2008-05-08 rip-roaring lift off for new Dumas

Much as we love the Artemis Fowl books, this is something finer. Conor Broekhardt is born in the air (readers who love this kind of thing should also look out for Kenneth Oppel's AIRBORN and SKYBREAKER, which have a similar premise)to his proud youg parents. At first sickeningly successful - he's brilliant at everything, including fencing, is made a knight at about 10 after rescuing the Princess of the Saltee Islands where his father is captain of the King's Sharpshooters - it all takes a wonderfully dark turn when the King is assasinated. Conor is set up to take the blame, believed dead and taken in an iron mask to Little Saltee where prisoners spend their lives digging for diamonds.

Here both his scientific mind and his prowess with a blade are life-saving. How he gets even hardened criminals on his side, gathers a fortune and escapes is too good to give away, but there is a wonderful buouyancy and sense of fun about these books which I don't believe any boy of 11+ could resist. We'd like a sequel please Mr Colfer!