Wings of Fire is a juvenile adventure fantasy novel series about dragons, written by Tui T. Sutherland and published by Scholastic Inc. The series has been translated into over ten languages, with some versions having their own cover art, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide making it one of the most successful fantasy series for young readers, and has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 300 weeks. Wings of Fire is rated for ages 7–12 according to Scholastic, Inc. The series has also proven popular with young adults and older audiences.

Setting and universe

Wings of Fire is set on a planet orbited by three moons, which features two known major continents, Pyrrhia and Pantala, and one known major island, the Dungeon Isle. The planet is predominantly inhabited by intelligent dragons that are grouped into ten tribes, seven of which inhabit Pyrrhia (MudWings, SeaWings, RainWings, SandWings, SkyWings, IceWings, NightWings), and three that inhabit Pantala (SilkWings, HiveWings, LeafWings). There was also once an additional Pantalan tribe known as the BeetleWings, now extinct; the SilkWings and HiveWings are their modern descendants. Dragons tend to live in their tribe's suited habitat (ex., RainWings reside in the Rainforest Kingdom, IceWings in the Ice Kingdom, etc.) and most regularly live among their own kind. Inter-tribal relationships allow hybrids of the various species to exist; while on the two major continents, these relationships are rare, they are common on the Dungeon Isle. Hybrids on the Dungeon Isle who have genetically mixed to the point where it is impossible to identify their parent tribes are known as WildWings.

Most tribes have unique adaptations suited to their respective habitats, such as cold resistance, the ability to breathe underwater, or camouflage scales. Tribes are ruled by dynasties of queens, except for the dragons on the Dungeon Isle, who are ruled by an elected council.

Some dragon bloodlines are born with the extremely rare power to manipulate reality itself by enchantment, an ability known as animus magic.

Both continents are also home to humans, which are known to dragonkind as "scavengers". For the majority of the series, scavengers are viewed as unimportant and largely unintelligent prey. Some scavengers are kept as pets by dragons, and their relationships are explored throughout the books. After the events of Dragonslayer and The Flames of Hope, some dragons begin to view humans in a different way.

Synopsis The series currently consists of four arcs, with the first three arcs having five books each, and the fourth arc being planned to have three books. The books focus on young dragons, or dragonets. Each book centers on its own protagonist, whose story is told through a third person limited perspective. Each arc involves its protagonists fulfilling or subverting prophecies to save their world. Sixteen books in the main series have been released, as well as five novellas (known as Winglets), two extended-length standalone novels (known as Legends), multiple companion books, and a presently-releasing series of graphic novel adaptations of titles from the main series. The series has been edited by Amanda Maciel and features covers drawn by Joy Ang; many of the titles have been recorded as audiobooks by Shannon McManus.

Each Wings of Fire novel has been released in hardcover and paperback format along with some audio book adaptations.

The Dragonet Prophecy The first arc consists of five books: The Dragonet Prophecy (2012), The Lost Heir (2013), The Hidden Kingdom (2013), The Dark Secret (2013), and The Brightest Night (2014), respectively starring the MudWing Clay, the SeaWing Tsunami, the RainWing Glory, the NightWing Starflight, and the SandWing Sunny, collectively known as the Dragonets of Destiny, as the protagonists. It takes place roughly twenty years into the War of SandWing Succession, a war across most of Pyrrhia which originated when the three daughters of Queen Oasis of the SandWings—Blaze, Blister, and Burn—each sought the throne for herself after Oasis was killed by three treasure-hunting humans, which the dragons call scavengers, without having a specified heir. Clay, Tsunami, Glory, Starflight, and Sunny were five dragonets who were taken and raised in hiding by a group called the "Talons of Peace". The Dragonet Prophecy claims that these dragonets (the "Dragonets of Destiny") must choose who should ascend to the SandWing throne and bring an end to the twenty-year war. The Dragonets of Destiny escape from where the Talons of Peace were keeping them and travel through Pyrrhia to find out more about who they are and where they came from.

The Jade Mountain Prophecy The second arc consists of five books: Moon Rising (2014), Winter Turning (2015), Escaping Peril (2015), Talons of Power (2016), and Darkness of Dragons (2017), respectively starring the NightWing Moonwatcher, the IceWing Winter, the SkyWing Peril, the SeaWing Turtle, and the SandWing Qibli as the protagonists. It takes place six months after the events of The Brightest Night. After the war ended, the Dragonets of Destiny, aside from Queen Glory, established themselves at their newly founded intertribal school, Jade Mountain Academy, and eventually expanded elsewhere within Pyrrhia. The books follow the aforementioned five students as they face off against threats both old and new, trying to prevent the catastrophic destruction foretold in the Jade Mountain Prophecy while grappling with an unknown evil called Darkstalker.

The Lost Continent Prophecy The third arc consists of five books: The Lost Continent (2018), The Hive Queen (2018), The Poison Jungle (2019), The Dangerous Gift (2021), and The Flames of Hope (2022), respectively starring the SilkWing Blue, the HiveWing Cricket, the LeafWing Sundew, the IceWing Queen Snowfall, and the SilkWing Luna as the protagonists. It introduces a second continent, Pantala, located far west of Pyrrhia and ruled by a tyrannical HiveWing queen named Wasp. All of the protagonist dragons, except Queen Snowfall, are from the new continent. Neither continent is fully aware of the other's existence at first, aside from some ancient legends, in which Pyrrhian legends refer to Pantala as The Lost Continent, and Pantalan legends speak of Pyrrhia as the Distant Kingdoms. The book focuses on five dragons and their efforts to uncover the truth behind the lies told by Queen Wasp, as well as to stop the existential threat posed by a mind-controlling plant, human, and dragon with the potential to destroy all the dragon tribes.

The Forgotten Isles Prophecy A fourth arc, The Forgotten Isles Prophecy, is currently in the works. The first book in the arc (Book 16), The Hybrid Prince, was released on March 3, 2026, starring the MudWing Umber as the protagonist. The Hybrid Prince takes place after Book 6 (Moon Rising), and involves Umber discovering a hidden island settled by hybrid dragons, including new tribes, who are descendants of the banished tribes of exiled dragons.

Plot and background Over 5,000 years prior to the events of the main series, humans were the dominant species of Pyrrhia. Dragons in this period were solitary creatures, with no true civilizations. A human stole a dragon's egg, and other humans followed suit. Eventually, the dragons fought back and set fire to most of the human settlements, driving the remaining humans into hiding.

Two thousand years afterward (three thousand years before the events of the main series), a disagreement started over a village harboring fugitives from other tribes. Many dragons were exiled to the Court of Refuge, a prison where they and their descendants would be trapped forever.

Twenty years prior to the The Dragonet Prophecy, a human kills the SandWing queen, sparking a war of succession. A prophecy given by a NightWing eight years into the war said that after twenty years, a group of dragonets would be born and bring an end to the war. These five dragonets, throughout the events of arc one, traveled across the continent of Pyrrhia, eventually bringing an end to the war by choosing a SandWing to be queen.

After the war, a school named Jade Mountain Academy was established, bringing dragonets of all tribes into one cohesive structure. Shortly after, a NightWing wielding powers of telepathy and foresight began receiving telepathic communication from an animus dragon named Darkstalker, who has awoken from his eternal slumber. Later on, Darkstalker escaped and performs many enchantments, such as bending a tribe to his will and sending a magical plague to his enemies. Finally, he is stopped by being tricked into eating an enchanted strawberry, which turns him into a dragonet (with no memories of his former identity).

The third arc follows the perspectives of five dragons who are determined to save Pantala from a tyrannical HiveWing queen. They venture out to the depths of Pantala to locate an abyss and stop a mind-controlling plant. Once this plant is destroyed, Queen Wasp is unable to use her mind control and is locked up.

The fourth arc follows Umber and Sora as they run away from Jade Mountain Academy and the terrible things that Sora has done. Umber and Sora are saved by a young prince who promises protection for him and his sister, and they decide to follow the prince to the Court of Refuge.

Supplementary works

Legends Two standalone "special edition" titles separate from the main arcs, subtitled Legends, have been published: Darkstalker (2016) and Dragonslayer (2020). Each book seeks to add additional context and/or provide a new perspective on major events referred to in the series, and, in contrast to main entries in the Wings of Fire series, Legends books follow several characters' perspectives in alternating chapters. Darkstalker alternates between the perspectives of Fathom, Clearsight, and the titular Darkstalker, providing an unobscured-by-legend trio of accounts of the origin story of Darkstalker within the larger context of the dragon world. Dragonslayer alternates between the perspectives of three humans – Leaf, Ivy, and Wren – and features retellings of major events from the first arc from human perspectives.

Winglets Short stories called "Winglets" have been published. They seek to add additional context to events that were mentioned offhandedly in the main series or Legends, and are told from the perspectives of secondary characters from the main series. Originally published exclusively as e-book titles, the first four stories – Prisoner (2015), Assassin (2015), Deserter (2016), and Runaway (2016) – have since appeared several times in print. The fifth Winglet, Hero, was released as an e-book on February 3, 2026. The first three Winglets are narrated by Fierceteeth, Deathbringer, and Six-Claws respectively, while the narrator of Runaway alternates between Foeslayer, Arctic, Snowflake, and Princess Luna and the narrator of Hero alternates between Jasper, Ruby, and Cliff. Three titles appeared in the limited edition A Winglets Collection: The First Three Stories (2016), two in the also-limited Winglets Flip Book (2019), and four in The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories (2020).

Graphic novel adaptation Collectively adapted by both Barry Deutsch and Tui T. Sutherland, and respectively drawn and colored by Mike Holmes and Maarta Laiho, the Wings of Fire series has undergone an adaptation into graphic novel form since 2018. Currently 10 graphic novels have been released, nine being from the main series and one being an adaptation of Legends: Darkstalker.

Other titles Seven companion books have been released: Forge Your Dragon World (2022) is an interactive activity book with advice on worldbuilding and character development in the style of Wings of Fire, aimed at fans who want to write their own stories.