Airman (novel)
 |
|
| Author | Eoin Colfer |
|---|---|
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Genre |
Fantasy Historical Fiction |
| Publisher | Hyperion |
|
Publication date
|
United States 19 December 2007 Ireland United Kingdom 3 January 2008 Australia 5 February 2008 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 412 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | (first edition, hardback) |
Airman, by Eoin Colfer, is a best-sellinghistorical adventure novel set in the 19th century. It was released in the UK, Ireland and USA in January 2008. The novel was shortlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal.
Colfer was inspired to write the book after a frightening skydiving experience. He combined this with his childhood observation that the Saltee Islands would make an excellent prison.
Most of the story is completely fictional. The Saltee Islands have been uninhabited since the 19th century, and all of the main characters in the story are fictional.
The book begins with the Paris World's Fair of 1878, which Declan Broekhart and his wife are attending. They are there mainly to take a ride in a new hot air balloon. While they are in the air, along with one Victor Vigny, the balloon is shot at by men from the ground. During the forced landing, Conor Broekhart is born, flying over Paris.
It is 1887. Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast, which are ruled by King Nicholas Trudeau. Nicholas is a progressive leader who is helping the islands adapt to the industrialized world.
When a dangerous fire traps young Conor and his friend Isabella (the king's daughter) on top of a tower's roof, he saves both their lives by making a makeshift glider and gliding down to sea from the royal palace. After they are rescued from the ocean, King Nicholas knights Conor for his bravery.
Conor spends his days with his tutor, Victor Vigny, studying, learning how to fly, and exploring the castle with Princess Isabella. He is obsessed with building a "flying machine". Unfortunately, the head of the island's guards, Marshall Bonvilain, conspires to overthrow Nicholas and seize control of the Saltees. His goal is to turn the islands into a market for the diamonds mined by inmates on the prison island, Little Saltee. Despite Conor's attempt to intervene, Nicholas and Victor are killed by Marshall Bonvilain. Marshall Bonvilain takes control of the islands and tells his subjects that Victor conspired to kill King Nicholas and Conor was his "accomplice". Conor is thrown into jail on Little Saltee, under the alias Conor Finn. His family and friends believe he is dead.
...
Wikipedia