The Short Answer
If you’re searching for the Fourth Wing series in order, plus the latest on book four and the Prime Video show, you’re in the right place. Everything here is current as of October twenty twenty six.
This video is spoiler-free. That means no plot from any book, only titles, dates and news. The short answer: read Fourth Wing, then Iron Flame, then Onyx Storm. Book four has no title or date yet, and the TV show has a cast but no premiere date.
What The Series Is About
If you’re new, here’s the premise of book one, with no spoilers. Violet Sorrengail is a bookish twenty-year-old who expected to become a scribe. Her mother, a general, forces her into the Riders Quadrant of Basgiath War College instead, where cadets try to bond with dragons and many die.
It’s a fantasy military school story with a slow burn enemies to lovers romance, a deadly set of trials and a world on the edge of war. It’s also explicit and violent, so it’s an adult series, not a young adult one.
The Fourth Wing Series Order
The series is called The Empyrean, and it’s by Rebecca Yarros. Read it in publication order, because the story is one continuing arc.
Book one is Fourth Wing, published in May twenty twenty three. Book two is Iron Flame, which followed in November twenty twenty three. Book three is Onyx Storm, published on January twenty first, twenty twenty five.
Don’t Skip Anything
You don’t need anything before book one, and there’s no reason to read out of order. The books are long and fast, and the story is one big arc, so skipping ahead will spoil you.
If you finished Fourth Wing and you’re wondering whether to keep going, the series order is simple: no breaks, no side books required. You can read them back to back, and honestly, many readers do.
Where Threshing Day Fits
Now, a new title is in the mix. Threshing Day came out on September twenty ninth, twenty twenty six. It is a collection of stories about familiar characters and their dragons, centered on the day their bonds began.
It’s a companion, not book four. I’d read it after the main books, because it’s built for fans who already know the characters. If you want the clean series order, think of it as a bonus that you pick up whenever you feel like it.
The Timeline At A Glance
Let me put it all in one place. Fourth Wing, May twenty twenty three. Iron Flame, November twenty twenty three. Onyx Storm, January twenty twenty five. The TV series ordered, May twenty twenty six.
Then Threshing Day, September twenty twenty six. Cast announced, October twenty twenty six. And book four and the show premiere are both still unannounced. If you screenshot one part of this video, make it this one.
Fourth Wing Book 4
This is the question I get most. Is there a Fourth Wing book four, and when does it come out? As of October twenty twenty six, there’s no title and no release date.
What we do know is that Rebecca Yarros has said she began working on it in March twenty twenty six. Earlier listings at retailers showed a date in early twenty twenty six, but Yarros said that date was impossible. Treat any date you see online as a guess until the publisher announces one.
How Many Books Are There
The Empyrean is planned as a five book series. That means we have three main books out, a fourth on the way, and a final book still to come. Book four is not the end.
The plan from the author, as of now, is five. So if you’re wondering whether it’s safe to start, the answer is yes, with the warning that you’ll be waiting for the ending.
The Prime Video Show
Now the show. Yes, there is a Fourth Wing TV show, and it’s coming to Prime Video. It was ordered to series in May twenty twenty six, and it’s a series, not a movie. If you’ve been searching for a Fourth Wing movie, this is the adaptation.
Prime Video says the show will stream in more than two hundred forty countries and territories. That’s the good news. The less good news is that the network hasn’t announced a premiere date, a premiere window or a filming start.
Is There A Fourth Wing Movie
No. People search for a Fourth Wing movie all the time, but the adaptation is a series for Prime Video. There’s no film announced.
A series makes sense for a story this big. The book has a huge cast of cadets, dragons, rivals and trials, and a movie would have to cut most of it. Prime Video hasn’t said how many seasons are planned or how many books the show will cover, so I won’t guess.
The Cast
Here’s the Fourth Wing cast, and this part is official. Amazon MGM Studios confirmed that Esther McGregor will play Violet Sorrengail, and Emilio Sakraya will play Xaden Riorson.
McGregor has appeared in the series We Were Liars. Sakraya is a German actor who has been in Warrior Nun and Those About To Die. As of now, I haven’t seen official casting for the other roles, like Dain, Rhiannon or the dragons’ voices, so I’ll update this video when that changes.
Who Is Making The Show
Meredith Averill is the showrunner and an executive producer. Lisa Joy, the co-creator of Westworld, will direct the first episode, and Michael B. Jordan’s company Outlier Society is a producer, alongside Jonathan Nolan’s Kilter Films.
Rebecca Yarros is an executive producer as well. So the author is involved, and so is Liz Pelletier, the editor who published the book. That’s a good sign, but a good team doesn’t guarantee a good show, so let’s wait and see.
When Is The Show Coming Out
So when is the Fourth Wing show coming out? Nobody outside the production knows. There’s no date, and with a series order in May twenty twenty six, casting only just announced and no filming date, I wouldn’t expect a premiere very soon.
Some entertainment sites guess twenty twenty seven or even later. That’s a guess. I’d treat anything before twenty twenty seven as unlikely, and I’ll note any official date when it comes.
What Fans Want From The Show
This part is opinion. The first thing I want is the parapet, the narrow stone bridge two hundred feet up, because it’s the book’s signature scene and it needs to be scary. The second is the dragons, which have to feel huge, smart and sarcastic, not just big lizards.
And the third is the banter. Violet and Xaden carry the book with sharp dialogue, and a show can lose that fast if the writing goes soft. I’m hopeful, because the author is involved, but I’m waiting for a first trailer before I get excited.
Books Like Fourth Wing
While you wait, here are seven books like Fourth Wing, all spoiler-free. If you want the deadly contest with a smart heroine, read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It has the same do or die trials, and the same rooting for a girl who is out of her depth.
If you want a brutal academy where people die, try Red Rising by Pierce Brown. If you want a classic dragon rider story, Eragon by Christopher Paolini is the old favorite. And if you want dragons in a war, His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik puts dragons in the Napoleonic era.
For romance and fantasy, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass, both by Sarah J. Maas, are the usual next steps. And for epic politics with dragons, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is a bigger, slower and more serious book. Several of these are as spicy as Fourth Wing, and some are not, so check the content before you pick one.
What To Do While You Wait
If you’ve finished everything and you need something now, you have options. Reread the first book, because the details land differently once you know the ending. Read Threshing Day. Or try one of the books I just listed.
You can also follow the author, since Rebecca Yarros posts updates about the series and her writing. And if you’re a listener, an audiobook can make the wait easier, though I haven’t checked which versions are out, so look at the store listing.
The Reading Order Cheat Sheet
Here’s the cheat sheet. Step one, Fourth Wing. Step two, Iron Flame. Step three, Onyx Storm. Step four, Threshing Day, whenever you want a bonus. Step five, book four, once there’s a title and a date.
If you’re only here for the screen version, wait for the Prime Video series, and know that the book will always have more detail than any show. Either way, the order does not change: start with Fourth Wing, and keep a pen handy for the dragons’ names, because there are a lot of them.
What To Read First
So here’s my plan. If you haven’t started, read Fourth Wing, then Iron Flame, then Onyx Storm. Pick up Threshing Day when you want more time with the characters. And don’t worry about book four until there’s a title.
Remember that these are explicit, violent adult books. If you want to know how spicy the first one is, I made a full review. Tell me in the comments: which books on the list have you read, and who do you want to see on screen? Thanks for watching, and subscribe for more book breakdowns.
