Presenting Darkwing, the story of Dusk, a chiropter (arboreal glider), that learns how to not only glide but fly! This skill makes him an outcast, but also possibly the hero of his dying colony as he guides them to a new home. An adventure story set 65 million years ago, that sets the stage for the birth of bats, such as Shade and other characters of the Silverwing series. Oppel is also the award winning Canadian author of Airborn and Skybreaker.

About Darkwing:

Before there were bats like Shade, Marina or even Goth, there was a young chiropter—a small arboreal glider—named Dusk. . . .

It is 65 million years ago, during a cataclysmic moment in the earth’s evolution, and Dusk, just months old, has no way of knowing he will play a pivotal role in creating a new world. What he does know is that he is different from the other newborn chiropters. Not content to use his large sails to glide down from the giant sequoia tree, Dusk discovers that if he flaps quickly enough, he can fly. But this strange gift that makes him feel like an outcast from the colony will also make him its saviour. A fter most of the colony is savagely massacred by the felids—the earth’s first mammalian carnivores—Dusk must lead his fellow chiropters to a new home, and a new life.

Against a tableau of disappearing dinosaurs and the ascent of the mammal kingdom, Oppel has created an adventure fantasy that sets the stage for the birth of the bats, the story of the forebears of Shade, the beloved hero of the Silverwing series. A s with all Silverwing books, it is impossible to simply read Oppel'sDarkwing; each of us enters a world of convincing characters, warring theologies, incredible natural history and a story that roars through head, heart and imagination. A tale that can be read as a stand- lone or as a prequel, Darkwing will be a welcome new classic for the millions of Kenneth Oppel fans.

Critical Praise

"[Darkwing] is a thrilling page-turner that will captivate young and old alike.... Fans of the Silverwing series will find this prequel immensely satisfying and will be clamouring for more." --Quill & Quire (starred review)

"Oppel writes with keen insight and empathy about the condition of being "other" in the context of a richly plotted, fast-paced story.... Captivating reading from beginning to end." --Booklist