Firewing

Sequel to Silverwing and Sunwing. In this one, Griffin the son of Shade is the main character, though there are also plenty of chapters from Shade’s point of view, and a few from that of their nemesis Goth, who hounds them throughout the narrative. I thought the last book got dark? Man, this one really dives deep. Literally into a whole new world. When the story begins, Griffin is a rather timid young bat, constantly feeling shadowed by his father’s fame and glory, always coming up with the what-if‘s when risky situations arise. But after unwittingly putting a friend in danger, he gets propelled into a harrowing journey in a place where natural laws are turned on their heads. This was fantastical, very original and darn good show more storytelling, I tore right through it in just a few days. The characters were great, the dialog believable, all in a landscape full of strange and baffling things that worked perfectly in this setup. I even liked the aspects of how some bats didn’t realize where they were, got complacent about it all, when others thought there was yet a further journey to take. This book gave me a lot to think about! It does get a bit more gruesome and crude- not for the squeamish! Not sure how I feel about the ending. It answered my questions, a bit too patly. I would have liked some further wrap up, what happened after, how Griffin in particular felt about things- but it didn’t bother me too much. Really lively story with some good characterization and a literally epic journey through terrifying challenges to an end the bats weren’t even sure was worth it- doubts thrown up to the very last moment. Now I’m wondering what else this author has written. show less

One of the things I enjoyed about this installment in the Silverwing saga was the fantastical nature of the plot. The earlier ones were just slightly off on the believable aspect, but because this one delved into a whole new world where anything could happen (and frequently did), it did not jar with me. Griffin's personality also struck a chord, I think because he was so different from his father. Indeed, the only thing that really bugged me was the corny nature of the ending (the sacrifice bit). Also, it seemed to be planning for another series?

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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 show less

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).

Great end to the series, but I have issues with what happens at the end.

companion to Silverwing and sunwing