Airman: A Review & Rant

Description from Goodreads

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 air.

Every once in a while...sometimes only once in a year, decade, or even a lifetime, you find a book that satisfies at every single level. It's rare that I've found a book like this. I've read hundreds of books, and I've only ever found a couple which I absolutely, completely, indescribably loved.

I've been a huge Eoin Colfer fan for years. He's a superb writer, and his Artemis Fowl middle-grade series is. So. Amazing. Seriously, if you haven't read the Artemis Fowl series, go buy books 1-5 right now. I was cautious about starting one of his standalone novels, Airman, yet I did, and yet...

I loved it.

I enjoyed every aspect. The protagonist, the villain, the twists, the setting, the prose...all middle-grade readers should read this book. I'm serious. I've rarely been so delighted with a story. Colfer more than delivered, he delighted me. I could rant about this book for hours. The writing, even apart from the storyline, was so, so fun to read. To be frank, I really think Colfer is a writing genius.

One of the things I also appreciate about his work is how simple and sweet his romance is. It isn't a huge part of the plot, and he always veers from making it dramatic and over-the-top. His humor is also unbeatable---Colfer's dialogue and friendly banter between characters is some of the best I've read.

The only content warnings for this book would be some mild language and a few instances where they take the name of the Lord in vain.

Go buy this book. Check it out on ebook. Borrow it from your library. You won't be able to put it down. Thanks, Colfer, for giving us an incredible story again.