Wings of Fire (novel series)
Wings of Fire is a series of fantasy novels written by author Tui T. Sutherland and published by Scholastic Corporation.[1]
 The Wings of Fire logo, used on the covers of the noveIs and universally in relation to the series as a whole. | |
(Second Arc) Moon (Moonwatcher), Prince Winter, Peril, Prince Turtle, And Qibli.
(Third Arc) Blue, Cricket, Sundew, and Snowfall (More Coming)
| |
| Author | Tui T. Sutherland |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Joy Ang (covers and guides) Mike Holmes (Graphic Novels and maps) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Young adult fiction, fiction |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
| Published | 1 July 2012 - present |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) Audiobook & E-book |
| No. of books | 22 : 19 Novels 3 Graphic Novels (currently) |
| Website | wingsoffire |
The series currently consists of three arcs, which focuses on young dragons fulfilling prophecies in a fantasy world.
The first arc consists of five books, as does the second arc. The third arc is incomplete and is still in progress, as so far three books have been released, with the fourth being scheduled to be released December 2020.
Wings of Fire has a separate series that diverges from that arcs called Wings of Fire: Legends,[1] which retell the story of significant historical events that somehow impact on the main series, with so far two released books in the series, Darkstalker[2] and Dragonslayer.[3]
There is also another series of stories titled Winglets,[1] with four books. Prisoners,[4] Assassin,[5] Deserter,[6] and Runaway.[7]
Books
Book 1: The Dragonet Prophecy
The first book in the series was released on July, 2012.[8] It depicts the Mudwing "Clay" and him and his friends escape from under a mountain.[8]
Book 2: The Lost Heir
Release date: January 1, 2013
The second book in the series was released on January 1, 2013. It follows the Seawing Tsunami and her adventures at the Seawing Kingdom.[9]
Book 3: "The Hidden Kingdom" Point of View: Glory (RainWing who became a queen after the end of the book)
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Glory and her friends go to the rainforest. Glory was excited, thinking she would meet her family.
As Glory and her friends were searching for the RainWings, one by one the dragonets started to disappear except Glory and Starflight, later to discover that the RainWings used sleeping darts on them and had taken them to the village.
Glory quickly notices that RainWings were not the tribe she was hoping for. Later, as Jambu was explaining how RainWings took care of each other, Glory does the venom test, a way that RainWings know who is related to who, and Glory and Jambu turn out to be brother and sister.
Glory discovers a secret tunnel to the Sand Kingdom, where she meets Deathbringer, a NightWing planning to kill her. The dragonets of destiny meet Blaze, and are shocked by her helplessness.
There are RainWings being taken by a mysterious monster. Glory promises to find out. After using herself as bait, Glory soon realizes that the RainWings have been taken by the NightWings. How did the NightWings get there? Like the tunnel to the desert, another one leads to the secret island of the NightWings. The NightWings have been using the RainWings to test their venom. Glory meets Kinkajou, a young dragonet that has also been taken prisoner.
Deathbringer and Clay come to rescue Glory and Kinkajou and escape to the rainforest just in time, planning to rescue other RainWings when they come back with backup.
Book 4: "The Dark Secret"
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Point of View: Starflight (NightWing)
Book 5: "The Brightest Night"
Release Date: March 25, 2014
Point of View: Sunny (half SandWing, half NightWing)
Arc 2: The Jade Mountain Prophecy
The second arc is centered around another prophecy, this time delivered by a young NightWing, Moonwatcher. The Jade Mountain Prophecy: Beware the darkness of dragons, beware the stalker of dreams. Beware the talons of power and fire, beware one who is not what she seems. Something is coming to shake the earth, something is coming to scorch the ground. Jade Mountain will fall beneath thunder and ice, unless the lost city of night can be found.
Book 6: "Moon Rising"
Release date: December 30, 2014
Point of View: Moonwatcher (NightWing with mind reading and future vision powers)
Book 7: "Winter Turning"
Release date: June 30, 2015
Point of View: Winter (IceWing prince)
Book 8: "Escaping Peril"
Release date: December 29, 2015
Point of View: Peril (firescales SkyWing)
Book 9: "Talons of Power"
Release date: December 27, 2016
Point of View: Turtle (animus SeaWing prince)
Book 10: "Darkness of Dragons"
Release date: July 25, 2017
Point of View: Qibli (SandWing)
Arc 3: The Lost Continent Prophecy
The third arc takes place on a new continent, Pantala, featuring new tribes and a new prophecy. Like the previous one, it is delivered by Moonwatcher. The Lost Continent Prophecy: Turn your eyes, your wings, your fire To the land across the sea Where dragons are poisoned and dragons are dying And no one can ever be free. A secret lurks inside their eggs. A secret hides within their book. A secret buried far below May save those brave enough to look. Open your hearts, your minds, your wings To the dragons who flee from the Hive. Face a great evil with talons united Or none of the tribes will survive.
Book 11: "The Lost Continent"
Release date: June 26, 2018
Point of View: Blue (SilkWing)
Book 12: "The Hive Queen"
Release date: December 26, 2018
Point of View: Cricket (HiveWing)
Book 13: "The Poison Jungle"
Release date: July 30, 2019
Point of View: Sundew (LeafWing).
Book 14: "The Dangerous Gift"
Release date: December 1, 2020 (In Progress)
Point of View: Queen Snowfall (IceWing Queen)
Legends Series
The Legends books are a side series to the main story, detailing the history behind the dragon world and unexplained gaps in the series.
Legends: Darkstalker
Release date: June 28, 2016
Points of View: Prince Arctic (Prologue only; Animus Icewing), Darkstalker (animus NightWing/IceWing hybrid dragonet), Prince Fathom (SeaWing prince), and Clearsight (NightWing dragonet), and Indigo (Epilogue only; Seawing).
Legends: Dragonslayer
Release date: March 3, 2020
Points of View: Ivy, Leaf, and Wren (three humans, known by dragons as "scavengers."), and in the prologue and epilogue, you see from the point of view of Stone and Undauntable
Winglets Series
Winglets are a series of short stories, published as e-books, that focus on minor characters. Like the "Legends" books, they also fill in gaps from the main story. There are currently four stories in the series, and Tui has expressed interest in writing more in the future.
Winglets 1: Prisoners
Release date: March 31, 2015
Point of View: Fierceteeth (NightWing)
Winglets 2: Assassin
Release date: September 29, 2015
Point of View: Deathbringer (NightWing)
Winglets 3: Deserter
Release date: March 29, 2016
Point of View: General Six-Claws (SandWing)
Winglets 4: Runaway
Release date: September 27, 2016
Points of View: Prince Arctic (IceWing), Foeslayer (NightWing), and Snowflake (IceWing).
Main Characters
Arc 1
In the first arc, the main protagonists are the Dragonets of Destiny, who are part of a prophecy that states that they are destined to end The War of SandWing Succession and bring peace to the seven warring tribes. The dragonets are:
- Clay, who narrates The Dragonet Prophecy. He is the MudWing mentioned in the prophecy, with his egg being sold by his mother Cattail to her sister Asha. Clay can be described as kind, clumsy, and friendly, however in the first book there is a lot of portrayed internal conflict, with him questioning whether he was the dragon everyone else expected him to be. Clay has a strong bond with all of his friends and plays a peacemaker role, tending to be the one that stops or prevents conflicts from occurring. As a result of being a Mudwing, who are notorious for require large amounts of food to be satisfied, Clay loves food and will always look out for a chance to eat or try new foods, and even has the habit of dreaming of food within the series. He isn't the brightest of the bunch, but is fiercely loyal to his friends and family. As the result of being born from a blood-red egg, he has fireproof scales, which he uses numerous times to save himself and his companions. Clay has five siblings who he is close to, and would have been the bigwings of their group if he had not been sold. He has romantic teases with Peril, who has a crush on him, but it is unknown if he likes her back, but there is some hints to it though. In a possible future, an orange brown dragonet is shown. This is possibly the child of Clay and Peril.
- Princess Tsunami, who narrates The Lost Heir. She is the SeaWing of the prophecy, and her egg was stolen from the SeaWing Royal Hatchery by Webs. Tsunami is fierce, strong-willed, stubborn, and bold, though she is fiercely determined to do what's right and is a loyal and dependable dragon. Tsunami is the leader of the group and insists on making most of the decisions, but she learns to also listen to others' decisions as the series progresses. She wants nothing but to reunite with her family and her tribe, but grows increasingly disillusioned that dream in The Lost Heir, realizing that while she does love her family, her friends are more important to her, even though they bicker often. She bears a strong hatred towards the Talons of Peace for stealing her egg and making the first six years of her life miserable. Tsunami is also a member of the SeaWing royal family, as the daughter of Queen Coral, and has two sisters, Anemone and Auklet, and thirty-two brothers. She is in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Riptide, and in a possible future, a blue dragonet is shown. It is possible that this is the child of Tsunami and Riptide.
- Queen Glory, who narrates The Hidden Kingdom. Glory was a last-minute replacement for the original SkyWing egg of the prophecy. Due to this, she received much abuse from her caretakers Kestrel and Dune, and was raised to think that RainWings are lazy and dumb, even though Glory is not. Glory is sarcastic and frequently grumpy, but cares deeply for her friends and those she cares about. She is initially overjoyed to meet her tribe, though when she realizes that they are pacifistic and isolated, she begins to resent them, though she eventually gets over this. Glory gets crowned queen of the RainWings by Ex Queen Grandeur at the end of The Hidden Kingdom, and later becomes the queen of the NightWings. She is known to be a benevolent queen who treats her subjects fairly, despite only being seven years old, and has also tried to improve her tribe by teaching them how to fight and sending dragonets to school. She and her NightWing bodyguard Deathbringer are heavily implied to be in a relationship, and in a possible future they end up getting married and have a daughter named Firefly.
- Starflight, who narrates The Dark Secret. He is the NightWing of the prophecy, and his egg was given to the Talons of Peace by Morrowseer. Starflight is a smart, nerdy, cowardly, and somewhat arrogant dragon who loves scrolls, which usually annoys his friends with the exception of Sunny. However, Starflight struggles immensely with himself, and his perfect view of the NightWing tribe is shattered when he realizes how desperate and cruel they have become. In The Dark Secret, Starflight learns to be brave and use his intelligence to his advantage. He becomes permanently blind at the end of The Dark Secret due to the volcano eruption, meaning that he can no longer read scrolls, though he does have friends to help him and is currently a librarian at Jade Mountain Academy. Starflight's parents are Mastermind and Farsight, and he has a half-sister named Fierceteeth. Starflight had a crush on Sunny for the majority of the first arc, but she gently rejected him and tried to convince him to pursue Fatespeaker, a NightWing dragonet who he had befriended. In a possible future, he ends up having a daughter, who is implied to be the dragonet of Starflight and Fatespeaker.
- Princess Sunny, who narrates The Brightest Night. She is the SandWing of the prophecy, and her egg was stolen from the middle of the desert by Dune. Sunny is noted several times to be odd due to her small size, golden scales, and her lack of a venomous tail barb. She is idealistic, naïve, optimistic, and trustworthy, and sees good in all dragons, but constantly feels like her friends underestimate her. She has a heavy faith in the prophecy and believes strongly in destiny, and the revelation that the prophecy is fake breaks her. It is revealed that Sunny is in fact a hybrid, and a product of a secret relationship between her mother Thorn, a SandWing, and her father Stonemover, an animus NightWing. At the end of The Brightest Night, she crowns Thorn as the new queen of the SandWings, making Sunny a princess. She is currently a staff member at Jade Mountain Academy. Starflight had a crush on her for the majority of the first arc, but she only saw him as a brother and rejected him for that reason. She is the only protagonist to not have a love interest or be in a relationship.
Arc 2
The protagonists of Arc 2 are the Jade Winglet, who are students at Jade Mountain Academy.
- Moonwatcher, more commonly known as Moon, narrates Moon Rising. She is a NightWing. Her mother Secretkeeper raised her in the rainforest instead of the NightWing island. Her father is Morrowseer, the NightWing who created the 'fake' dragonet prophecy. Moon hatched under two full moons, causing her to receive mind-reading and precognition, being the first NightWing in 2,000 years to have powers (other than Fatespeaker who is shown to have little to no precognition). She is shy, nervous, and gets overwhelmed quickly by all of the dragons at school, but she manages to overcome it, and ends up delivering the Jade Mountain Prophecy, the first real prophecy in generations. She befriends Darkstalker in Moon Rising though later turns on him in Talons of Power.
- Prince Winter, an exiled IceWing prince, who narrates Winter Turning. He was raised in the Ice Palace, as the nephew of Queen Glacier. He is cold, haughty, and rude, but he is genuinely good-hearted and capable of befriending and showing pity to others. Winter was the disappointment of his family. His brother, Hailstorm, was a first circle dragon, next in line for commander of the IceWing army. Winter and his sister, Icicle, were both second circle dragons, although Icicle was considered more an IceWing than Winter. He is not appreciated by his family, because of his pity for other dragons and his scavenger obsession. This all comes to show when Glacier sends him to the Jade Mountain Academy in Moon Rising, and runs away, in search of Hailstorm, who was imprisoned by SkyWings when Winter was three. Unexpectedly, Hailstorm was disguised as Pyrite, enchanted to appear and think as the female SkyWing. Winter also loves Moonwatcher, despite her being a NightWing, but was turned down when she chose Qibli.
- Peril, a firescales SkyWing, who narrates Escaping Peril. Peril was raised by Queen Scarlet to be nothing more than a remorseless killer. She is loud, crazy, and slightly sociopathic, who doesn't mind killing or bloodlust. She grew up very lonely, with her only friend being an elderly dragon named Osprey, though Clay does befriend her in The Dragonet Prophecy. She goes into exile after the supposed death of Scarlet, and takes refuge at Jade Mountain. In Escaping Peril, she befriends Turtle and learns that she can be a good dragon in spite of her destructive abilities. She is currently a student at Jade Mountain Academy as part of the Jade Winglet, and has made an effort to be nicer and befriend the other students.
- Prince Turtle, a SeaWing animus, narrates "Talons 0f Power". Turtle is shy, with a lack of self-confidence, and prefers to stay unnoticed and off to the side. This stems from a childhood incident when he was not able to save his younger sisters from being killed in their eggs, and he blames himself for it. As Talons of Power progresses, Turtle becomes more confident in his abilities and is finally able to put his past beside him. His animus power is revealed when Darkstalker imprisons him for it, though he is rescued in Darkness of Dragons. He has a crush on Kinkajou, a RainWing student, though she admits that she does not know whether she has feelings for him or not.
- Qibli, a SandWing, narrates "Darkness of Dragons". In the end of the book he tries to turn down Moonwatcher from loving him. He has a scar on his snout due to his family. When he was three, his mother sold him to Thorn, in return for her having protection from the Outclaws, and Qibli began to see her as a surrogate mother. Qibli is sharp-witted, intelligent, and analytical, but he has an enormous lack of self-esteem.
- Kinkajou, a RainWing, does not narrate any books,but she is still a very important character in the series . She appears in both Arc,1 and Arc 2 . Kinkajou is a very optimistic, and very forgiving.
Arc 3
The main protagonists are the dragonets from the Hives, who make an unlikely friendship.
- Blue, a SilkWing, who narrates "The Lost Continent". He is a kind and gentle dragon who constantly tries to imagine himself as other dragons. Blue and his sister Luna live in Cicada Hive on the Pantalan continent. When Luna goes through her metamorphosis it is revealed that she is a flamesilk, this also means that Blue is one too. This story sends Blue, Cricket and Swordtail on a crazy adventure where they meet Sundew. It is hinted that Blue has a crush on Cricket, which is forbidden, indicated by their behavior and thoughts but never actually confirmed.
- Cricket, a HiveWing, who narrates "The Hive Queen"
- Sundew, a LeafWing, who narrates "The Poison Jungle".
- Queen Snowfall, an IceWing, who narrates "The Dangerous Gift" (Release date: March 2, 2021)
Tribes
As of the third arc, there are ten tribes of dragons in the world of Wings of Fire, seven that are native to the continent of Pyrrhia and three that are native to the continent of Pantala. Each tribe of dragons have their own unique appearances, natural abilities, culture, and society. Depending on the tribe, dragons can even be born with rare abilities, including magic. Most notably, some tribes are capable of giving birth to animus dragons, dragons that carry the power to enchant objects to do their bidding. Animus dragons are extremely rare, and if they were to abuse their power, it is possible they could go insane, or as it's put in the books, "lose their souls". Animus dragons are native only to Pyrrhia. Tribes are also capable of interbreeding with each other, producing hybrids, although this does not happen often.
Pyrrhia
The seven tribes of Pyrrhia are MudWings, SandWings, SkyWings, SeaWings, RainWings, IceWings, and NightWings. Each tribe has a queen that rules them and a royal family. Despite their different appearances, all Pyrrhian tribes have two bat-like wings. If you look at the map of Pyrrhia you may also notice the continent is in the shape of a dragon.
MudWings
MudWings are strong, thick-muscled dragons with armor-like scales and large, flat heads. They live in the Mud Kingdom, which consists of marshes, swamps, and bogs. MudWings are always brown, giving them the ability to blend in with mud puddles, and they sometimes have gold or amber underscales. MudWings can breathe fire, but only if they're warm enough, and can also hold their breath for up to an hour.
The MudWings value the bonds between siblings very much, so much that siblings live and work together in units their whole lives. The parents are never a part of their dragonets' lives; the most they will do is check up on their eggs, which are well-protected with rocks and mud walls, but they will not raise their dragonets. The biggest dragonet will always hatch first and is called the "BigWings"; They are essentially the leader of their group of siblings and it is their job to look after and protect them. MudWings care far more about comfort than decoration, and their houses consist of nothing more than mud and plants. A common stereotype among the other tribes is that MudWings are slow and stupid, but this has been proven not to be the case.
If a MudWing were to hatch from a blood-red egg, that MudWing will have fire-resistant scales, which means their scales will heal over any burns at an unnaturally quick rate. The only MudWing known to have this ability is Clay, but there could potentially be others, as blood-red eggs hatch every few years.
The current queen of the MudWings is Queen Moorhen.
SandWings
SandWings are desert-dwelling and loving dragons that live in the Kingdom of Sand. They have a sharp, poisonous barb on the ends of their tails like scorpions, and their scales tend to be light-yellow, pale gold, or off-white, allowing them to camouflage with their sandy environment. They attack and kill with the venom in their tails and can also breathe fire. SandWings can also survive for a very long time without water, and their scales give off a kind of heat.
SandWings are a very musical tribe and enjoy playing instruments. Some SandWings also enjoy getting tattoos. It's been very much implied that SandWings love treasure and will do just about anything to get their talons on it. They are light eaters according to them being in a desert. They are also the reason for the first arc, as their tribe was the one who started the war amongst the Pyrrhian tribes. This eventually led to the false prophecy by Morrowseer where 5 dragonets will be born together and end the war. The Talons of Peace are then created around this prophecy.
The SandWing tribe has only had two known animus dragons; Jerboa, who lived during Darkstalker's time, and her daughter, Jerboa the 2nd, who is immortal because of an enchantment of her mother's to protect her from harm and is present in the main series.
The current queen of the SandWings is Queen Thorn.
SkyWings
SkyWings have slender bodies and enormous wings, giving them the ability of powerful flight. Their scales can be red, orange, or gold. They can breathe fire and are also noted to be skilled fighters. They live in the Sky Kingdom, high up in the mountains.
During the reign of the violent and tyrannical Queen Scarlet, many SkyWings came off as bad-tempered and fond of violence, and they had a rather militaristic society. Many SkyWings would come to watch deadly gladiator battles at Scarlet's infamous arena. Despite this, they seem to value justice and honor. After Queen Ruby came into power, the SkyWings became considerably happier and less attracted to fighting, implying that they are very adaptable and capable of change. SkyWings believe in reincarnation, and offer their dead to the sky in the hopes that their spirits will be reborn as SkyWings rather than a dragon from a different tribe.
If an egg has twin SkyWing dragonets growing inside of it, one of the twins can absorb all of the fire from the other twin, resulting in a condition known as "firescales". A SkyWing with firescales is too hot to touch, and anything or anyone that comes into contact with them will usually combust into flames. The other twin will have no or very little fire as a result. The only SkyWing known to have firescales in the time of the books is Peril, daughter of Kestrel. Unbeknownst to everyone, Peril's twin brother, Sky, is also alive, and lives alone with his human companion Wren. (Mentioned in Dragonslayer)
SkyWings are capable of giving birth to animus dragons, but these dragonets were thrown off a cliff as soon as it became clear what they were. SkyWings believe animus dragons, and dragons with firescales, are too dangerous to live.
The current queen of the SkyWings is Queen Ruby or, Queen Tourmaline, without her earring enchanted by Chameleon using Darkstalker's scroll.
SeaWings
SeaWings have gills that enable them to breathe underwater, as well as webbed talons that make them excellent swimmers. As such, the SeaWings live underneath the ocean off the coast of Pyrrhia, in what is known as the Kingdom of the Sea. Their scales can be blue or green or aquamarine, and they have stripes and markings along their bodies that can glow. Their tails are powerful enough to create large waves when smacked against the water, and they can see in the dark. SeaWings can communicate with each other underwater by flashing their bioluminescent markings in a language called "aquatic".
Not much is known about SeaWing society, although they seem to enjoy scrolls, a trait shared by Queen Coral, Whirlpool, and Turtle.
The SeaWings have had many animus dragons, bred only through the royal family. There are two living animus SeaWings in the main story: Prince Turtle and his sister, Princess Anemone. Known animus SeaWings that existed in the past are Prince Fathom, Prince Albatross, and Princess Orca.
The current queen of the SeaWings is Queen Coral.
RainWings
RainWings need the sun to keep their scales vivid and colorful and to keep them happy, so they often sleep during the afternoon in what is called their "sun time". RainWings who don't get enough sun have duller scales and a grumpier attitude. RainWings are seen as lazy by the other tribes due to their hatred of conflict. Their society is very carefree, with plenty to eat. RainWings used to be infamous for never keeping track of their eggs, which was how Glory was so easily stolen in the first place. Before Glory came along, RainWings couldn't read and were bad at counting, and because they rarely left the rainforest, they knew little of the other tribes. They can, however, make blowguns used to shoot darts which can put a dragon to sleep, and they have extensive knowledge of medicine. RainWings also have the ability to shoot venom. Unlike the other tribes, RainWings having pets is common, with sloths being the most popular pet choice. The RainWings didn't have a royal family for a very long time, and instead they were ruled by "volunteer" queens who proved to be very lazy and selfish rulers. This all changed when Glory came along and won the Royal RainWing Challenge, becoming the new queen of the RainWings. Since then, she's been working to change her dragons into a better, more efficient tribe and sending their dragonets to school. Their scale colors are based on their emotions. (Examples: Red/Black = Anger, Orange = Confusion, Pale Green = Fear, Dark Green = Disinterest, White = Pain, Blue Grey = Depression, Blue = Sadness, Pink = Happiness, Purple = Delight, Yellow = Excitement, and Dark Violet = Pride)
Queen Glory remains the current queen of the RainWings.
IceWings
IceWings can withstand subzero temperatures and bright light, and prefer the frigid climate of the Ice Kingdom. Their scales are silvery white and pale blue. Their claws are serrated which allow them to grip onto ice, and their tails have a whip-thin end. IceWings are also covered in icicle-like spikes. They can breathe a deadly freezing breath known as "frostbreath" that can freeze their enemies in an instant, although if an IceWing is too warm, they can't use it. IceWing scales are cold to the touch, or radiate a chill in the area around them.
IceWings are very sophisticated and believe themselves to be superior to the other tribes. They come off as proud, arrogant, haughty and uptight, and they tend to look down on dragons from other tribes with disdain. The tribe is ruled by an aristocracy divided into seven ranks, or "circles". The most skilled and brave IceWings are fitted into the First Circle, while the Seventh Circle is for dragons considered "lesser". Where a dragon fits in the rankings will determine the course of his or her life. Dragons in the higher-ranking circles can live in the Queen's palace, while dragons in the lowest circles face possible isolation from the Kingdom. IceWings are very formal and strict, and expect certain behaviors from their fellow dragons depending on which rank that dragon is in.
The IceWings used to have animus dragons, but none have been born for the last 2,000 years since their last animus dragon, Prince Arctic, ran away to be with the NightWing Foeslayer. Like the SeaWings, animus IceWings were also bred into the royal family only, and they were only allowed to use their powers once, to keep them from losing their minds. Other known animus IceWings that lived in the past are Queen Diamond, Princess Frostbite, and Penguin.
The current queen of the IceWings is Queen Snowfall, after the death of Queen Glacier.
NightWings
NightWings usually have black or purplish-black scales, however, one NightWing was recorded to have green underscales. They also have silver scales scattered across the undersides of their wings like stars. They can breathe fire and use their dark scales to blend in with shadows and the night sky. 2,000 years before the main series, many NightWings could read minds or see the future or, in rare cases, both at the same time. NightWings with future-sighting could even deliver prophecies. Any Nightwing that could read minds would have white ‘teardrop’ scales beside their eyes. NightWings could be born with these abilities if they were hatched under any number of Pyrrhia's three moons. However, they were no longer able to lay their eggs under the moons after fleeing the old Night Kingdom, in case of the return of the animus Darkstalker, and moving to a volcanic island where the sky was constantly covered in smoke, so these powers disappeared for a long time. The NightWings remained on the volcano in order to hide from their enemies, the IceWings. In the main series, one NightWing was finally hatched under the moons, Moonwatcher, who has both mind-reading and prophetic powers. Currently, the NightWings live in the Rainforest Kingdom alongside the RainWings, having accepted Glory as their new queen in exchange for a healthier, safer environment to live in. Glory also put a truce in place with the IceWings in order to protect the NightWings. While living on the volcano, the NightWings developed a bacteria in their teeth that poisoned and killed their prey. Once their prey died, they came back to eat it. After moving to the rainforest, they have abandoned this tactic and have started hunting normally.
The NightWings were a very secretive tribe while living on the volcano, keeping their location, their queen, and even the fact that they no longer had powers a secret. This was to ensure that the tribes remained afraid of them, but also so no one would find out how starved and weak they were. Like IceWings, NightWings like to believe that they are superior to all other tribes, and can be pretty arrogant and proud. They have a great sense of loyalty, as they are willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure their tribe will survive. NightWings are more active at night, unsurprisingly, and they can hang from crags and ceilings like bats.
When Prince Arctic ran away with Foeslayer, they had two hybrid dragonets named Darkstalker and Whiteout. Darkstalker became the first animus the NightWing tribe had ever had. Whiteout passed down the animus gene through the tribe by having dragonets. Only one other NightWing animus is known; Stonemover, who lives in Jade Mountain.
The current queen of the NightWings is Queen Glory of the Rainwings.
Pantala
The three tribes of Pantala are HiveWings, SilkWings, and LeafWings. Along with the SilkWings, the HiveWings are descendants of Clearsight, who came to Pantala after sealing away Darkstalker 2,000 years prior to the main series, when the continent was ruled by LeafWings and the now extinct BeetleWings. Clearsight married into the BeetleWing tribe and had many children, and her children had children, and these NightWing-BeetleWing hybrids eventually became their own tribe: HiveWings. This effectively split the BeetleWings into two tribes.
Just like the tribes of Pyrrhia, Pantalan dragons also have queens and a royal family in each tribe. However, fifty years before the start of the third arc, Queen Wasp of the HiveWings lied to everyone that the Book of Clearsight, a book left behind by Clearsight full of her prophecies, predicted that the other tribes would bow to her. Queen Monarch of the SilkWings agreed and handed over her tribe, but Queen Sequoia refused, resulting in the Tree Wars, which led to the near extinction of the LeafWings (who are now taking shelter in the Poison Jungle).
At the time of the main series, Queen Wasp rules over both the SilkWings and the HiveWings, and her sisters and cousin each rule a Hive, or city, and are known by the title of "Lady".
HiveWings
HiveWings have four translucent, insect-like wings, and their scales can be red, orange, and/or yellow. HiveWings always have black scales on some part of their body, a trait left behind from their common ancestor, Clearsight. However, in a few rare cases, the HiveWing might be entirely black except for a few red/orange/yellow scales scattered around their body. HiveWings are unique in that they have a variety of abilities that range between individuals; examples include long deadly stingers that can extend from their wrists, the ability to secrete a paralyzing toxin that can immobilize prey, spray a boiling acid from the stinger on their tails, poison in their teeth or claws, and the ability to unleash an unbearable stench to scare away enemies. Like SilkWings, HiveWings have an internal clock that tells them what time of day it is. HiveWings live in the Hives alongside the SilkWings, yet not as equals. SilkWing adults serve as slaves to HiveWings.
HiveWings are first-class citizens in Pantala, with the SilkWings behaving as their servants and slaves. HiveWings look down on SilkWings and many view them as inferior and revolting. HiveWings don't seem to care or think about how they treat SilkWings, likely because they live very comfortable lives and don't want to question the way things are. HiveWings are very sophisticated and appear to be far better at building and schooling than any of the tribes in Pyrrhia. The Hives, along with the structures and buildings inside them, are far more architecturally complex and structured than those on Pyrrhia.
Queen Wasp has the unique ability to take over the minds of all her HiveWing subjects and control them. This is because she ingested the Breath of Evil plant when the LeafWing Hawthorn tricked her into eating it in an attempt to control her and stop her from enacting war. The plan backfired, and Wasp gained the ability to mind control her subjects by injecting them (usually their eggs) twice (Once, around the day their egg is laid, and a second time half a year later.) with the Breath of Evil. She also ironically happens to (whilst not realizing it) be under the control of the Breath of Evil or Othermind. She can control a single individual or many at a time, the whole tribe if she has to. Cricket, Bumblebee and HiveWings older than about fifty years are the only HiveWings who are immune to Queen Wasp's mind control.
SilkWings
SilkWings are described to be "as beautiful and gentle as butterflies", with scales that come in every color except black. They have a pair of antennae atop their heads that they use to detect vibrations in the air. Unlike any other tribe, SilkWings are born with no wings; they have to go through a process at the age of six where they spin themselves a cocoon and enter Metamorphosis, a sleep that lasts for five days while they grow their wings. Once they emerge, they'll have four beautiful wings shaped like those of a butterfly, and they'll have gained their silk. SilkWings spin silk from their wrists to create webs or other woven objects. Like HiveWings, SilkWings have an internal clock that tells them what time of day it is. The webs they spin serve as their home and can be found at the tops of the Hives.
SilkWings are second-class dragons in their society and have little to no rights compared to the HiveWings. They live in slavery and are forced to be servants to the HiveWings. SilkWings are known for being a passive tribe, which is likely the reason why Queen Monarch gave up her tribe to Queen Wasp so easily. Many of them, however, are more than ready to fight for their freedom, and have created an underground movement called the Chrysalis, whose goal is to dismantle the HiveWing regime and take down Queen Wasp. SilkWings can use their silk to make art, and their silk is also used to make books.
Some SilkWings can be born with a rare ability called flamesilk, in which their silk is made of fire. Flamesilks can produce different types of this silk, from flamesilk that is warm and does not burn, to flamesilk that will light fire to anything it touches. Queen Wasp keeps all the flamesilks imprisoned so they can make it for her only; the flamesilk is distributed to all the Hives as light sources. There are twelve living SilkWings that have this ability, including Blue, his sister Luna, and their father Admiral.
LeafWings
LeafWings have two wings that are shaped like leaves, with green, brown, and gold scales that resemble chloroplasts. They are known to be skilled gardeners. Some LeafWings are born with an ability called leafspeak, allowing them to talk with trees and plants and even accelerate their growth at an unnatural speed. The most advanced LeafWing known so far is either the late Hawthorn or Sundew. It is also shown that there are quite a few LeafWings with leafspeak, including Belladonna and Hemlock, who are Sundew's parents, and Mandrake, who is supposedly Sundew's fiancé, and, of course, several various other LeafWings who are not named. LeafWings can also absorb energy from the sun, similar to the process of photosynthesis; however, no LeafWing has displayed this ability as of yet.
After the Tree Wars, the LeafWings were believed to be extinct, but they were actually hiding within the Poison Jungle, which was too dangerous for the other tribes to attack them. The tribe split into two factions; those who followed Queen Sequoia wanted to remain in hiding until Queen Wasp was dead, while other LeafWings chose to seek revenge against the HiveWings for killing all the trees in Pantala and attempting to wipe out the LeafWings. The two factions despised each other, but at the end of The Poison Jungle, both sides teamed up in an attempt to defeat the Othermind. The faction wanting revenge, sometimes known as the "PoisonWings", are needlessly violent and short-tempered, while the faction wanting peace, sometimes known as the "SapWings", are far more passive and reasonable.
The current queen of the SapWings is Queen Hazel, who took over after her great-grandmother, Queen Sequoia, lost her free will to the Othermind. Belladonna of the PoisonWings was 'commander' of the PoisonWings until she too was taken over by the Othermind. The PoisonWings have decided they want to also be lead by Queen Hazel.
BeetleWings
BeetleWings are the only known dragons that are extinct. They were described to have two wings, venom shooting fangs, and possibly silk. BeetleWings likely had bright colors, similar to SilkWings and RainWings. It is believed that BeetleWings are actually RainWings that had somehow managed to get to Pantala, or that they are closely related to RainWings. BeetleWings are the ancestors of modern-day SilkWings and HiveWings. Only one pure BeetleWing has been mentioned as of yet, Sunstreak.
Other
Dragons are not the only sentient beings in the world of Wings of Fire. At this time, there are only two other species known to have "dragon-level" intelligence; scavengers/humans and The Othermind.
Scavengers
Scavengers are the humans of the dragon world and can be found on both Pyrrhia and Pantala. In Pantala, most dragons seem to be unaware of the humans' existence except for the main characters; Cricket, a HiveWing dragonet, calls them "reading monkeys". In Pyrrhia, however, scavengers are considered a nuisance and/or prey, as well as some dragons keeping them as pets, such as Prince Smolder, and many dragons don't seem to acknowledge their intelligence, merely the fact that they are more dangerous than average prey, capable of crafting weapons. For example, in Winter Turning, when the group of dragonets are trying to find the Talons of Peace, Winter sees a "thing too advanced for prey" and scavengers bickering and he sees them fire it, straight at Qibli's heart. The chapter ends there. Mind readers like Moon are able to sense emotions from scavengers, but not their thoughts. Scavengers hunt in groups and have towns and villages, known as scavenger dens (according to dragons), all over the continent, although they are frequently burned down by dragons. Scavengers sometimes try to steal treasure from dragons.
About 5,000 years before the start of the main series, scavengers were the dominant life form on Pyrrhia and were constantly hunting down dragons. When the dragons banded together and formed tribes, they wiped out almost the entire scavenger population and took over the continent. This event is known as the Scorching.
20 years before the series, three scavenger siblings, Heath, Stone, and Rose, were able to sneak into Queen Oasis' palace, kill her, and steal her treasure, a feat thought to be impossible by both scavengers and dragons.
There are a few dragons who consider scavengers as valuable pets. Prince Smolder of the SandWings owns a pet scavenger that he named Flower (her real name is Rose). Rose was captured by the SandWings after killing Queen Oasis and unable to escape, and her brothers believed that she was dead.
When Wren was sacrificed to the dragons, she escaped and found Peril's twin brother, discarded in the bramble. After years, they created a hybrid language between human and dragon. Wren believes that humans and dragons can unite.
Other known scavengers are Winter's pet scavenger, which he named Bandit, and the two scavengers Sunny met in The Brightest Night, which she named Holler and Fluffy. Tui confirmed that Holler is Flower's niece, Ivy, and Fluffy is a scavenger named Leaf. Ivy, Leaf and Wren are the three protagonists of Wings of Fire Legends: Dragonslayer.
The Othermind
The Othermind is an intelligent organism that exists within a network of plants known as the Breath of Evil. The Othermind is capable of creating a "Hive Mind" by taking over animals and dragons and controlling all of them at once. In order for the Othermind to infect another living being, that being must first ingest the Breath of Evil (root, seed, leaf etc.), allowing the Othermind to settle inside the brain of the host. The Othermind is only known to exist on Pantala.
The Othermind is a hostile and dangerous organism. According to the Othermind itself, it used to be the "rightful owner" of Pantala before the LeafWings and SilkWings came along and "stole it" from the Othermind. It attempted to drive out or otherwise, kill the newcomers by sending hordes of dangerous animals and bugs to attack them. Instead, the dragons destroyed most of the Breath of Evil plants across the continent, severely weakening the Othermind for thousands of years. It would have died out had it not been for Hawthorn nursing it back to health to order to infect Queen Wasp with it. This granted the Othermind control over Wasp and the entire HiveWing tribe.
The Othermind's ultimate goal is to wipe out all of dragonkind so that it may re-take its continent.
The War of SandWing Succession
The War of SandWing Succession took place during the first arc, and it lasted for 18 years, from 4993 AS to 5011 AS.
It originated when Queen Oasis of the SandWings was murdered by a group of scavenger siblings, Heath, Stone, and Rose, who were seeking to steal the treasure that Oasis owned; they were caught in the crime scene by the queen herself, they killed her and Stone and Heath got away with the treasure, while Rose was left behind, at the palace, believed to be dead by her brothers. Oasis' death was partly Blister's fault, as she refused to get someone to help and potentially save her mother.
Oasis's three daughters and son discovered her body several minutes after. Rose was adopted by Oasis's son, Smolder, as a pet, and was later named Flower. There was an argument between the three daughters, Burn, Blister, and Blaze over who should be the new queen of the SandWings. This argument led to an 18-year-long war across the continent of Pyrrhia. Each sister allied with a different tribe; Burn allied with the SkyWings, the MudWings and some of the SandWings; Blister allied with the SeaWings and the NightWings (including those part of the Talons of Peace, and she originally allied with only the SeaWings for ten years); and Blaze allied with the IceWings and most of the SandWings.
The war ended by a SandWing female named Thorn obtaining the Eye of Onyx and becoming queen of the SandWings, a position granted to her by her daughter Sunny. Burn and Blister died towards the end of the war, shortly around the time of Thorn's crowning. Blister died from touching the Eye of Onyx and being unworthy, and Burn died from a snake bite from the dragonbite viper. Blaze survived the war and was granted permission by Queen Thorn to continue living in the palace.
Adaptations
Graphic Novels
The first graphic novel, The Dragonet Prophecy, was announced in 2012 by author Tui T. Sutherland who hoped it would be finished quickly; however, the graphic novel adapter, Mike Holmes, announced that it would be released on January 2, 2018. The second graphic novel, The Lost Heir, was released on February 26, 2019. And third graphic novel, The Hidden Kingdom, was released on October 15, 2019. The 4th graphic novel, The Dark Secret, will be released December 26, 2020. The graphic novels have never been published 3 or more times in one year.[10] A graphic novel for The Brightest Night has been confirmed.[11]
Television series adaptation
An animated television series is in development with ARRAY and Warner Bros. Animation.[12]
Year System
The time in Wings of Fire is measured by A.S., meaning "After Scorching". The Scorching took place a year before 1 A.S., and is when dragons toppled humanity. Legends: Darkstalker takes place from 3006 A.S. to 3017 A.S. The War of SandWing Succession and the main events of the first arc occur from 4993 A.S. to 5012 A.S. Arc 1 takes place in 5011 A.S., and Arcs 2 and 3 take place in 5012 A.S. The Winglets and various prologues are set during different years before 5011 A.S. It is possible that a dragon year is longer or shorter than a human year.
References
- "Wings of Fire". kids.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "Darkstalker". kids.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "Dragonslayer". kids.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "Prisoners". kids.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "Assassin". kids.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "Deserter". kids.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "Runaway". kids.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "Wings of Fire Book One: The Dragonet Prophecy | TuiBooks". Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "The Lost Heir". kids.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- "Q & A with Tui Sutherland at Dragonslayer-Part 1". YouTube. Mia Wenjen. November 9, 2019.
- "Rochester Children's Book Festival: Tui T. Sutherland". YouTube. Arbitrary Renaissance. November 12, 2019.
- Patten, Dominic (March 6, 2020). "Ava DuVernay & Warner Bros Animation Adapting 'Wings of Fire' Books For TV Series". Deadline. Retrieved March 6, 2020.