Jardan and his father ply the wilderness of Open Air, keeping one step ahead of marauders as they scrape a meagre existence from the ocean-covered world. When their airship is destroyed, Jardan finds himself cast adrift with nothing but a knife and a troublesome young woman. As Jardan struggles to remain the Airman his father raised him to be, he blazes a bloody trail across the watery planet. He may succeed, if he can escape from hordes of pirates, a sociopathic bounty hunter, and a sadistic madwoman bent on world conquest ... And if the pirate girl doesn't kill him first.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
High adventure
12 Oct 2012
By J W Throgmorton
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Ashby's mind must be a busy place indeed. His use of prose is on par with Stephen King as is his imagination. The level of detail used to describe his world of water makes you believe there truly is such a place. His talent as a bard telling of high adventure beckons to the daydreams of our youth. I look forward to reading more wonderful and amazing stories from Mr. Ashby, or maybe we'll see his book(s) adapted to the big screen.
J W Throgmorton
Author of Duncan & Talon's Debt
J W Throgmorton
Author of Duncan & Talon's Debt
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Ripping Yarn!
17 Aug 2012
By LJ
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
RJ Ashby's first novel The Pirates of Aireon is a good old-fashioned `Ripping Yarn'. There's plenty of action, moments of suspense, a love story (but not too much) and a well-stocked larder of characters; all set in a very believable new world.
The hero, Jardan, is forced to find his own way in a world where it seems just about everyone wants to kill him. Jardan simply wants to be an Airman; the men (and women) who live for flying airships above the monster-infested depths of their ocean planet. A psychotic bounty hunter, a power- crazed empire-building gangster grandmother and her family, and fleets of pirates all believe that Jardan needs to die. In his attempts to stay alive, he becomes a thief and pirate, a gladiator and eventually, an inspirational leader.
The Pirates of Aireon is not a fantasy story in the style of Lord of the Rings or Avatar. There are no deep questions asked about good and evil, or discussions asked about the oppression of races, although the author has a good dig at the `politics' of business and religion. What the book does contain is a collection of lively and believable characters (wait until you meet `The Chairwoman', the deliciously-unpleasant gangster grandmother), set in a world that is both familiar and completely alien, and populated by people who have developed their own ideas about civilisation in the time they have been on the planet. If you like Anne McCaffrey's world of Pern, then think `dragon riders on steroids', and replace charming dolphins with terrifying human-hunting sea monsters, and you have RJ Ashby's The Pirates of Aireon.
The hero, Jardan, is forced to find his own way in a world where it seems just about everyone wants to kill him. Jardan simply wants to be an Airman; the men (and women) who live for flying airships above the monster-infested depths of their ocean planet. A psychotic bounty hunter, a power- crazed empire-building gangster grandmother and her family, and fleets of pirates all believe that Jardan needs to die. In his attempts to stay alive, he becomes a thief and pirate, a gladiator and eventually, an inspirational leader.
The Pirates of Aireon is not a fantasy story in the style of Lord of the Rings or Avatar. There are no deep questions asked about good and evil, or discussions asked about the oppression of races, although the author has a good dig at the `politics' of business and religion. What the book does contain is a collection of lively and believable characters (wait until you meet `The Chairwoman', the deliciously-unpleasant gangster grandmother), set in a world that is both familiar and completely alien, and populated by people who have developed their own ideas about civilisation in the time they have been on the planet. If you like Anne McCaffrey's world of Pern, then think `dragon riders on steroids', and replace charming dolphins with terrifying human-hunting sea monsters, and you have RJ Ashby's The Pirates of Aireon.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Airmen
3 April 2013
By MichaelB
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The Airmen is a fast-paced imaginative sci-fi style story following two main protagonists from totally different backgrounds. Jardan, a self-sufficient and strong character always on the watch for those up to no good and Rowella, the flame-haired daughter of a pirate come together violently. The water world they inhabit is only coped by the inhabitants through the use of extremely light aircraft and air cities powered by crystals with unlimited power. The struggle to make a living makes the world a particularly violent one where most interacting with the main protagonists getting injured or killed.
Aside from the growing attraction between the two, where Jardan's naivety is almost too much, the fight scenes and escape from almost certain death really stretches the boundaries in a Matthew Reilly-like way. The pace is breathtaking and the detailed description of the characters, craft, weapons and the world makes this a very enjoyable story to read.
The author, Bob Ashby exhibits great story-telling skills and if he keeps up the same standard in the sequels then it will be a good series to follow.
The Airmen (Part One: The Pirates of Aireon)
Aside from the growing attraction between the two, where Jardan's naivety is almost too much, the fight scenes and escape from almost certain death really stretches the boundaries in a Matthew Reilly-like way. The pace is breathtaking and the detailed description of the characters, craft, weapons and the world makes this a very enjoyable story to read.
The author, Bob Ashby exhibits great story-telling skills and if he keeps up the same standard in the sequels then it will be a good series to follow.
The Airmen (Part One: The Pirates of Aireon)
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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