Firewing (2002)

Shade, the silverwing bat, is back for a third adventure in this exciting conclusion to the Silverwing trilogy. During an earthquake Shade’s son, Griffin, is pulled down into the Underworld. Shade pursues his son into the earth, while Griffin teams up with Luna, a recently dead friend from his colony. Together the two young bats search for a way out of the land of the dead. Unfortunately the Underworld is full of dangers for the living and the dead and Griffin is hunted by more than just his father.

A children’s novel for the 9 to 12 crowd, Firewing is a thrilling adventure story that doesn’t hold itself back its age group. There are separated families, vicious monsters, and tragic deaths.

Some elements of the dangers the characters face share similarities to quest stories in Greek mythology.

In his previous books Shade has grown from a rebellious rule-breaker to a respected leader of his colony. Now he has to become a father ready to sacrifice anything for his family.

Griffin is a timid character who starts off as a child who feels like he is under great pressure to live up to his dad’s heroic reputation. As he survives the trials of the Underworld he becomes a stronger character that the reader will want to see get out alive. ( )

I really lovced this book. It was a very touching book.I am

I loved the first two books in this trilogy, which I read years ago. Though perhaps aimed toward a younger audience, I decided to read this book simply because the previous two were enjoyed so much in my middle school years.
The plot was a bit too unrealistic - or perhaps it was the way that Oppel created the entirely new and unique Underworld. It was a courageous idea, to be sure, but one that was not quite pulled off.
Also, each event seemed to drag on. The focus was placed mainly on the setting and detail of the deathly Underworld, instead of on the characters. I kept wishing that the author would introduce a twist of some sort.
Once the old nemesis character of Goth was introduced into the story, I thought that the rest of the book was pretty predictable.
However, I have to say that the ending was touching and well written. Certainly not a shock, but inspiring nonetheless.
Fans of the first two books should read this conclusion to the story, but "Silverwing" and "Sunwing" were definitely better. ( )

Of the three in the trilogy, this is the most unique because it’s entirely a fantasy world rather than a mythology of bats within our own world. Shade and his son Griffin are thrust into the world of the dead even though they are still alive, and all of the elements that they encounter are entirely otherworldly, even the way the world is created. On the other hand, it works against this text as a classroom text because it’s completely out of the context of our own world. The natural laws are entirely different.My favorite of the three in the trilogy is the second, but this one has its own aspects to offer that the other two don’t. It has two main characters, Griffin and Shade, who are clearly different in the way that they think and the reasons they act. Oppel has done an excellent job making them distinct. Also, a more expansive history involving bats and their mythology is offered, which gives the reader an even larger context to their world. Ultimately, it’s still just a story about trying to get from one place to another, which is similar to the other books, but the landscape itself is interesting. It’s a fun read, and I recommend this to children ages 8-13 and adults interested in fantasy and nature.-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com ( )

It gets a little confusing, but overall it is a great book, it has a lot of detail and some interesting plots. The only problem I had with it is that the action scenes could get a little muddled, its one of those books where you may have to reread a scene a couple of times to understand what happened, but overall it's a quick easy read. I really enjoyed how the story played out (with my screen name, you can see I'm a fan). ( )