| Sunwing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
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Author(s) |
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Country |
Canada |
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Language |
English |
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Publisher(s) |
Simon & Schuster |
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Media type |
Print (Paperback, Hardcover) |
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Book in series |
2 |
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Preceded by |
Silverwing (1997) |
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Followed by |
Firewing (2003) |
Sunwing is the second novel in the Silverwing franchise. Immediately following the events of the first novel, Shade Silverwing sets out with his friends to find his missing father, Cassiel, and other bats who have gone missing from their colony. Meanwhile, the Vampyrum Spectrum bat Goth has his own sinister goals to complete.
Synopsis[]
After being reunited with his colony after a long and harrowing journey, Shade Silverwing decides to find the Human building he heard about from Zephyr in hopes of finding his missing father. He is accompanied by his mother, Ariel, Marina Brightwing, and other members of his colony, including the elder Frieda, his old rival Chinook, and a male named Icarus, serving as their guide. The group finds the building, and as they enter, they find a vast forest inside, containing and large amount of bats. The bats inside believe that this was the destined place of all bats, safe from owls. After the group found out about the artificial forest, they were prompted to stay there by the bats kept in there. After exploring the forest, Shade found many things that didn't seem to fit in the forest; in the rock walls there were holes where bugs flew out of, and that even the tiger moths seemed slower and less appealing than usual. Shade didn't believe that the fake forest was their final destination. He tried to find the way out until he discovered that although there was a way in, you could not exit that way too, and he assumed that that was what kept Cassiel from returning to his colony. In the night, many bats are removed from the artificial forest by the Humans, who sprayed to gas that made the bats sleep. The leader of the indoor forest, Arcadia, assures the remaining bats that the others where taken to a better place, and that this was only the first stage to bat's freedom.
The Scientists that worked on the Bats at the "Oasis"
Later, while talking to Marina, he thought of the stream that flowed through the forest, and that the water comes from somewhere and has to go somewhere. He convinced Marina to come with him to the tunnel where to stream enters, and they both decided that the water must flow into the outside world. They do come out to a forest, although it is not the snow-clad woods he was expecting, but another one, almost identical to the one they had just came from. Shade decides that the stream must flow in a circle. However, as he is about to call out to see if any of the other bats are there, Marina stops him and points out an owl perched on a tree branch. The owl spies them and swoops down to attack them; Shade and Marina seek shelter in a hollowed-out tree that owls were there too. The other owls are convinced that them being imprisoned is all of the bat's idea. Shade tries to tell them that it is not true, but that infuriates the owls even more. The owls attempt to flush them out, but are stopped as a soporific vapor is spread through the forest, caused by the humans.
Shade and Marina manage to escape, and fly to another tunnel that the water flows into again. After they emerge from the tunnel, they find out that an owl named Orestes, son of King Boreal, followed them. The owl is about to attack, when Goth the vampire bat swoops down from a nearby tree and attacks Orestes. Shade, not wanting to see another animal killed by Goth, even an owl, sends an image to Goth's mind to momentarily stun him. Goth lets Orestes go, and Shade, Marina, and Orestes fly away from Goth, who chases after them. Before Goth can capture them, however, the Humans capture him and Orestes, and exit through a door.
Shade realizes that this may be their only chance to find out where the missing bats went. He and Marina fly through the narrow gap before the door closes, finding themselves in white hallways. They follow a Human, which leads them to a room. In the room there are many bats, and they are all screaming and crying in pain, though Shade doesn't know why. He tries to get closer to see what was happening, but is captured by a Human. The Human puts him in a metal trough, where he gets a patch of fur shaven off his belly, a ring stitched to the bare spot, and then has a metal disk tied to the ring. He also gets a metal stud in his ear. Shade is then placed in a black container with many other Silverwing bats, the majority of them being the ones that had been missing. Chinook is also there.
Meanwhile, Marina is clinging to the side of the plane, but is soon blown of by its turbulence. Marina decides that she can do nothing else but warn Frieda and the others. She flies back to the artificial forest, wedging a stick into the entrance to prevent it from closing. She warns Frieda and the others, but is not able to convince all the other bats because Arcadia tells them that they are meant to be here. As a result, only Frieda, Ariel, and a few other Silverwings escape through the door. Outside they meet Achilles Graywing, a legendary warrior that fought in the rebellion of the bats many years ago. He tells them that owls have located and laid siege to Frieda's Hibernaculum, as well as many others. He also informed them that all of the bats that had escaped were headed to Bridge City, home to millions of bats. Achilles advises them to travel with him, as it is too dangerous to travel in small numbers.
In the plane, Shade and Chinook are able to open the door of their cage, only to find another one. They open that, only to find that the occupant is Goth. only with the help of the other bats do are they able to close the door and shut Goth out. As a result of their activity, they are released into the air. Shade is pulled down by the extra weight of the disk. Shade's disk is ringing, telling him to go to a certain building for no apparent reason. He watches in horror as the other bats plummet to the building; the disks explode, killing all the bats close by.
Shade just manages to catch Chinook before he falls to his death. Shade removes the ring stitched into Chinook's belly; when Chinook tries to do the same for him they both fall into a river, where they are attacked by a pike. The fish tears out the rest of the stitches from Shade's belly and swallows the disk; Shade gets to the surface as the pike explodes, causing a wave that washes Shade to the river bank. There Shade is almost killed and eaten by a giant bug; Chinook saves his life by biting its neck in half. Shade then relaxes enough to realize that they are in Goth's homeland: the jungle. Then, they meet a bat named Caliban, who leads them to a place where the bats that survive the explosions are taking refuge in a hollowed-out statue before leaving to find their own families. Caliban tells Shade of the former leader, and to Shade's shock, he calls him Cassiel. When Shade asked what happened to him, Caliban tells him that he was eaten by the canibals.
Goth finally reaches his home in the ancient pyramid, which is also home to many other Vampyrum Spectrum. He is given news by his priest, Voxzaco, that his father died, so Goth is now king. Voxzaco also tells him of a prophecy; if one hundred hearts are sacrificed to Cama Zotz, the bat god, during the space of a total solar eclipes, Cama Zotz will be freed from the Underworld to overcome Nocturna and rule the Underworld and Upperworld.
Meanwhile, the Silverwings make the journey safely to Bridge City. There, a council of war is held about the rumored threat to the bats. The new rat king, King Romulus (who became king after his brother Remus fled the kingdom, convinced that a plot to pioson him was afoot) visits the bats and promises to help them. Marina seizes this opportunity and asks King Romulus is he will help her rescue Shade; she tells him how he was taken south by an airplane. King Romulus agrees to help her find Shade.
Shade is flying outside with Chinook and Caliban, when he sees an owl flying toward them. Caliban tells them to fly away back to Statue Haven, but Shade recognizes the owl as Orestes. He tells Caliban this; Caliban does not trust the owl and flies off anyway, but Chinook stays with Shade, admitting that he feels safe with Shade. Orestes has a metal disk tied to himself, and he tells Shade and Chinook not to worry because it doesn't work. Shade offers to help Orestes get the disk off, and Orestes thanks Shade for helping him. While they are talking, Orestes and Chinook are captured and taken away by a small group of Vampyrum Spectrum. Shade escapes, guilty because he did nothing to save them, and he remembers Chinook saying that he felt safe with Shade.
Marina and Ariel have made the trip south with a group of rats that King Romulus. When they surface, they meet with General Cortez, who is the rat ruler of the south. They ask him if he can escort them to where Shade is. General Cortez tells them that it is too dangerous to get too close to the canibal bats, because that is how his son was taken, but he agrees so he can save his son.
Shade also meets a bat named Ishmael and gets a sound message from Zephyr that says the Cama Zotz will reign if they make one hundred sacrifices during this period of time. In the royal pryrimid Shade goes through many troubles including Ishmael's death. Meanwhile Marina, along with the rats dig a tunnel to get to the Royal Pryrimid. Shade eventually finds his long lost father, Cassiel. During a battle in the Pryrimid, almost all captured bats are freed, and Voxzaco dropped the human's explosive disc on the pyramid in attempt to perform the mass sacrifice. When the bomb is set Shade prolongs it just in time for his freinds to escape. Goth, Voxzaco, and many other Vampyrum were killed in the explosion.
Making it back to Bridge City with the rest of the survivors, Shade convinces the leaders of the bat alliance to take him to catch up with the ambassadors and plead his case with the owls. After he and Orestes convince King Boreal to consider a peace treaty with the bats, Shade asks for one more thing; the Sun. In return for saving his son Orestes, King Boreal gives the bats back the sun, to be rediscussed at the treaty.
Shade got back to his colony with Cassiel and the others. Shade was praised as a hero, for being resonsible foe preventing a war, and most of all, for bringing back the sun. At Tree Haven Chinook asked Marina if she would be his mate. Marina declined and went decided be Shade's mate instead. However Freida died before she could see the sun rise. Shade, even though depressed about the death watched the sun rise with Marina.
Characters[]
Protagonists
- Shade Silverwing - The main character and was sent to the jungle by humans along with Chinook.
- Marina Brightwing - A Brightwing and Shade's friend. After Shade and Chinook are captured and sent to the jungle, she and Shade's mother set out to find them.
- Ariel - Shade's mother. She leaves the forest to find her son and the other missing bats.
- Chinook - A Silverwing bat around Shade's age, once his rival and now his friend. He is sent to the jungle along with Shade.
- Frieda - The Chief Elder of the Silverwing colony, known for the mysterious metal band on her arm. She is wise and understanding towards Shade.
- Caliban Mastiff Bat - The new leader of a group of bats living in the jungle who helps Shade. He is friends with Shade's father.
- Cassiel - Shade's father and Ariel's mate. He was sent to the jungle some time ago where he met Caliban.
- Romulus - The King of the Rats, a friend of Shade and Marina.
- Orestes - The son of the owl king and Shade's new friend, who is also sent to the jungle with other bats and owls.
- Zephyr - An old albino bat who helps Shade from afar.
- Nocturna - The goddess of the northern bats, who promises the bats freedom one day.
Antagonists
- Goth Vampyrum Spectum - The new King of the Vampyrum Spectrum and Shade's enemy.
- Voxzaco Vampyrum Spectrum - Goth's new right hand bat and the High Priest.
- Vampyrum Spectrum - Giant cannibal bats of the jungle whose new king is Goth. They worship Cama Zotz.
- Cama Zotz - The Vampyrum Spectrum's god who wants a hundred sacrifices. Described as the enemy of Nocturna.
- Owls - The oppressors of the bats and now want to start a war.
Gallery[]
