Airman Book (Content and Quality) Review

Overview
Conor Broekhart lives a life that would make most nine-year-old boys jealous. His playmate is a princess, meaning that they have a whole castle to play and get into trouble in. His father is the commander of the army of the Saltee, the two islands that Conor calls home. Even accidentally blowing up the King's apartments doesn't ruin his life. As he gets older, he unleashes his genius on the feat of heavier than air flight with his french tutor Victor Vigny, but then his whole life is shattered. With lies and scheming, the evil Bavilain murders the king, and pins the crime on Conor and his tutor. Conor is sent to the Little Saltee prison and almost certain death in the mines unless he can take to the air.

Negative

The death of the king and one other individual is quite sudden and very blunt, though without unnecessary detailing. Conor is rebuked at one point for swearing, but the rest of the book doesn't take the advice. About five exclamations of d**n occur (One character expresses remorse and repentance for this action), same for the phrase H**l's Bells. Hell is used as a descriptive word for the prison, though to be fair it's not that far off. One of the characters mistakes the flying Airman for a devil. Almost everyone in prison is conniving and plotting for something, and bribery, violence, and lying are quite common. A sword fight results in a character impaled and flung from a balcony, though again without gory detail.  

Positive

Conor repeatedly refuses to take human life, even if his friends urge him that it is the only way. Instead, he chooses to make friends with his adversaries as much as possible. Several characters appear to have at least a faint belief in God and express thanks to him once or twice. One character regrets swearing at a person. The Airman risks his life to save his family and other loved ones in the face of extremely lopsided odds.

Conclusion

The Airman certainly has its flaws, but in the end, you'll find a fantastic story about a young man overcoming insurmountable odds to rescue his family and end Bonvilain's tyranny. The book is written so well you begin to feel Conor and the other character's hatred for Bonviliain and their love and loyalty for each other. I would recommend this book for 12+ however due to the amount of bad language, but if you're interested you should definitely give it a try.