Wings of Fire
Wings of Fire is a series of children's epic dragon fantasy novels written by Tui T. Sutherland. It has sold 14 million copies around the world.
Summary and outline
The Wings of Fire series focuses on the adventures and endeavors of young dragons ("dragonets") to fulfill or stop prophecies and make their world a better place. There are two continents filled with dragons in the world of Wings of Fire, and these dragons are split into ten tribes based on their biological characteristics - on Pyrrhia, there are the MudWings, SandWings, SkyWings, SeaWings, RainWings, IceWings and NightWings, and on Pantala, there are the SilkWings, HiveWings and LeafWings. With a few exceptions to each rule, the dragon tribes live separately from one another in a habitat suited to their needs, and are ruled by a queen. There are also humans in the world, usually called "scavengers" by the Pyrrhian dragons and "reading monkeys" by some Pantalan dragons, though humans are usually eaten and considered inferior animals. Despite this, at times the books explore the relationship between humans and dragons.
The books are written by Tui T. Sutherland and edited by Amanda Maciel, and they are published by Scholastic Inc. The cover art is drawn by Joy Ang, and the maps were made by Mike Schley.
The Dragonet Prophecy (Books 1-5)
There are five books in the first arc: The Dragonet Prophecy (2012), The Lost Heir (2013), The Hidden Kingdom (2013), The Dark Secret (2013), and The Brightest Night (2014). These respectively star the dragonets Clay, Tsunami, Glory, Starflight and Sunny as the protagonists. The five heroes are collectively called the "Dragonets of Destiny", a group of young dragons predicted by a mysterious prophecy to be the saviors of Pyrrhia who will end the twenty-year-long War of SandWing Succession by choosing the next queen of the SandWings.[1]
The Jade Mountain Prophecy (Books 6-10)
There are five books in the second arc: Moon Rising (2014), Winter Turning (2015), Escaping Peril (2015), Talons of Power (2016), and Darkness of Dragons (2017). These respectively star the dragonets Moonwatcher, Winter, Peril, Turtle and Qibli as the protagonists. The books take place on Pyrrhia six months after the War of SandWing Succession has ended, at the newly-founded Jade Mountain Academy where dragons from all tribes can learn together; the protagonists are students at the school who are faced with a sinister new prophecy that threatens not only the school but possibly the entire world.[1]
The Lost Continent Prophecy (Books 11-15)
There are five books in the third arc: The Lost Continent (2018), The Hive Queen (2018), The Poison Jungle (2019), The Dangerous Gift (2021), and The Flames of Hope (2022). These respectively star Blue, Cricket, Sundew, Snowfall and Luna as the protagonists. It takes place on Pantala, where another prophecy predicts the destruction of the world if mind-controlling tyrant Queen Wasp is not stopped.
Legends
Two special edition books called Legends have also been written: Darkstalker (2016), which tells the "true story" of the legendary historical figures Darkstalker, Clearsight and Fathom,[1] and Dragonslayer (2020), about three humans during the end of the War of SandWing Succession.
Other books
Four short stories called Winglets have been written: Prisoner (2015), Assassin (2015), Deserter (2016) and Runaway (2016). These tell stories from the view of secondary characters from the main books (Fierceteeth, Deathbringer, Six-Claws, Arctic, Foeslayer, Snowflake). These short stories have been published in print several times, most notably altogether in The Winglets Quartet (2020).[1]
Several companion books to Wings of Fire have also been written: Forge Your Dragon World and an Official Coloring Book (both 2022). There will soon be two additional companion books: A Guide to the Dragon World and How to Draw (both 2023). The main books are also being adapted into graphic novel format.
Reception and themes
The Wings of Fire series has sold 14 million copies, making it a commercial success, and it has received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. It has developed a significant fan following.
The books' themes have also been noted. Sutherland works with several big themes in each arc, and writes the books with big emphasis on character interaction. Themes include freedom versus fate, parenting, expectations, nature versus nurture, giftedness, and the meaning of responsibility. She also explores mind-reading, prophecy and the role of magic in fantasy literature with her concept of "animus magic" - magic that comes at the cost of a dragon's soul. Additionally, Sutherland's unique religious and multicultural upbringing (being exposed to many different ideas and cultures because she's lived and traveled all over the world) has been noted.[1]
Books
- Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy (July 1, 2012, Wings of Fire Book #1)
- Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir (January 1, 2013, Wings of Fire Book #2)
- Wings of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom (May 28, 2013, Wings of Fire Book #3)
- Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret (October 29, 2013, Wings of Fire Book #4)
- Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night (March 25, 2014, Wings of Fire Book #5)
- Wings of Fire: Moon Rising (December 30, 2014, Wings of Fire Book #6)
- Wings of Fire: Winglets #1 - Prisoners (March 31, 2015, Wings of Fire Short Story #1)
- Wings of Fire: Winter Turning (June 30, 2015, Wings of Fire Book #7)
- Wings of Fire: Winglets #2 - Assassin (September 29, 2015, Wings of Fire Short Story #2)
- Wings of Fire: Escaping Peril (December 29, 2015, Wings of Fire Book #8)
- Wings of Fire: Winglets #3 - Deserter (March 29, 2016, Wings of Fire Short Story #3)
- Wings of Fire: Legends - Darkstalker (June 28, 2016, Wings of Fire Legends Special Edition #1)
- Wings of Fire - A Winglets Collection: The First Three Stories (September 1, 2016, Wings of Fire Compilation of Prisoners, Assassin and Deserter; Limited Print)
- Wings of Fire: Winglets #4 - Runaway (September 27, 2016, Wings of Fire Short Story #4)
- Wings of Fire: Talons of Power (December 27, 2016, Wings of Fire Book #9)
- Wings of Fire: Darkness of Dragons (July 25, 2017, Wings of Fire Book #10)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Dragonet Prophecy (January 2, 2018, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #1)
- Wings of Fire: The Lost Continent (June 26, 2018, Wings of Fire Book #11)
- Wings of Fire: The Hive Queen (December 26, 2018, Wings of Fire Book #12)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Lost Heir (February 26, 2019, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #2)
- Wings of Fire: The Winglets Flip Book (April 27, 2019, Wings of Fire Compilation of Assassin and Deserter; Limited Print)
- Wings of Fire: The Poison Jungle (July 30, 2019, Wings of Fire Book #13)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Hidden Kingdom (October 15, 2019, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #3)
- Wings of Fire: Legends - Dragonslayer (March 3, 2020, Wings of Fire Legends Special Edition #2)
- Wings of Fire: The Winglets Quartet - The First Four Stories (October 6, 2020, Wings of Fire Compilation of Prisoners, Assassin, Deserter and Runaway)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Dark Secret (December 29, 2020, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #4)
- Wings of Fire: The Dangerous Gift (March 2, 2021, Wings of Fire Book #14)
- Wings of Fire: Forge Your Dragon World (May 4, 2021, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Brightest Night (December 28, 2021 with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #5)
- Wings of Fire: The Flames of Hope (April 5, 2022, Wings of Fire Book #15)
- Wings of Fire: The Official Coloring Book (April 5, 2022, with Brianna C. Walsh, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Moon Rising (December 27, 2022, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #6)
- Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World (October 3, 2023, Wings of Fire Companion Book)
- Wings of Fire: How to Draw (November 7, 2023, with Brianna C. Walsh, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Winter Turning (TBA with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #7)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Escaping Peril (TBA with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #8)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Talons of Power (TBA with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #9)
- Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Darkness of Dragons (TBA with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #10) Note: All books credited as Tui T. Sutherland unless otherwise stated.