Book Review - Sunwing

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Title: Sunwing
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Publisher: Aladdin Paperback
Publication Date: July 10, 2001
Version I Read: Paperback

Rating: 4.5/5

I first picked up Kenneth Oppel’s Silverwing on a whim many years ago when I was a wee lass. I remember loving it and its sequel, Sunwing (as I always have and still do love books about animals), and so I decided to dig out my old copy (as I’ve been doing with a lot of other books I loved as a kid to see if the held up) and reread it. Side note: I read Firewing as well and thought it was a huge step down from the other two, and I never read Darkwing.

Anyway, let’s talk about Sunwing, because, even more than Firewing, this book serves as the penultimate installment in the series. And I certainly feel as though it delivers.

Picking up where Silverwing left off, Shade and Marina have completed their journey to Hibernaculum to find Shade’s family. However, there are a lot of unsolved mysteries that some of the more adventurous bats in the colony, such as Shade’s mother Ariel and colony elder Frieda, want to solve. Specifically, the mystery of the metal bands that humans have been affixing to bats, and the whereabouts of Shade’s missing father. So a group sets out from the safety of the roost to seek answers. Meanwhile, an old enemy is lurking, waiting for his opportunity to take revenge.

The interesting dynamic the bats have with the humans is a bit different than in similar books I’ve seen. I usually don’t see humans or their technology used in the mythology of non-human species, so the fact that the bats struggle with their faith in humans as the truth comes to light is quite unique.

I love the semi-historical setting. I didn’t know about Project X-Ray until reading these books, and reading up on the actual history made me want to facepalm because whose bright idea was it to use bats to carry bombs? In spite of the fact that the setting is supposed to be World War II, the US seems to be at war with countries in South and Central America, not Europe and Asia. It kind of makes me wonder exactly what is going on on the human side of this story.

For the most part, the characters that populate this world are dynamic. Chinook in particular develops from just another bully to a rounded character who grows to respect Shade. Orestes and Romulus, the owl and the rat, respectively, who choose to ally themselves with Shade and ultimately bring peace to the warring animals, are highly distinctive characters. I think Orestes might be my favorite character in the whole series. Marina, like in the first book, still feels a little underutilized, as does Cassiel because he comes in so late in the story.

I appreciate the vagueness of some aspects of the story. Not everything is spelled out, especially the aspects of the magic Goth is using and the presence of the two deities, Nocturna and Zotz. (Interesting fact: Camazotz was a real Mayan vampire bat God.) It’s fun to fill in the gaps for yourself, based on the clues Oppel provides.

Verdict: I think Sunwing is actually an improvement on Silverwing for its fast-paced, interesting plot and deeply fascinating world and mythos.

Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use. 

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