Kenneth Oppel at MTYP October 15

This dark new novel by Kenneth Oppel is the prequel to the Silverwing bat series. I read Silverwing when it first came out and really enjoyed it but didn't read Sunwing or Firewing, because I figured if you had read one bat book, you had read them all.

So when I had a chance to get a hold of an advance reading copy of Oppel's newest installment I was pretty sure of what I was in for. Wrong! And I was glad to be wrong. This novel of loner and outcast thrust into the position of saviour is not a new idea, but the author's handling of it is so well done that I felt that I was living in an age of dinosaurs and carnivorous predators. His descriptions of the chiropter hero Dusk as he attempts to master the elements of flying made a very vivid impression on me - a person who has no scientific skills whatsoever! Darkwing is not for the faint of heart however; some scenes are pretty gruesome. Although one of my co-workers would probably say I am just a wimp! True, but still suggested for ages 10+.

We're fortunate to be hosting an event with Kenneth Oppel in Winnipeg on October 15.