Firewing
{{for|the 1968 composition for oboe|Dan Welcher}}
{{see also|firewing (butterfly)}}
{{overly detailed|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox book|
| name = Firewing
| image = Firewing.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Firewing first edition cover.
| author = Kenneth Oppel
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = Canada
| language = English
| series = Silverwing series
| genre = Children's, Fantasy novel
| publisher = HarperCollins
| release_date = April 18, 2002
| media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
| pages = 329 pages
| isbn = 978-0-00-639194-4
| oclc = 49250078
| preceded_by = Sunwing
| followed_by = Darkwing
}}
Firewing is a children's book written by the Canadian author, Kenneth Oppel. It is the third book of the Silverwing novel series. The books include Silverwing, Sunwing, and the prequel Darkwing.
Publication history
Firewing was first released in Canada in April 2002. It was followed with its release in the United Kingdom and the United States in September 2002 and February 2003, respectively. Below is the release details for the first edition hardback and paperback copies in these three publication regions.
{{refbegin}}
- 2002, CAN, HarperCollins {{ISBN|978-0-00-639194-4}}, Pub date April 18, 2002, Trade paperback
- 2003, US, Simon & Schuster {{ISBN|978-0-689-84993-0}}, Pub date February 1, 2003, Hardback
- 2002, UK, Hodder Children's Books {{ISBN|978-0-340-85255-2}}, Pub date September 12, 2002, Paperback
- 2003, CAN, HarperCollins {{ISBN|978-0-00-639302-3}}, Pub date December 18, 2003, Paperback
- 2004, US, Aladdin {{ISBN|978-0-689-86988-4}}, Pub date May 4, 2004, Paperback
{{refend}}
Reception
Kirkus Reviews praised Oppel's writing, calling it "beautiful in its evocation of the bat world". However, they noted a "problem with voice in the story", noting some poorly-worded sections. They added, "Such inelegant writing is unfortunate in the midst of a fine tale".{{Cite web |date=2002-12-01 |title=Firewing |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kenneth-oppel/firewing/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=Kirkus Reviews |archive-date=2021-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208065236/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kenneth-oppel/firewing/ |url-status=live }}
School Library Journal's John Peters did not discuss Oppel's writing. Peters said the novel has "plenty of rousing action; special effects on a grand scale; a leavening of humor as well as stimulating thoughts on the nature of life, death, the afterlife, loyalty, courage, honesty, and other essential topics more than compensate for iffy internal logic".{{Cite book |last=Peters |first=John |title=Firewing |url=https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S126C913960 |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=School Library Journal |date=February 2003 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-689-84993-0 |via=Chicago Public Library |archive-date=2024-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222001721/https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S126C913960 |url-status=live }}