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 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. ( )

"Fans of the first two books will find that this new adventure, with its compelling geography and cosmology of the Underworld, takes them places Silverwing and Sunwing never dreamed of."
-Horn Book

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

companion to Silverwing and sunwing

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? ( )