Airman

Airman is a standalone historical adventure novel by Eoin Colfer, best known for the Artemis Fowl series. Set in the late nineteenth century on the fictional Saltee Islands, it blends real early-aviation history with a rousing tale of betrayal and reinvention often compared to The Count of Monte Cristo.

The story follows Conor Broekhart, born aloft in a runaway balloon and destined for the sky. A gifted student of flight and fencing, his charmed life collapses when he uncovers a plot against the crown and is condemned to a diamond-mining prison. There, robbed of his identity, he channels years of despair into secretly designing a flying machine that might carry him to freedom and justice.

Aimed at young adult and older middle-grade readers but embraced by adults, Airman combines adventure, romance, invention, and swashbuckling revenge. Colfer's brisk plotting and vivid period detail make it a satisfying self-contained epic of a boy determined to fly.