Airman
Airman by Eoin Colfer
Colfer is the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but this book is definitely a departure from the Artemis books. Airman is darker and bleaker than any of Artemis' adventures. Conor Broekman lives in the Saltee Islands at the beginning of the islands renaissance. His father is leader of the king's guard and his best friend is the princess. He is also a friend of the king and treated very warmly by him. One day Conor witnesses the king's murder by the Marshall Bonvilian and is framed for the murder. Conor is imprisoned and forced to work in the Saltee diamond mines.
Conor has always dreamed of flying and spent much of his childhood making kites and gliders in an effort to understand flight. Once imprisoned, he keeps sane by planning his escape and inventing a way to fly. He draws his plans on the walls of his cave/cell. He's smart enough to make his imprisonment work for him. He manages to work the system and make friends with the right people.
After Conor's escape he has to find a way to remove the diamonds he's hidden on the island. There are eight bags of diamonds and Conor can only remove one at a time. The only way to get back onto the island is to fly and he certainly doesn't want to be recaptured. Conor sets up his lab and begins to build his flying machine. He has big plans to save his name, his family and see Bonvilian brought to justice.
This was not an easy book to read. As I said before it's dark and grim. Conor is just a kid and becomes the pawn of a hardened criminal looking for ultimate power. He's no match for all the tools in Bonvilian's arsenal. He's a boy imprisoned in a savage and cruel environment. If you can get through the first half, the second is worth it. Conor Broekhart is a fascinating character, smart and strong and brave. The fulfillment of his dreams makes the first have of the book survivable. But, this is not for the faint of heart. I spent as much time horrified by what I was reading and wanting to throw it aside as I did rooting for Conor when things finally started to go his way.
