Firewing
Encyclopedia
Firewing is a children's book written by the Canadian author, Kenneth Oppel
. It is the third book in the series including two others: Silverwing
, and Sunwing
. There is also a fourth book in the series called Darkwing
, which is a prequel to Silverwing.
s because he is a hybrid of a Silverwing and a Brightwing, and also because he is overly cautious while the other newborns are impulsive and headstrong. Griffin's only real friend is Luna, a popular newborn who likes Griffin and is not put off by his wary attitude. However, Griffin views his tendency to worry about everything as a sign of cowardice
and fears that his father, Shade, who has become a legend amongst the Silverwing colony for restoring daytime movement to the bats, will reject him when he returns from Stonehold with the other male adult bats.
Upon discovering a group of human campers in the forest, Griffin decides to steal some of the camp's fire for his colony, hoping that the act will impress his father. Unfortunately, Griffin’s plan goes horribly wrong when Luna is accidentally set on fire and burned. Upon discovering that Luna's injuries may be fatal, a guilt-stricken Griffin flies off into the lower levels of Tree Haven. While hiding in the Tree's lower levels a crack appears, possibly the result of either a natural earthquake or Cama Zotz' influence, and Griffin is drawn into the Underworld
.
Shade has also felt the earthquake
and discovers another crack that leads to the Underworld. Sensing Zotz's presence in the crack, Shade becomes convinced that something is wrong and flies to Tree Haven in order to assuage his fears for Marina and Griffin. Upon reaching Tree Haven, Shade finds that the tree has been devastated by the earthquake and that Marina's wing has been injured. Shade searches for Griffin and eventually discovers that he has been pulled into a crack in the ground. Against the advice of the other Silverwings, Shade decides to go into the crack and rescue his son. Marina, unable to go with Shade because of her wing injury, begs Shade to bring Griffin back.
In the Underworld, Griffin discovers a colony of bats that are unaware that they are dead. The bats are wary of Griffin, because as he is still alive he appears to glow to them. Griffin discovers that the recently deceased Luna has become a member of the colony and has no memory of him. Fortunately for Griffin, a group of Pilgrims (bats who attempt to convince the other inhabitants of the Underworld that they are dead) appear at the colony to try to convince the colonists that they are dead. One of the Pilgrims is Frieda, a former elder of Griffin's colony. Frieda recognizes Griffin as Shade and Marina's son and tells him of a gigantic, incandescent Tree which supposedly sends dead bats that enter it to another, more enjoyable afterlife
. Frieda believes that the Tree will send Griffin back home, as he is alive and not dead.
Griffin decides to follow Frieda's advice and travel to the Tree, but refuses to leave without bringing Luna with him. Frieda provides Griffin with a sound map (a map created by echolocative images in his mind) to the Tree and then leaves to preach to more dead bats, warning him that it is difficult for many bats to accept their deaths. Griffin manages to get Luna to remember him and convinces her to travel with him to the Tree.
Meanwhile, Goth, the antagonist of the previous two books, awakens in the Underworld and discovers that he is dead. Confused by his surroundings, Goth is easily captured by a group of Vampyrum Spectrum, who set him to work hollowing out a tunnel in the Underworld's "sky" with a group of enslaved bats, including a vampyrum met in Silverwing
, named Throbb. Goth manages to escape from his captors and cries for Zotz to come to him and explain to him why he is being punished. Zotz does appear and reveals that Goth's failure to free Zotz during the last eclipse has displeased him and that Goth will spend the next few thousand years working to create a tunnel to the world of the living before being condemned to an eternity
of torture
.
Goth manages to bargain with Zotz to spare himself from such a horrible fate. Zotz agrees to give Goth another chance, provided that he proves his loyalty to him. Zotz sends Goth to go kill Griffin and sacrifice his life to Zotz, and Goth also to take Griffin's life as his own.
Shade meanwhile, has encountered a group of dead bats who are attempting to reach the Tree. The group later encounter a dead Vampyrum Spectrum named Murk, who is also travelling to the Tree. Despite their misgivings at having the cannibal bat traveling with them, the group allows Murk to travel with them. Shade eventually discovers the colony of dead bats that Griffin had just left, thus allowing him to know that his son is still alive.
Goth eventually manages to catch up with Griffin, but discovers that Griffin is much stronger than he because Griffin is still alive. Griffin manages to fight off Goth and then flees with Luna, leaving Goth behind. Zotz taunts Goth for his failure and then tells him that Griffin's strength will decrease during his time in the Underworld, while Goth's strength will only increase. Zotz also tells Goth that Griffin is Shade's son, in order to give Goth extra incentive for killing Griffin.
Griffin and Luna eventually enter a cavern, which contains an odd light. This light traps dead bats in the cavern by causing them to see their past lives. Griffin is unaffected by the light, presumably because he has not lost his life. Shade manages to catch up to Griffin but has a difficult time convincing his son that he is real, as Griffin believes that Shade is actually an illusion the light is creating. Shade eventually manages to convince Griffin that he is real; however as Shade begins to remove Luna from the cavern, he is attacked by Goth.
Griffin manages to escape from the cavern with Luna. Shade is lost in a black river that flowed through the cavern while Goth's back is broken during the struggle. Griffin and Luna continue on their journey to the Tree with Shade's allies, while Shade manages to escape from the river. Unknown to Shade, Zotz heals Goth's wounds and carries him off to set a trap for Shade.
Griffin and Luna discover another colony of dead bats that are aware that they are dead. A member of the colony named Dante explains that they have chosen to spend the rest of eternity contemplating philosophy
rather than enter the Tree, of which they are wary as no bat who has entered the Tree has ever returned. Luna meanwhile has regained all of her memories of her old life and realizes that Griffin was responsible for her death. Luna angrily lashes out at Griffin and injures him, which shocks her out of her anger. Griffin forgives Luna for her assault and realizes that it has shown him that he does not want to die in the Underworld. The two then set off for the Tree again.
Shade meanwhile is lured into a trap by Zotz and finds himself facing off against imprisoned. Realizing that he is no match for Goth in physical strength, Shade mutilates Goth's ear
s, effectively blinding Goth's echolocation
and preventing him from locating Shade in the pitch black darkness. Zotz intervenes and tells Goth that his plans have now changed. Goth is to kill Griffin, take his life, and then return to the Upper World. He will be joined by Phoenix, the Vampyrum Spectrum bat who had been Goth's jailer during his time as a slave. Phoenix will return to the Upper World by taking Shade's life, whereupon she and Goth will restart the worship of Zotz on the Upperworld.
Zotz disguises Goth as Shade in order to fool Griffin, and then dispatches him to kill Griffin. Zotz then tells Shade that he and Nocturna, the god of Shade's people, had once ruled the world equally, with Nocturna ruling over the living and Zotz ruling over the dead. However, many of the dead became unhappy with their lives; therefore Zotz asked Nocturna to allow him to merge their two kingdoms so that the dead could become happy again. Nocturna refused, as she believed that such an act would upset that natural balance of the world. Zotz thus killed Nocturna, whereupon her body transformed into the Tree, which Zotz cannot destroy. The Tree has provided the dead with an escape from Zotz' realm, which infuriates Zotz. During his story, Zotz informs Shade that the entire Underworld is built out of pictures created in the bats' minds by echoes.
Shade uses this information to his advantage and uses his echo vision to bore a hole in the cathedral and allow himself to escape. Zotz attempts to stop Shade, but Shade realizes that Zotz cannot harm him as he is still alive and Zotz cannot harm the living. Shade also comes to realize that what he is facing is not the 'real' Zotz, but a construct made out of echoes similar to those that constitute the Underworld. Shade destroys the construct of Zotz and then frees his imprisoned allies, including Murk.
Griffin and Luna reach the Tree and are about to enter it when Goth, disguised as Shade, reaches them. Griffin is fooled by the disguise and is killed by Goth, who devours Griffin's life and then enters the Tree just before Shade and his allies reach him. Shade apologizes to Griffin for failing to save him and then tells Griffin to stay where he is while Shade flies up into the sky. Whispering an apology to Marina, Shade then commits suicide by allowing himself to fall to the ground, which kills him and releases his own life force, which he wishes for Griffin to take. Both Griffin and Luna are able to absorb Shade's life force and return to life.
Griffin apologizes to his father for all the trouble he has caused; Shade tells him not to blame himself and that he is proud of him. Shade, Griffin, Luna, and their allies all enter the Tree. Despite Griffin's efforts to hold on to his father, the two are separated and Griffin and Luna are returned to the Upper World.
Meanwhile, the newly reborn Goth, under the directions of Zotz, discovers the ruins of the temple which was once used to worship Zotz. Goth also discovers a group of Vampyrum Spectrum, whom he begins to indoctrinate with the teachings of his god.
Griffin and Luna return to Tree Haven and are met by Marina, who is overjoyed to see that Griffin is alive. Unbeknownst to them, Shade is also present, in an invisible and immaterial form, which allows him to experience the sensations of anything into which he passes. Content with his new existence, which Nocturna is suggested to share, Shade merges himself with Marina and Griffin, thus experiencing their joy at being reunited.
and is often mocked by his peers, who take pride in their size and strength. While Shade's strength may be inferior to the other bats', he becomes a master of echolocation
, often creating illusions or moving materials with echoes. In Firewing, Shade comes home to Tree Haven to find that Griffin's been lost in the underworld, and he goes to follow him. Eventually reuniting with Griffin and Luna with the help of a group of Pilgrims, Shade makes it all the way to the Tree only to commit suicide for his son's sake when Griffin is killed by Goth.
His name means "darkness".
by Humans and seeks to return home, with his whining tag-along, Throbb (who later dies in a lightning storm). His carnivorous
nature makes him eat many kinds of animals, enraging the owl
s against Shade. He was killed in Sunwing
in an explosion when the high priest Voxzaco drops an exploding disk, aiming to sacrifice 100 hearts within a solar eclipse. Goth is ruthless and bloodthirsty, and after being outsmarted by Shade makes it his personal goal to kill the other bat (to the point of getting distracted from his mission to kill Griffin when he sees Shade).
Goth returns to life at the end of Firewing when he disguises himself as Shade and kills Griffin, absorbing his life and returning to the living world through the Tree. He then reappears at the temple where he was killed, meeting a group of Vampyrum bats and preaching to them about Cama Zotz.
His name comes from the English word gothic.
after accidentally causing Luna's death. During his journey through the underworld to the Tree, he gains self-confidence and faith in himself. He is killed briefly by Goth, but comes back to life when he absorbs half of Shade's life (Shade having committed suicide for Griffin's sake).
His name comes from the griffin
, a blend between two animals: an eagle
and a lion
. A fitting name for a Silverwing
-Brightwing hybrid (though he thinks not).
After realizing she had died, Luna begins to feel constant pain where she had been burned to death. Once Griffin confesses that it was his fault she'd died, Luna lashes out and attacks, nearly killing him. Eventually, even though the sight of the Tree frightened her (it appeared to be made entirely out of fire, something that terrified her due to the nature of her death) she comes back to the upper world with Griffin after absorbing half of Shade's life.
Kenneth Oppel
Kenneth Oppel is a Canadian author. Born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, he spent his childhood in Victoria, British Columbia and Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has also lived in Newfoundland and Labrador, England and Ireland....
. It is the third book in the series including two others: Silverwing
Silverwing (novel)
Silverwing is a best-selling children's novel, written by Kenneth Oppel, first published in 1997 by HarperCollins. It tells the story of a colony of silverwing bats. The tone and artistic ambition of this series of bestsellers has been compared to the classic animal novel Watership Down...
, and Sunwing
Sunwing
Sunwing is a popular children's book written in 1999 by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel. It is the second book in the Silverwing series, preceded by Silverwing and succeeded by Firewing.- Part I :...
. There is also a fourth book in the series called Darkwing
Darkwing
Darkwing is a novel by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel. It is the prequel and fourth addition to the Silverwing series, and takes place 65 million years before the events of the first book, Silverwing...
, which is a prequel to Silverwing.
Plot
The novel begins with the introduction of Griffin Silverwing, the son of Shade and Marina. Griffin has difficulty relating to the other newborn batBat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s because he is a hybrid of a Silverwing and a Brightwing, and also because he is overly cautious while the other newborns are impulsive and headstrong. Griffin's only real friend is Luna, a popular newborn who likes Griffin and is not put off by his wary attitude. However, Griffin views his tendency to worry about everything as a sign of cowardice
Cowardice
Cowardice is the perceived failure to demonstrate sufficient mental robustness and courage in the face of a challenge. Under many military codes of justice, cowardice in the face of combat is a crime punishable by death...
and fears that his father, Shade, who has become a legend amongst the Silverwing colony for restoring daytime movement to the bats, will reject him when he returns from Stonehold with the other male adult bats.
Upon discovering a group of human campers in the forest, Griffin decides to steal some of the camp's fire for his colony, hoping that the act will impress his father. Unfortunately, Griffin’s plan goes horribly wrong when Luna is accidentally set on fire and burned. Upon discovering that Luna's injuries may be fatal, a guilt-stricken Griffin flies off into the lower levels of Tree Haven. While hiding in the Tree's lower levels a crack appears, possibly the result of either a natural earthquake or Cama Zotz' influence, and Griffin is drawn into the Underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
.
Shade has also felt the earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
and discovers another crack that leads to the Underworld. Sensing Zotz's presence in the crack, Shade becomes convinced that something is wrong and flies to Tree Haven in order to assuage his fears for Marina and Griffin. Upon reaching Tree Haven, Shade finds that the tree has been devastated by the earthquake and that Marina's wing has been injured. Shade searches for Griffin and eventually discovers that he has been pulled into a crack in the ground. Against the advice of the other Silverwings, Shade decides to go into the crack and rescue his son. Marina, unable to go with Shade because of her wing injury, begs Shade to bring Griffin back.
In the Underworld, Griffin discovers a colony of bats that are unaware that they are dead. The bats are wary of Griffin, because as he is still alive he appears to glow to them. Griffin discovers that the recently deceased Luna has become a member of the colony and has no memory of him. Fortunately for Griffin, a group of Pilgrims (bats who attempt to convince the other inhabitants of the Underworld that they are dead) appear at the colony to try to convince the colonists that they are dead. One of the Pilgrims is Frieda, a former elder of Griffin's colony. Frieda recognizes Griffin as Shade and Marina's son and tells him of a gigantic, incandescent Tree which supposedly sends dead bats that enter it to another, more enjoyable afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
. Frieda believes that the Tree will send Griffin back home, as he is alive and not dead.
Griffin decides to follow Frieda's advice and travel to the Tree, but refuses to leave without bringing Luna with him. Frieda provides Griffin with a sound map (a map created by echolocative images in his mind) to the Tree and then leaves to preach to more dead bats, warning him that it is difficult for many bats to accept their deaths. Griffin manages to get Luna to remember him and convinces her to travel with him to the Tree.
Meanwhile, Goth, the antagonist of the previous two books, awakens in the Underworld and discovers that he is dead. Confused by his surroundings, Goth is easily captured by a group of Vampyrum Spectrum, who set him to work hollowing out a tunnel in the Underworld's "sky" with a group of enslaved bats, including a vampyrum met in Silverwing
Silverwing
Silverwing may refer to:*Silverwing , a book series written by Kenneth Oppel**Silverwing , best-selling novel and first in the series.**Silverwing ,TV show based on Kenneth Oppel's Silverwing...
, named Throbb. Goth manages to escape from his captors and cries for Zotz to come to him and explain to him why he is being punished. Zotz does appear and reveals that Goth's failure to free Zotz during the last eclipse has displeased him and that Goth will spend the next few thousand years working to create a tunnel to the world of the living before being condemned to an eternity
Eternity
While in the popular mind, eternity often simply means existence for a limitless amount of time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside time. By contrast, infinite temporal existence is then called sempiternity. Something eternal exists outside time; by contrast,...
of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
.
Goth manages to bargain with Zotz to spare himself from such a horrible fate. Zotz agrees to give Goth another chance, provided that he proves his loyalty to him. Zotz sends Goth to go kill Griffin and sacrifice his life to Zotz, and Goth also to take Griffin's life as his own.
Shade meanwhile, has encountered a group of dead bats who are attempting to reach the Tree. The group later encounter a dead Vampyrum Spectrum named Murk, who is also travelling to the Tree. Despite their misgivings at having the cannibal bat traveling with them, the group allows Murk to travel with them. Shade eventually discovers the colony of dead bats that Griffin had just left, thus allowing him to know that his son is still alive.
Goth eventually manages to catch up with Griffin, but discovers that Griffin is much stronger than he because Griffin is still alive. Griffin manages to fight off Goth and then flees with Luna, leaving Goth behind. Zotz taunts Goth for his failure and then tells him that Griffin's strength will decrease during his time in the Underworld, while Goth's strength will only increase. Zotz also tells Goth that Griffin is Shade's son, in order to give Goth extra incentive for killing Griffin.
Griffin and Luna eventually enter a cavern, which contains an odd light. This light traps dead bats in the cavern by causing them to see their past lives. Griffin is unaffected by the light, presumably because he has not lost his life. Shade manages to catch up to Griffin but has a difficult time convincing his son that he is real, as Griffin believes that Shade is actually an illusion the light is creating. Shade eventually manages to convince Griffin that he is real; however as Shade begins to remove Luna from the cavern, he is attacked by Goth.
Griffin manages to escape from the cavern with Luna. Shade is lost in a black river that flowed through the cavern while Goth's back is broken during the struggle. Griffin and Luna continue on their journey to the Tree with Shade's allies, while Shade manages to escape from the river. Unknown to Shade, Zotz heals Goth's wounds and carries him off to set a trap for Shade.
Griffin and Luna discover another colony of dead bats that are aware that they are dead. A member of the colony named Dante explains that they have chosen to spend the rest of eternity contemplating philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
rather than enter the Tree, of which they are wary as no bat who has entered the Tree has ever returned. Luna meanwhile has regained all of her memories of her old life and realizes that Griffin was responsible for her death. Luna angrily lashes out at Griffin and injures him, which shocks her out of her anger. Griffin forgives Luna for her assault and realizes that it has shown him that he does not want to die in the Underworld. The two then set off for the Tree again.
Shade meanwhile is lured into a trap by Zotz and finds himself facing off against imprisoned. Realizing that he is no match for Goth in physical strength, Shade mutilates Goth's ear
Ear
The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system....
s, effectively blinding Goth's echolocation
Animal echolocation
Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals.Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects...
and preventing him from locating Shade in the pitch black darkness. Zotz intervenes and tells Goth that his plans have now changed. Goth is to kill Griffin, take his life, and then return to the Upper World. He will be joined by Phoenix, the Vampyrum Spectrum bat who had been Goth's jailer during his time as a slave. Phoenix will return to the Upper World by taking Shade's life, whereupon she and Goth will restart the worship of Zotz on the Upperworld.
Zotz disguises Goth as Shade in order to fool Griffin, and then dispatches him to kill Griffin. Zotz then tells Shade that he and Nocturna, the god of Shade's people, had once ruled the world equally, with Nocturna ruling over the living and Zotz ruling over the dead. However, many of the dead became unhappy with their lives; therefore Zotz asked Nocturna to allow him to merge their two kingdoms so that the dead could become happy again. Nocturna refused, as she believed that such an act would upset that natural balance of the world. Zotz thus killed Nocturna, whereupon her body transformed into the Tree, which Zotz cannot destroy. The Tree has provided the dead with an escape from Zotz' realm, which infuriates Zotz. During his story, Zotz informs Shade that the entire Underworld is built out of pictures created in the bats' minds by echoes.
Shade uses this information to his advantage and uses his echo vision to bore a hole in the cathedral and allow himself to escape. Zotz attempts to stop Shade, but Shade realizes that Zotz cannot harm him as he is still alive and Zotz cannot harm the living. Shade also comes to realize that what he is facing is not the 'real' Zotz, but a construct made out of echoes similar to those that constitute the Underworld. Shade destroys the construct of Zotz and then frees his imprisoned allies, including Murk.
Griffin and Luna reach the Tree and are about to enter it when Goth, disguised as Shade, reaches them. Griffin is fooled by the disguise and is killed by Goth, who devours Griffin's life and then enters the Tree just before Shade and his allies reach him. Shade apologizes to Griffin for failing to save him and then tells Griffin to stay where he is while Shade flies up into the sky. Whispering an apology to Marina, Shade then commits suicide by allowing himself to fall to the ground, which kills him and releases his own life force, which he wishes for Griffin to take. Both Griffin and Luna are able to absorb Shade's life force and return to life.
Griffin apologizes to his father for all the trouble he has caused; Shade tells him not to blame himself and that he is proud of him. Shade, Griffin, Luna, and their allies all enter the Tree. Despite Griffin's efforts to hold on to his father, the two are separated and Griffin and Luna are returned to the Upper World.
Meanwhile, the newly reborn Goth, under the directions of Zotz, discovers the ruins of the temple which was once used to worship Zotz. Goth also discovers a group of Vampyrum Spectrum, whom he begins to indoctrinate with the teachings of his god.
Griffin and Luna return to Tree Haven and are met by Marina, who is overjoyed to see that Griffin is alive. Unbeknownst to them, Shade is also present, in an invisible and immaterial form, which allows him to experience the sensations of anything into which he passes. Content with his new existence, which Nocturna is suggested to share, Shade merges himself with Marina and Griffin, thus experiencing their joy at being reunited.
Shade
Shade Silverwing is a young bat who is a runtRunt
A runt is a smaller specimen in a group of animals, usually of offspring in a litter.Runt may also refer to:*Runt , a 1970 album by Todd Rundgren, originally credited to the band Runt...
and is often mocked by his peers, who take pride in their size and strength. While Shade's strength may be inferior to the other bats', he becomes a master of echolocation
Animal echolocation
Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals.Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects...
, often creating illusions or moving materials with echoes. In Firewing, Shade comes home to Tree Haven to find that Griffin's been lost in the underworld, and he goes to follow him. Eventually reuniting with Griffin and Luna with the help of a group of Pilgrims, Shade makes it all the way to the Tree only to commit suicide for his son's sake when Griffin is killed by Goth.
His name means "darkness".
Goth
Goth is a cannibal male bat, king to the Vampyrum spectrum, and is deceptive and cunning. He was taken from his home in the jungleJungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
by Humans and seeks to return home, with his whining tag-along, Throbb (who later dies in a lightning storm). His carnivorous
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
nature makes him eat many kinds of animals, enraging the owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s against Shade. He was killed in Sunwing
Sunwing
Sunwing is a popular children's book written in 1999 by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel. It is the second book in the Silverwing series, preceded by Silverwing and succeeded by Firewing.- Part I :...
in an explosion when the high priest Voxzaco drops an exploding disk, aiming to sacrifice 100 hearts within a solar eclipse. Goth is ruthless and bloodthirsty, and after being outsmarted by Shade makes it his personal goal to kill the other bat (to the point of getting distracted from his mission to kill Griffin when he sees Shade).
Goth returns to life at the end of Firewing when he disguises himself as Shade and kills Griffin, absorbing his life and returning to the living world through the Tree. He then reappears at the temple where he was killed, meeting a group of Vampyrum bats and preaching to them about Cama Zotz.
His name comes from the English word gothic.
Griffin
Shade and Marina's son. Due to his mixed lineage, he's physically unique as compared to the other Silverwing newborns; as a result, he's self-conscious and feels like an outcast. He is a constantly worrying over anything and everything and his overactive imagination provides him with colourful answers to the question 'what's the worst that can happen?'. He ends up being sucked into the UnderworldUnderworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
after accidentally causing Luna's death. During his journey through the underworld to the Tree, he gains self-confidence and faith in himself. He is killed briefly by Goth, but comes back to life when he absorbs half of Shade's life (Shade having committed suicide for Griffin's sake).
His name comes from the griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
, a blend between two animals: an eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
and a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
. A fitting name for a Silverwing
Silver-Haired Bat
The Silver-haired Bat is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae and the only member of the genus Lasionycteris.- Habitat :...
-Brightwing hybrid (though he thinks not).
Luna
A Silverwing newborn, and Griffin's best friend, known to play "Marina" for him. As a contrast to Griffin's constant worrying, Luna is fearless, daring and popular among the other Silverwing newborns. She dies from her burns when Griffin, in his attempt to steal fire from Humans, drops a burning twig on her and she catches fire. Griffin meets up with her again in the Underworld, and although she doesn't recognize him at first (or realize that she's dead), convinces her to fly to the Tree with him.After realizing she had died, Luna begins to feel constant pain where she had been burned to death. Once Griffin confesses that it was his fault she'd died, Luna lashes out and attacks, nearly killing him. Eventually, even though the sight of the Tree frightened her (it appeared to be made entirely out of fire, something that terrified her due to the nature of her death) she comes back to the upper world with Griffin after absorbing half of Shade's life.