Silverwing: The Graphic Novel

by Kenneth Oppel, Christopher Steininger (Illustrator)

A stunning adaptation of a tale that’s been winning hearts for twenty-five years

Shade is a young Silverwing bat, the runt of his colony. But he’s determined to prove himself on the long, dangerous winter migration to Hibernaculum, millions of wingbeats to the south. When he becomes separated from the other bats during a fierce storm, he must undertake the most incredible journey of his young life.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Animals, Adventure, Fiction, Comics

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2023

About the author

I was born in 1967 in Port Alberni, a mill town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia but spent the bulk of my childhood in Victoria, B.C. and on the opposite coast, in Halifax, Nova Scotia...At around twelve I decided I wanted to be a writer (this came after deciding I wanted to be a scientist, and then an architect). I started out writing sci-fi epics (my Star Wars phase) then went on to swords and sorcery tales (my Dungeons and Dragons phase) and then, during the summer holiday when I was fourteen, started on a humorous story about a boy addicted to video games (written, of course, during my video game phase). It turned out to be quite a long story, really a short novel, and I rewrote it the next summer. We had a family friend who knew Roald Dahl - one of my favourite authors - and this friend offered to show Dahl my story. I was paralysed with excitement. I never heard back from Roald Dahl directly, but he read my story, and liked it enough to pass on to his own literary agent. I got a letter from them, saying they wanted to take me on, and try to sell my story. And they did.

Reviews

[readwithnikkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much harpercollins/ netgalley for this advanced copy!

What nostalgia !! The Silverwing series was one of my absolute favourite books back when I was 11/12. While browsing netgalley I was ecstatic to see a new graphic novel that was about Silverwing and had to read it.

While going through it, all the memories from 20 years ago when I first read the book came flooding back.

Christopher Steininger did such a wonderful job illustrating and bringing these characters to life !

I am ecstatic to read the next volume and continuation of Silverwing and his journey : ) 🦇

[Alex Richey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting story and wonderful art. This is a great choice for fans of Warriors.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars

I enjoyed the art, just wish the ending didn’t feel so rushed but this was a nice nostalgic read.
I remember first reading the novel when I was 12, it was one of my favourites growing up.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this for the nostalgia and ended up loving it even more than I expected. Oppel is one of my favourite authors. He always has been. The Silverwing series is one I read over and over again as a kid. I’m hoping we’re getting the rest of them as graphic novels. I’d love to do a ‘reread’ in this format.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow I never heard of the novel this was based on. This graphic novel captivated me immediately through its beautiful art but mostly through its touching story. I'm definitely going to seek out the original novel now.

[Lullaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vraiment trop mignon. La qualité des dessins est magnifique et l'histoire est émouvante!

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm uncertain if I should give it to a six year old

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought Silverwing: The Graphic Novel by Kenneth Oppel on a bit of a whim as I wanted to see what the book series on which it is based might be like. And all in all, I enjoyed it very much. So let's see....

The story is about Shade, a young under-sized Silverwing bat. The bats have had an ancient agreement with the owls that the bats would not seek to see sunshine; sunshine being the right of owls. But one night, when the young Silverwings are supposed to be heading home to their roost, Shade and a friend decide to check out the sunrise. Yipes! Does this cause problems!

The owls declare war on the bats. They attack with torches and burn down their roost. Now, conveniently (maybe) it happens to be the time of year (winter) when the Silverwings begin their annual journey south to warmer climes. When they get there they will find their roost and hibernate for the long winter.

Shade gets lost on the way, a strong wind blowing him from his mother and the other Silverwings. He ends up on an island in the Pacific (it seems like we are on the West Coast in this story). Here he meets Marina, a Brightwing bat, who was basically thrown out of her family group because she was banded by humans. (In the Silverwing history, banded bats are lucky, a link back to when they were with humans. But in Brightwing history, they are a jinx and must be abandoned).

Marina agrees to help Shade find his clan and they begin the long journey to try and find them. On the way they will meet Goth and Throbb, two vampire bats who escape a human laboratory and want to get back to their jungle. They attach themselves to Shade and Marina.... they aren't nice. They are killers who attack other bats, birds... Yikes. Shade and Marina must try to escape from them but they know the other two are tracking them.

So as you might have guessed, it's a fast-paced, exciting adventure with all sorts of actin and interesting creatures. It's quite scary at times as well. The drawings are excellent and really portray how bats see, and how much action the story has. I enjoyed but may have to try the books now as it'll be awhile before Oppel puts out the 2nd graphic, Sunwing. (3.0 stars)

[Sera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much enjoyed this graphic novel adaptation. I haven’t read the original book but I plan on checking it out. They did a good job with the flow of the story. The text and pictures balanced each other out well for a great reading experience! Thanks to NetGalley for making this available for an honest review.

[Read by Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel did a serviceable job of summarizing the story (a book I’ve read at least three times) and captured the characterizations, but I’m curious if someone who was unfamiliar with source material would be able to follow the story. Very good, but the original is still my favourite.

[Moira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread of a childhood favourite! This was for nostalgia, so I can't give it a rating. The graphics added a really cool element to it. Especially when you think about the transmission of stories and us reading the story through imagery. The bats in the story told their stories through echolocation and sound waves which became visual (in the story). It also makes me think of how many Indigenous societies told stories orally for centuries until white settlers disrupted it here on turtle island. However, we see the same orality from the Illiad to Beowulf.

[Little Batties · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am upset that there are no confirmed plans for the rest of the series to be turned into a graphic novel as well. This was freaking phenomenal. I could not put this graphic novel down, and it's no just because I love bats.

Our main character, Shade gets himself in a bit of a bind on more than one occasion in this story. Yet, he does what he can to pull through and get in the other side of it, which aides to the action and adventure that's poured into these pages. This makes me want to read the novels in this series and not just the graphic novel. The characters were fun and exciting, and it made you get lost in the story because of it.

The storyline was brilliant. It was filled with twists and turns that kept me engaged and wanting more. It had suspense and parts of it were even thrilling. It was interesting to see how the author gave these bats and other animals their own personalities to a point that they felt like real characters. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I truly hope we get a new edition to this series in graphic novel form.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this despite never having read the original series (Silverwing, Sunwing, Firewing, and Darkwing). It's a stunning graphic adaptation of the journey of a young Silverwing bat, Shade, as he seeks to return to his colony after being separated from them while migrating for the winter. It's also a traditional hero's quest: separation from society, transformation and maturation, then return to the family/social order. I loved the character of Shade and also that of Marina, the Brightwing bat he befriends along the way, one who was banded by humans for an as-yet-unknown purpose. The conclusion leaves the story ripe for a sequel, just as I'm sure the original tetralogy did. I am looking forward to reading those now. Beautifully illustrated by Canadian artist Christopher Steininger.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story that has edges to it. Familiar themes done with bats, owls and even pigeons. There are a few mature images, colors are used to set the tone of a scene (red is important). Bringing in multiple themes, this is a series for those who enjoy fantasy and graphic novels, with realistic portrayals of coming of age. Know your reader. Based off the novels. Similar to Wings of Fire, Warriors, and other similar series. A younger Redwall and Watership Down.

[Lyndsay-ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the novel Silverwing several times since I first found it as a teen and loved it every time. Learning there was going to be a graphic novel version was very exciting and I couldn't wait to read it. They did a great job transitioning it into this format and story was not lost. Great book.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't help but feel that it wasn't necessary to give the female bats long flowing hair, human titties, and LIPSTICK.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never read the Silverwing series, so this story is completely new to me. It reminded me a lot of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, which, of course was made into a movie by Don Bluth in the 80s.

Shade is a young Silverwing bat who has yet to make his first migration. He tries to prove himself by perching and watching the sun rise--despite rumors that the sun will make him blind or do other horrible things. The owls catch him and call for him to be punished, yet the Elders of the colony refuse to give him over, which starts unease in the 'stalemate' of fighting between the owls and the bats.

During the migration, Shade gets lost and comes across others who say they will help him get back to his family. Some are actually helpful, like Marina, a Brightwing who has been banded by the humans and ostracized by her colony who thinks she's cursed due to the band. Others, however, have nefarious reasons for wanting to find Shade's colony. How can he know who to trust? How can he avoid the owls and their laws and make it to his mother and their winter sleeping spot?

This would definitely have been something I picked up as a kid if I'd known the books existed. It had lots of action and the characters were faced with some serious obstacles that made the book really interesting. I think lovers of the Warrior Cats series and Redwall would like this. There was violence and bloodshed in the art, so this should likely be for older juvenile audiences.

[Salamah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good! The graphics drew me to this book. I loved how the pictures where drawn and colored in giving the images a sort of dark look The characters did not have this cutesy look to them but more of a serious tone. It's like I knew these characters were not going to be weak. The storyline was great. It is about this bat named Shade who dares one day to see the sun even though it is against the law to do so. Shade of course goes out (isn't cool that his name is Shade), sees the sun and an owl recognizes that he is breaking the law. When the owl comes to basically kill Shade the elder Frieda does not give him up saying that Shade is a child and should not be punished. The owls do not care and do something terrible to the entire colony. Shade then gets separated from his colony and goes on an incredible journey, meeting some scary and interesting characters along the way. The good thing about this storyline is that many of the characters have these belief systems in place and as the reader, one begins to ponder how some of the beliefs don't make sense, are far fetched or simply not true. It made me think about how humans have many belief systems and how for each person some beliefs make sense, don't make sense, or are simply not true. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shade is a small, young Silverwing bat. He's on his first trip south to the Hibernaculum when he gets blown off course and separated from the rest of his colony. With the help of a banded and often ostracized Brightwing bat, Shade follows the map his mother sung for him. But the way south is dangerous, he's being hunted by owls who are mad he dared to try and get a glance of the sun and vampire bats that escaped from captivity.

As the kids say, it has been a minute since I read the original Silverwing novel, but from what I remember this feels like a faithful and sufficient adaptation into graphic novel form. The original series was beginning to wane in popularity, but graphic novels are super popular so maybe this will breathe new life into the originals too. Especially as this book hints of a prophecy to be fulfilled and ongoing conflicts to wrap up in future adventures.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: The vampire bats attack and kill animals and there is blood on page. Owls also attack and injure/kill other animals.
Ethnic diversity: N/A animals.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: The animals are in tribes and some have prejudices against the others. Some colonies also revere or ostracize bats who have been banded. One bat colony has a weird belief that they will turn into humans.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this in the local bookstore in Baltimore - Snug books - for my nephew for Christmas. It's a middle grade action/horror story. He's into Bunnicula and sort of horror funny stories like that. I gave this a try. He told me it was really good and he liked it. Then, he said I had to read it.

So, I read this. The story is about a colony of bats, the Silverwings, who are migrating to the south for the winter. They have had a war with the owls and they lost. They are not allowed to even peek at the sun.

We see bats who have been capture by humans and have a metal band put on their wing, a tracking device I assume. Our hero bat gets left behind and faces all sorts of adventures for owls and he tries to catch up to his clan as they migrate south. He was blown out to sea in a storm and separated.

Most of the book is book, the bats are cute. Some of the bats, particularly, the vampire bats from the jungles are pretty bloody. There is some gore in this story, so know your kids. It's not a lot, but it's enough.

The story works. It's based on the book of the same name from 1997, which I never read. This is the graphic novel adaptation. Great for readers at the middle grade level who are looking for something a bit darker and a bit scary.

[FireDragonx · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: Animal cruelty and death

Shade and under Silverwing is a runt of colony and it looks down. After challenging one of his bullies to look at the sun. Which for bats is forbidden he was caught and almost killed by the owls. When the owls ask for him the leader of his colony refuses. So the owls burn down their home. Force to migrate early Shade was blow off-course and had to find his want to Hibernaculum.

This book is more of the original book plot than the TV show. (which I do like as it gives characterization to the colony and what they have to face.) but add more scenes about Marina’s and Goth’s capture instead of characters just telling us. Plus the set is just perfect. Though it is jarring to see some of the cartoon's hairstyles in reality. But when it gets to tense scenes it feels like a straight horror book. Remind me if this wasn’t a series about bats this would have been rated M book. Then again a lot of xenofiction should be young adults instead of kids but that is another rant.

Overall I give this 10/10 you can read but keep in mind the triggers

[Ag · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe it is safe to say that I am not the first or the only one to be excited to see the Silverwings series being turned into a graphic novel! Those series absolutely deserve to be turned into an exciting page-turner graphic novel!
And this book proves it. It somehow makes it even better than the original.
When I asked my 10yr old what she thinks after reading this graphic novel, she said she would highly recommend it to anyone who likes “books that are just a little bit scary”. And, I couldn’t agree more with her. Just the right amount of a little bit of scary, along with perfect drawings and just the right amount of text for everything to make sense and for nothing of the original story to get lost.
Loved it. Absolutely loved it.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since reading Silverwing, Sunwing, and Darkwing, I was surprised and excited to read the graphic novel adaptation. I read it all in one sitting and, despite it having to be abridged, still stayed relatively accurate and true to the original book. I don't know if this will be a standalone novel or it will be continued. If it is I will continue to read the next book. If it isn't, I think it would'e been better to just do the prequel, Darkwing, as the graphic novel. Even though the novel was rushed, I still enjoyed it anyway. The art, when compared to other graphic novels like Warrior Cats, was detailed and did a good job at making grotesque vampire bat and rat designs as well as nice backgrounds.

[Good Manticore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice adaptation of the first Silverwing novel. The art style is mostly nice, if sometimes confusing. Expressions, poses, and movement are sometimes wonky and pulled me out of the story, and some of the character designs are... a choice. The main characters, Shade and Marina, are drawn very cartoony while the elders and villains are excessively detailed and disgusting to look at. For some, like the rats and Goth, it worked. For others (namely Throbb) the juxtaposition of characters sharing a panel is too great. Also, why do the female characters get human hair and lipstick?

That said, it is impressive how the book is able to balance wondrous with creepy and surreal with realistic. Overall enjoyable, if occasionally painful to look at.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this got pretty intense for a middle grade graphic novel! Certainly more blood and cannibalism than I was expecting. I remember seeing the original series in the library as a kid but I never read them. I probably would've liked them, but have been terrified of Goth and Throbb. Christopher Steininger did a great job with the illustrations. The animals all have a good balance of realism and anthropomorphism. Definitely better than the 2003 cartoon I found out about yesterday.

I would recommend this to fans of Warriors (cats), Guardians of Ga'Hoole (owls), Redwall (lots of critters), and Wings of Fire (dragons).

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

As another reviewer mentioned, there is weird pacing in this book. It jumps way too quickly while also focusing on certain scenes too long. There was SO MUCH tension in the novel. Here is was lacking. I didn't feel any of it.

The artwork was overall beautiful. BUT I had a problem with some of the character designs. Shade and Goth were excellent, but I couldn't stand the flowing locks they put on some of the bats--including Marina! And it's kind of hard to ignore when it's one of the two main characters.

Overall, a good adaptation, but it does the disservice to anyone who tries the graphic novel first. It doesn't give a very good experience of how awesome the original book is.

[Byrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am someone unfamiliar with the series this graphic novel is based off, picked up at my library because I was interested in the art and always love a good animal fiction story.
While I can see where the story had to cut corners out of what I assume is a much more detailed book, the art is gorgeous and grotesque in the best way possible. Shade and Marina are cute enough for younger audiences, but the villains are the perfect amount of gross-looking for an older audience.
The ending felt rather short, but I know that is the nature of graphic novel adaptations, and I still found the ending very satisfying.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd not heard of Kenneth Oppel's work before spotting this on the library shelf; it's a take on a familiar anthropomorphic idea of seeing various animal societies up close, starting with bats, but also involving owls, pigeons and rats, and almost completely unseen, us humans, is somewhat familiar. However, especially with regards to Christopher Steininger's art, this does, for me, manage to put a new spin on the scenario and the various interactions between species are depicted with well drafted novelty and the many scenes of the bats in repose, hanging upside down, don't detract from the story at.
I'd definitely be interested in a second volume, should there be one.

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations in this graphic novel, Christopher Steininger does a great job of capturing the features of the different breeds of bats. I know the original Silverwing series was a trilogy and I am hopeful that the graphic novels will follow suit because I would really love to read Sunwing and Firewing in the same format. The graphic novel is a quick read and a wonderful medium to help children visualize what is happening. Maybe we could even see the Bloom series in graphic novel form, I would read that as well!

[K. Q. Kimler · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I actually finished this a few weeks ago and I kept on forgetting to come on here to leave a rating, but I finally did, lol. The graphic novel was so good though! It was as good as I remembered it from the book and even the tv show and I loved the art in this! Silverwing changed me a lot when I first read the trilogy—it was my all time favorite and still is to this very day—and I’m so happy that this got adapted into a graphic novel and I do look forward to the other books getting adapted into graphic novels when/if it comes down to it!