Airman

John Keating reads this story--part adventure and part modern fairy tale--with an Irish lilt that reflects its setting on an island off the coast of Ireland. Keating excels at character portraits, each perfectly matched to convey the sense and sound of a hero or villain. Conor Broekhart, born while his mother was aloft in a hot-air balloon, is raised in kind King Nick's court until he's framed for the murder of the king and removed to a terrible island prison. Coarse, brutal inmates and guards, made memorable by Keating, contrast with the kindness of earlier characters and make listeners root for Conor's success. Keating shifts easily between accents indicating class and transitions rapidly from narrative to character portrayals. The story's villain has an especially chilling voice. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 12, 2007
An homage both to the 19th-century science fiction of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, and to the superheroes of Marvel and DC comics, Colfer’s latest brims with boy appeal. The story starts with the hero’s portentous birth in a hot air balloon above the 1878 World’s Fair, in Paris. But Conor Broekhart’s home lies in the Saltee Islands, two (real) islets off the Irish coast, where he is raised as a favorite son, his best friend being Princess Isabella, King Nicholas’s only heir. His key association, however, is with Isabella’s tutor, a Frenchman who takes Conor under his wing, instructing him in fencing, fighting and the fledgling science of human flight—a consuming passion for many in the decade before the Wright Brothers’ 1905 breakthrough. While the king is a progressive pacifist, his economy hums on the strength of diamonds mined in Little Saltee by prisoners under the control of Hugo Bonvilain, a Machiavellian despot harboring a deep grudge against the king. When Conor inadvertently witnesses a coup d’état, Bonvilain twists facts to ensure the boy gets sentenced to mining gems in dank caves. The race to fly becomes more than a scientific pursuit; it turns into Conor’s only chance to escape. Artemis Fowl
fans will flock to this novel, and the polished, sophisticated storytelling here deserves an even wider audience than that bestseller. Conor Broekhart’s superpower is his brain, and he uses his smarts to fight tyranny. A tour de force. Ages 10-up.

Starred review from January 28, 2008
Colfer's (Artemis Fowl
) epic adventure story is winningly voiced by Keating, whose distinctive brogue transports listeners to the remote Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. The narrative begins with hero Conor Broekhart's birth in a hot-air balloon over the 1878 Paris World Fair, showcasing Keating's talent with a French accent, too, as he smoothly slips into the role of Victor Vigny, the aeronautic enthusiast who later becomes Conor's beloved tutor in fencing, fighting and, most importantly, the science of flight. The story turns on Conor's clash with Hugo Bonvilain, the Machiavellian leader of the island kingdom's armed guard, and Keating's sneering characterization gives the villain real menace. Two Americans also feature in the story, and Keating's only bobble here is that these two voices occasionally sound a bit similar, but this is merely a quibble in an otherwise masterly reading of a gripping tale. Ages 10-up. Simultaneous release with the Hyperion hardcover
(Reviews, Nov. 12, 2007).

May 1, 2008
Gr 7 Up-Eoin Colfer turns his special brand of humor and adventure to detailing the amazing life and times of young Conor Broekhartborn in a hot air balloon over Paris and thereafter destined to use his fascination with flight to save his parents, recapture a kingdom, and win the hand of a princess. John Keating's boyish voice and slight Scottish accent give this swashbuckling adventure story (Hyperion, 2008) just the right combination of realism and fantasy. His narrative skill captures the personalities of both main and supporting charactersfrom the consummate cold-hearted villain Marshall Hugo Bonvilain to the dashing and cavalier Victor Vigny. Older listeners will relish this entertaining coming-of-age story whose themes of friendship and betrayal, love and hate, and courage and fear play out amidst breathless scenes of action and violence. Somewhere between the old Errol Flynn movies and "The Princess Bride", this camp, contrived, and complex mix of eccentric characters and fantastical situations provides an immensely satisfying listen."Cindy Lombardo, Cleveland Public Library, OH"

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