up, he was either playing with his best friend Isabella (who just happened to be the Princess of the Saltee Islands) or building models with Victor Vigny, his tutor, who shared Conor’s scientific mindset.
However, his life takes a...more Plot Summary

Eoin Colfer’s Airman tells the story of young Conor Broekhart, who from the beginning is a boy hardwired to be a scientist. Significantly, the subject most intriguing to him was flying. This is ironic, since he was born in a hot air balloon. While growing up, he was either playing with his best friend Isabella (who just happened to be the Princess of the Saltee Islands) or building models with Victor Vigny, his tutor, who shared Conor’s scientific mindset.
However, his life takes a drastic turn when, as a young man, he witnesses a Templar, named Bonvilian, assassinate the King of the Saltee Islands. For this reason, Bonvilian throws Conor into a prisoner-operated diamond mine on Little Saltee Island. Bonvilian deceives Conor’s parents, telling them that Conor died while trying to protect the King from Victor. Finding himself in horrendously harsh conditions, Conor begins to create a new identity for himself, which ultimately shapes him into a completely different person. In learning how to fit in at the prison, he becomes a dangerous man. Moreover, he earns a respect from his fellow inmates. Yet key to understanding Conor is his continually working scientific mind that is always formulating and researching. Ultimately this way of thinking causes a striving to devise an escape plan...

Personal response to the book:

In response to Airman, I liked how quickly the book’s plot escalated, capturing my attention immediately. In addition, I found the way the main character completely changes his personality to adapt to his surrounding a very riveting idea within the novel. I quite enjoy the Colfer’s writing style, especially the way he creates a fictional story, which is so believable. What I did not like was the elimination of one of my favorite characters (the king) early-on in the story.

Critical review

Said, SF. "Fight and Flight." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 04 Jan. 2008. Web. 11 June 2013.

The Guardian

“In Airman, the Saltees are at the forefront of Victorian progress: a place where heroes are noble and kings are pure, and where a villain is identifiable by his sinister countenance, as well as being handily named "Bonvilian".”

In my opinion, I liked the way Colfer wrote the Airman with a sense of an old-fashioned fairytale. However, best of all, the book included a great deal of realistic information, especially in the fighting sections.

“By keeping a firm rein on his narrative, Colfer animates it with a raconteur's instinct for both grand historical sweep and the tiny quirks that make us care about characters.”

Personally, I love history, so I loved it when the author included some actual historical events and personnel. I agree with this above quote regarding the characters. Colfer masterfully causes his readers to either love or hate the characters. There were very few individuals in the novel that a reader would remain undecided as to their nature. For example, one enemy proved not to be wholly evil.
(less)

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May 09, 2013 Katja (aka Tink) added it

Originally reviewed at

First Thoughts: Love the blurb and the cover’s pretty good, but I prefer the version with with close up of Conor’s face with goggles on. I thought Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series was pretty good, and this looked less tongue in cheek.

Plot: Loved the plot! It started out setting the scene of Conor’s unique education and circumstances, and just as we’ve got a feel for his life everything changes. Conor’s living a charmed life when he’s suddenly imprisoned, the things he goe...more Originally reviewed at

First Thoughts: Love the blurb and the cover’s pretty good, but I prefer the version with with close up of Conor’s face with goggles on. I thought Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series was pretty good, and this looked less tongue in cheek.

Plot: Loved the plot! It started out setting the scene of Conor’s unique education and circumstances, and just as we’ve got a feel for his life everything changes. Conor’s living a charmed life when he’s suddenly imprisoned, the things he goes through put me in mind of The Count of Monte Cristo. Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Pacing: Great pace, there was a lot of humour at the start of the book and a lovely comfortable feel, and then Conor’s stuck in the prison.The tone of the book slips into a darker world when Conor ends up having to battle for his life in prison; a harsh world in which no-one expected him to survive. It’s also a the world in which the reader witnesses him push himself beyond his limits to achieve the impossible. Rating: 5 out of 5

Characters: Conor’s the golden boy at the start of the story, but his trials begin that I truly connected with his character. Conor’s love interest Princess Isabella is someone he’s known all his life – and often threatens to have him hanged; ahhh, true love . The story illustrates wonderfully the awkwardness of first falling in love. Cue romantic overtones coloured by misunderstandings and reader sympathy for all the insecurities that crop up when ‘courting. It’s not a huge romance, because little is allowed to happen before Conor’s suddenly struggling to stay alive.

Conor is largely educated by the royal scientist who discusses more than science – and courtship- he also discusses philosophy, military strategy, social reform, music and so much more. I loved Conor, and all the other characters, even the villain is wonderfully complex and a pleasure to hate! Rating 5 out of 5

World Building: This was an interesting world based in a kingdom of rocky islands – a country set in our world but which doesn’t really exist, but which comes to life under Eoin Colfer’s pen. I think of this story as mildly steampunk because it’s an alternative history with gadgetry that’s not all hissing valves and aether currents. Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Final Thoughts: Highly recommended to anyone who loves suspense, action, and compelling characters. Rating: 4.75 out of 5 (from 19 out of 20).

This review counts towards my steampunk’d challenge. Five down and 25 to go (less)

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Apr 20, 2013 Penny McGill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-older-kids

We liked this book a lot - drawn to it by Eoin Colfer, of course - but I have to say I am a bit sorry that my 11-year old daughter read it. I know that is a bit crazy because she has done the Hunger Games, Maze Runner and Divergent and they are filled with violence and stress that I hope neither she or any of her friends ever deal with or even think they'll come close to seeing in their lives but the details in those series seem to be on the edge of entertainment, as if there isn't ever a chance...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Von Fritz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy, teens

This is no doubt, The Count of Monte Cristo of the 21st Century.

I’ve been itching to read this since I saw a preview in K-Zone a long time ago. Who would have thought…I got my hard bound copy from NBS, sale price of 99 Php. How’s that? And this is a long pending review. Okay, I actually forgot to write right away. I finished reading the book for like a month already.

Airman is the story of Conor Broekhart, a young man destined to fly. He has everything, a good family, a good relationship with the...more This is no doubt, The Count of Monte Cristo of the 21st Century.

I’ve been itching to read this since I saw a preview in K-Zone a long time ago. Who would have thought…I got my hard bound copy from NBS, sale price of 99 Php. How’s that? And this is a long pending review. Okay, I actually forgot to write right away. I finished reading the book for like a month already.

Airman is the story of Conor Broekhart, a young man destined to fly. He has everything, a good family, a good relationship with the king, a genius of a mentor, and a blooming love affair with a princess. But everything was taken from him in wink of an eye. Thanks to the malicious Bonvilain who lusted for power and devised a very cruel plan which involves the death of the king and Victor Vigny (Conor’s flight mentor), Mr. and Mrs. Broekhart thinking that Conor’s the culprit, the princess fed by a lot of lies, and Conor being thrown to prison for many years.

Oh yeah, it really looks like the plot of The Count of Monte Cristo (which is one classic tale I love). There were tortures, lots of suffering for Conor Broekhart as he grew up in the tunnels, in the dungeons along with felons and filthy jailers. But he didn’t lose hope. He was, in fact, the hope of Saltee Islands. The man that, one day, will discover the secrets of flight and help the nation prosper. So in his years in prison, Conor plotted his revenge and studied secretly the concepts of flight he learned from his late mentor. And eventually, he managed to escape and faced the man who ruined his life.

Other than The Count of Monte Cristo, one tale also comes in my mind. The Story of Daedalus and Icarus from Greek Mythology. The thing is, I was attracted to this book because of FLIGHT. Ever since, I wish to fly. Well, who doesn’t want to fly anyways? It’s my idea of freedom, to go wherever you want to go, to have no barriers, to see a lot of things from above. Conor Broekhart was determined to fly. How I wish I’m also that determined. Actually, what came to my mind with his concept of glider was Leonardo da Vinci’s.

I love the romance of Conor and Princess Isabella. I love childhood sweethearts. It turned out that the princess was loyal to Conor…just as that woman from The Count of Monte Cristo.

Bonvilain is one vicious villain. Gawd, seldom do I encounter villains that really makes me mad. But he’s so clever. He was able to fool everyone. Well, just like traitor friend of Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo.

Sorry Eoin Colfer, I really felt like reading the classic book of Dumas. But don’t get me wrong, I like the book somehow. And oh, I’m excited for the movie adaptation.(less)

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Jan 05, 2013 Kyle Stretch rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book by far the best book I have ever read, in my opinion. It's very suspenseful, has lots of action, and is a great book if you like action, fighting, and a lot of suspense. Airman is about a young man named Connor in the 1890's. He was best friends with a very beautiful princess named Isabella. They roamed the castle together as children until one day he discovers a conspiracy against the king. He witnesses a murder by the kings head of military and is accused of the murder instead. He wa...more

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Oct 19, 2012 06Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-and-loved

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am here today to prove that the book Airman by Eoin Colfer is an excellent book. The areas of excellence are: displaying human emotions, trickery, humor, and acting. All these areas make the book interesting and fun.
This book displays human emotions in a variety of ways. For example: “… tears welled on Conor’s eyelids…” At this point in the story, the king had just died and Conor thrown in prison as the one who had done it when he is innocent. He companion,...more Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am here today to prove that the book Airman by Eoin Colfer is an excellent book. The areas of excellence are: displaying human emotions, trickery, humor, and acting. All these areas make the book interesting and fun.
This book displays human emotions in a variety of ways. For example: “… tears welled on Conor’s eyelids…” At this point in the story, the king had just died and Conor thrown in prison as the one who had done it when he is innocent. He companion, Linus Wynter, responds,”….Wynter sighed long and mournfully, running his fingers through fine, graying hair, ‘That is indeed grave news.’”Another example is this: “Top C” said Wynter dreamily, “Every morning. Wonderful.” This displays Wynter's liking for music. Top C is the highest C you can get on a piano. The first example is displaying dread, and sadness. The tears signify sadness and dread for his situation and the sighing sadness also. Tears can also be for happiness, “Her tears mingled with his.” This is when Conor exposes himself to his family and Isabella, who believe him to be dead. They are obviously happy that he is not dead. He stayed alive through trickery.
Trickery is a big part of this book. It includes lying and stealing as well as acting as someone else. The first lie mentioned in this book is from Bonvilian, the antagonist. He says,” Victor Vigny, you have killed the king.” Bonvilian had just shot the king and said he was going to blame it on Victor, who happened to be Conor’s teacher. Bonvilian was the main person who lied. He spun a huge web of complicated lies in order to secure the kingdom for himself. Bonvilian is the Marshal. The entire line of Bonvilians has been Marshals. They always wanted to be the king of the Saltees, were they live. The Saltees are to islands. Great Saltee is the main island. Little Saltee is a prison and a diamond mine. They are worth a ton. This is why Bonvilian spun his web of lies. You find out at the end of the book that he planned an accident that was to kill Princess Isabella. But Conor saved her. Bonvilian then made a plan to kill the king. He succeeded in that one but with Conor as a witness. He lied to Conor’s family and Isabella saying that Conor was dead, and sent Conor off to little Saltee.
In little Saltee, Conor and his friend Malarkey lie saying that Malarkey is beating Conor like he is supposed to, when they are actually having fencing lessons. Later, they steal diamonds for when Conor escapes. He escapes by trickery. He convinces his guard that he wants his cell to be more comfortable. He gives the guard, Arthur Billtoe, ideas for different things. He lies about what he is using them for though. His plan works and he escapes. At the end of the book, he goes after Bonvilian who is planning to kill his family and Isabella. He has a device that is very noisy and reveals him to everyone. The wall guard shoots him down. He lets everyone think he is dead while he jumps out in his glider. He reveals Bonvilians whole plot.
A good part of the book is humor. A lot of that humor is sarcasm. ‘How does the leg feel?’ ‘Broken.’ Humor makes the story fun and interesting. It also helps you understand the mood of the story. In this book, humor is used to lighten the mood such as: “The banter relaxed Conor.” Some situations are to serious for humor. “Bonvilian the night his father died.” That situation is too serious for humor. Also, it is the villain who apparently doesn’t ever smile in public. He thinks it is funny though, when he acts sorry that Conor died.
Acting or pretending in this book makes it interesting. In prison, Conor acts humble and submissive. Also, Conor had to bury the part of him that had family and loved someone. He became Conor Finn instead of Conor Broekheart. A lot of times he had to pretend that he didn’t care in order to convince himself. When Bonvilian kills the king, he has the sentry act like the whole thing was planned and executed by Victor Vigny. Unfortunately for him, the sentry wasn’t a very good actor. He ended up killing him. Conor pretended to be the butcher Tom, to get away from Little Saltee. The fun part about it is that you know it is a trick while the other characters didn’t. You can anticipate what is going to happen, while the characters have no idea, but the ones that are acting.
Despite all the good stuff, there is some bad stuff. The two things tie together. In the Airman, there is a lot of science. This can be good and bad. For someone who likes science, it would make sense and even be fun. But for someone who doesn’t like science, these parts are uninteresting and long. The science goes with boring. Some parts are boring but only a paragraph at a time. Such as the middle paragraph on page 235. It is one of the prison guards contemplating whether or not to shoot down a balloon. The boring things are usually science.
Even with the two not as good things, the Airman is still a very good book. It illustrates humor, emotions, trickery, and acting very well even if it includes some science and boring parts. I highly recommend this book.

Done by Hannah Clawson(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Janet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, great-characters, my-favorites, young-adult

I've had this book in my to-read pile for three years. It's not that I wasn't excited to read it, it's just a rather big pile.
Eoin Colfer is a tremendously talented writer. He creates characters you will love and characters you will loathe. His stories are the most basic good versus evil, and yet, the twists and turns and complexities of plotting keep you riveted.

Airman is a perfect case in point. We greet Conor Broekhart at his unique entrance into the world. We watch him grow, become invested...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Vismay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Might this be the most old-fashioned way to tell a story, but a tale of a young, strapping genius as a hero wooing a beautiful princess, who is made to suffer a terrible fate due to the act of an unconscionable and dastardly villain, who after spending few dark and painful years in prison bounces back to life dreaming revenge- is the most effective way to reach the heart of the reader. And that is what ‘Airman’ by Eoin Colfer did to me.

It was actually a whim by which I picked up this book from l...more Might this be the most old-fashioned way to tell a story, but a tale of a young, strapping genius as a hero wooing a beautiful princess, who is made to suffer a terrible fate due to the act of an unconscionable and dastardly villain, who after spending few dark and painful years in prison bounces back to life dreaming revenge- is the most effective way to reach the heart of the reader. And that is what ‘Airman’ by Eoin Colfer did to me.

It was actually a whim by which I picked up this book from library (and also the fact that the cover was quite sexy and the pages weren’t blemished with yellow dog marks!). But whatever the reason, Airman is indeed worth reading. Eoin Colfer has quite a different style of writing prose. He is extremely witty while at the same time quite voluble. Though this book was published by Puffin, I wouldn’t exactly call reading this book a child’s play!!

The story revolves around the life of Conor Broekhart, who was born to Declan and Catherine Broekhart at the most incongruous of the birth places- in a hot air balloon!! And that is just a tip of the iceberg…

We have Conor saving young princess Isabella in his adolescence from a smoldering burning tower by gripping hold of a flag and flying down to safety!! Young Conor is trained in every major fighting technique by his French mentor and friend Victor Vigny who also gives wings (literally!!) to his dreams of building heavier-than-air flying machine. Between spending his time in training under Victor’s nose and chattering with the princess, Conor passes few happy days on Greater Saltee.

But happiness is short-lived. The extremely devilish and shrewd central antagonist of the book Hugo Bonvilain, the Marshall of Little Saltee (Jail and a site for excavation of diamonds), who driven by the extreme lust for power kills the King and in the process Conor gets enmeshed into it all. Conor gets trapped in the plot of the Marshall, and he is packed to Little Saltee under false identity and wrong charges. Life @Little Saltee is a living hell, as Conor soon finds out!!

But then it’s the return that’s the most fascinating. Our protagonist flies out from his prison, being soon branded as the guy with the wings in a black suit the ‘Airman’. He finally succeeds in building his dream project and he successfully launches a counter attack against Bonvilain, thwarting his plans for dominance.

In all this is an engrossing, all-attention-encompassing book, not to be missed out. What strikes me as totally wonderful is the way in which the author has captured the mood in those pre-flight days!!!! In those days, people just stopped short of calling the guy who could fly, an angel. The mood and fervor of those times are nicely captured in this enthralling piece of novel…

Now that I have read ‘Airman’, I look forward to reading Eoin Colfer’s famous ‘Artemis Fowl’ series…..(less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Zainab rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was actually one of Eoin Colfer's best. I read it years ago, but I've only just discovered goodreads so yea...

When I'd bought this book, I had only bought it because it was written by the author of Artemis Fowl. The summary made it seem quite boring. It just seemed unnatural to me that Eoin Colfer would write something that did not involve fairies and magic.
So, the book was a huge surprise, but a very pleasant one. It was excellent! Completely different from Artemis Fowl of...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Robert Tabb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My wife mentioned the other day that I am "all about the ending" when it comes to books or movies. And that is why I can't bring myself to give Airman 5 stars even though it is one of the most enjoyable books I've read.

A royal romance, a plot to overthrow the government, a prison break, and high-flying (literally - of course everything in a book is literal) adventure, and awesome names (Declan Brokehart is such a cool name) abound in this wonderfully written adventure following Conor Brokehart'...more

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May 31, 2012 Maninee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure

The book’s a bit like The Count Of Monte Cristo but only because of the revenge/betrayal/thrown into jail thing. That’s where the similarity ends. It had a streak of bleakness and hopelessness throughout, but I still found it enjoyable.

It was amazing to see how drastically Connor changed from the naïve, noble boy filled with ideas of honour and romance to a cold blooded survivor with a will to live and a head with no space for non sense in it. Sort of goes to show how people change under circum...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Buckham Teens Library added it

Shelves: fantasy

Conner has discovered a plot against the king, but when he tries to stop it he is framed, and everyone blames him for the king’s death. He is so beat up that no one even recognizes him as the king’s good friend, and his own father spits in his face. He is sent to a prison on an island just off the coast of the kingdom. He soon hears of another plot against the king’s daughter, his best friend. Conner has to formulate a plan to escape and save the princess before it’s too late, and if we know Con...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Janette added it

First of all, let me say that I am a total Eoin Colfer fan. Really. I bought this book without knowing anything about it except that Eoin Colfer wrote it--and I usually don't do that. He is such a skilled writer though. He effortlessly juggles pacing, dialogue, action, internal thought, characterization, description--all of it. He makes it look easy. And in omniscient point of view too.

That said, I had a major problem with this book. One part was totally unbelievable.

*spoiler alert*

Oh, I was wil...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Cassy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-with-reviews

Set during the late 1800s and on the islands of Great and Little Saltee (just off the coast of Ireland), young Connor Broekhart was born in the sky . . . literally, in the baskett of a falling hot air balloon. He was born into adventure, a friend of the king and playmates with the princess, and apprentice to a scientific frenchman. Connor lived the good life. That is, until he witnessed the vicious murdur of the king and his teacher. The evil doer through Connor into the depths of a Hellish pris...more Set during the late 1800s and on the islands of Great and Little Saltee (just off the coast of Ireland), young Connor Broekhart was born in the sky . . . literally, in the baskett of a falling hot air balloon. He was born into adventure, a friend of the king and playmates with the princess, and apprentice to a scientific frenchman. Connor lived the good life. That is, until he witnessed the vicious murdur of the king and his teacher. The evil doer through Connor into the depths of a Hellish prison, conned and schemed his family in convincing them of his death as a traitor, and completely destroyed his life. Well the brilliant Connor Broekhart isn't eager to give up, and is determined to prove his innocence to the world and escape from the confines of his prison, through the aid of his flying machine. Will Connor be able to save his family and the princess from the scheming murderer? Will they believe him to be an innocent man? Even so, life will never be the same for Connor Broekhart.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's full of very witty and cunning dialogue, and illustrates a great adventure. You read of world fairs, castles, princesses, sword fighting, all the great things that give you a classic adventure story. If you're the type of reader who loves reading in accents in your head, you'll love this book. There are Frenchmen, Englishen, Irishmen and it's just a blast reading it. The only thing that I hard a hard time with when reading this book, was some of the references the author made to older tools and contraptions that were popularly used in the 1800s, but are dinasour bones nowadays. I sometimes had a difficult time getting a mental image of what he was talking about,although I evenutally understood the concept. All in all, it was a very fun and delightful read.

A word of Caution: There is a sparse amount of cussing, maybe twice. Also, the fight scenes get a little graphic, but nothing too horribly mind cringing. I know for some people, that may actually be a reccomendation for the book, not a warning.(less)

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Feb 03, 2011 Caden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Airman is an excellent book by Eoin Colfer. It is interesting, being set in the past. It falls under the genre of steam punk, as there are many machines and inventions that are beyond the story’s time. Airman takes place around 1890, and is set in the Saltee Islands. It is a very good story and worth reading.
In Airman, certain writing techniques are employed for effect. Alliterations are common, such as the name Victor Vigny. On multiple pages you will find similes, such as pages 316, 321, and...more Airman is an excellent book by Eoin Colfer. It is interesting, being set in the past. It falls under the genre of steam punk, as there are many machines and inventions that are beyond the story’s time. Airman takes place around 1890, and is set in the Saltee Islands. It is a very good story and worth reading.
In Airman, certain writing techniques are employed for effect. Alliterations are common, such as the name Victor Vigny. On multiple pages you will find similes, such as pages 316, 321, and 328. Examples of personification can also be found, those on pages 318, and 352. On page 351 you can find imagery. Keep an eye out, and in Airman you will find amazing uses of literary devices.
Conor Broekhart is the protagonist of Airman. Conor is a teenage boy who loves flight. He is fascinated by it, and builds flying machines with his mentor Victor Vigny. Conor’s skills range far beyond flying though. He is an amazing sword fighter, a good engineer, and an excellent marksman. All of this makes him a unique and interesting character. Conor is liked by most people he meets, and is friendly. But his life is turned upside down by the marshal Bonvilain. He is frame for a murder he did not commit, and thrown into prison. All Conor has is his skills, and his determination to set things right. Conor is not afraid to take risks. Conor is intelligent and strong, and will find a way to handle whatever situation he is put in.
Beginning in 1878, Airman starts with Conor Broekhart’s birth. He is born in the air, in a balloon. He lives on the Saltee Islands, where diamonds are mined. Conor is good friends with Isabella, the princess of the Islands. They are the only children in the palace, so they are well likes, even though they cause trouble. When Conor saves Isabella in an accident, he becomes a hero. He also begins to be mentored by Victor Vigny, a friend of the king. Conor and Victor try to build gliders, as well as other heavier than air flying machines. But the marshal Bonvilain, hungry for power, kills the king, and Victor is blamed for the incident, and Conor is accused of being part of it. He is sent to the prison, where he meets a friend. With his new friend’s help, he puts himself together and plans a daring escape.
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Jan 31, 2011 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone, families especially

Shelves: action, childrens, fantasy, graphic-novel, humor

(This review is for the audio version narrated by John Keating.)

I was first introduced to Colfer's writing via the fantastic Artemis Fowl books, and have since taken in anything written by him that I could get my hands on. Airman is a book that not only delivers on my expectations of Colfer's skills as a writer, but also just my desire to enjoy a great story.

In Airman, Conor Broekhart is thoroughly beat up and disheartened again and again. Even Conor's birth occurs during dire circumstances at t...more (This review is for the audio version narrated by John Keating.)

I was first introduced to Colfer's writing via the fantastic Artemis Fowl books, and have since taken in anything written by him that I could get my hands on. Airman is a book that not only delivers on my expectations of Colfer's skills as a writer, but also just my desire to enjoy a great story.

In Airman, Conor Broekhart is thoroughly beat up and disheartened again and again. Even Conor's birth occurs during dire circumstances at the book's beginning, as if to tell you that things don't really calm down for the kid from that point forward. Despite the pounding he takes throughout the story, you find yourself unable to do anything but root for him. His successes are mythic and wonderfully written - perfect for a wide-eyed child to listen to with rapt attention.

The antagonist, a villainous and downright evil character named Marshall Bonvilain, is just as hate-able as Conor is likeable; and the performance of the character by John Keating is so perfect that I have little doubt I despised Bonvilain even more because of it. For those listening to this book, I think this is where you'll find your investment has paid off, because Keating's narration is excellent, but his rendition of Bonvilain and the other villains is fantastic.

It's easy to be deceived by how simple this story is put together, especially when you consider the straightforward themes of heroes saving princesses and the obvious indications of character identity and story from names like "Broekhart" and "Bonvilain". At one point I found myself thinking that this story was perhaps a youth-accessible rewrite of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo; but having finished the book I'm of the opinion that Colfer was crafting a fairy tale for the age of discovery and industry. The Airman's charm in fact comes from it's simplicity, despite that the plot is anything but simple and the adventures within are actually very clever and captivating. If the book is simple, it is simple in the themes it presents - such as "true love" and "brains over brawn"; but the unique tale within is easier to enjoy because of it.

I usually avoid spoilers in my reviews, and Airman definitely requires my discretion - you deserve to enjoy this book from beginning to end. In the end I hope you do enjoy it as much as I did!(less)

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Jan 06, 2011 Jan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: well-built-plot, excellent-protagonist, a-sprig-of-romance, adventure, exciting, brilliant-villains, favorites

Conor Broekhart was born to fly- or more accurately he was born flying...

When baby Conor is born on a hot air balloon and almost dies because someone is trying to shoot the balloon down, it is an absolute miracle. From that day on he becomes infatuated with flying and kinds of flying devices. With the help of his tutor, the frenchman, Victor Vigny, Conor enjoys creating small devices which can propell in the air.

Born an brought up in the island of the Great Saltee, Conor's first playmate is the...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Demetri J rated it 3 of 5 stars

Airman is novel written by Eoin Colfer, an author best known for the Artemis Fowl series. In Airman, Colfer creates a dark world structured in the late nineteenth century.

The story centers around Conor Broekhart, a young boy who was knighted after an incident at the king’s tower. Conor’s greatest dream is to fly. He was born in a hot air balloon, and since then he has been working with a French scientist, creating designs and models for flying machines, hoping to perfect the design and take t...more

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