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.
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)—
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.
Praise
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)—
