Threshing Day arrives soon, but it is not Fourth Wing 4

Rebecca Yarros’ The Empyrean Series has become one of publishing’s biggest modern success stories. The saga began with Fourth Wing in 2023, introducing Violet Sorrengail, a young woman pushed away from her hoped-for scholarly life and into the lethal training programme at Basgiath War College.

At the dragon-rider academy, Violet encounters Xaden Riorson, initially her rival and eventually her love interest. The first three novels have established the planned five-book story, but the fourth instalment remains untitled and has no announced release date.

Fans will nevertheless return to the world of Navarre in two weeks. The catch is that the next book, Threshing Day, is a companion collection rather than the long-awaited fourth novel.

What is Threshing Day?

Threshing Day contains 13 short stories set in the same universe, following dragon riders and their bonded dragons. The collection includes familiar characters, with Xaden Riorson and Brennan Sorrengail named in a books listing alongside “many more”.

The title refers to the dangerous ceremony in which potential riders attempt to bond with wild dragons. Those who fail may be burned or eaten; those who survive the process become official dragon riders.

The stories could explore the characters’ own threshing ceremonies. Xaden, Brennan and many other riders are already bonded when Fourth Wing begins, so these chapters may work as prequel material that expands their histories. That possibility has not been confirmed.

Why the release was kept quiet

Yarros originally hoped to make Threshing Day a surprise publication. She later said the publishing industry made that impractical because an unexpected release would almost certainly be leaked.

“The publishing industry told me we couldn’t do that because someone would inevitably leak it,” Yarros wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post.

She also asked retail workers who encountered the book before launch not to reveal its contents for clicks or engagement. As a result, much of the collection’s detail has remained undisclosed.

The Empyrean series continues

The series began with Fourth Wing, followed a few months later by Iron Flame. The third book, Onyx Storm, arrived the following year. Two further novels are planned to complete the five-book arc, although no release information has been announced for either one.

Yarros said earlier this year that she was returning to the fourth book. In a January Instagram post, she wrote that its playlist was taking shape and that she was preparing to work with index cards and a plot board. She also reassured readers that everyone in Navarre was still alive at that point.

The franchise is also being developed as a Prime Video television series. Michael B. Jordan is one of the producers, while Meredith Averill, known for Wednesday, is attached as showrunner. Lisa Joy is producing and directing the pilot episode.

Averill has described the adaptation as a story combining high emotional stakes, large-scale battles, shifting power dynamics, humour, heart and romance.

Release date and what readers should expect

Threshing Day is scheduled for release on 29 September 2026. It offers more stories from the dragon-rider world, but it does not replace the fourth main novel. Readers waiting for Violet and the central Empyrean storyline will still have to wait for book four.

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