SUNWING

Filled with high adventure, this sequel to Silverwing (1997) stands well on its own, continuing the adventures of Shade, a bat in search of his lost father. Shade, along with his companions, flies into what seems to be an indoor bat paradise, created by humans. The humans aren’t as benevolent as they seem—they are attaching explosives to owls and bats, and using the creatures to bomb enemy cities. In a race against time, bats, rats, and owls join to escape the humans’ clutches and to stop Goth, a cannibal bat, who is attempting to conquer the bat world with the help of the evil god, Zotz. Criss-crossing plotlines keep the story hopping—an ongoing battle between bats and owls, Shade’s competition with Chinook for the attentions of Marina, an intelligent, pretty bat—while excellent characterizations make the anthropomorphizing believable. Despite some fudging of natural science to cast owls in a villainous role, this book evokes sympathy for bats, a much-maligned species. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 8-12)