Wings of Fire has the Best Worldbuilding of Any Children's Series I've Read

Tui T. Sutherland's Wings of Fire is an incredible series of books. They're very popular, having sold 14 million copies and been adapted into graphic novels. Wings of Fire also has incredible worldbuilding - The best of any children's fantasy series I've ever read, better than Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and How to Train your Dragon. It is entirely from the point of view of a dragon society, which is a super unique premise.
I love it, so I decided to talk about the worldbuilding in this video. I cover all of the major tribes - The MudWings, SeaWings, RainWings, NightWings, SandWings, IceWings, and SkyWings - as well as the magic system, a few extremely gifted and powerful Animus dragons.
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Music Credit:
Gerudo Valley Theme from The Legend of Zelda
Put it!
Teehee Valley from the Mario RPG series
Billy Goat Stomp
Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie (piano version by Sheet Music Boss)
Tetris Theme (piano version by Sheet Music Boss)
Sweetpaper Valley from the Paper Mario series
Desert Brawl
Confronting Myself from the Celeste soundtrack
Spanish Dance by Moritz Moszkowski
Resurrections from the Celeste soundtrack
INDUSTRY by me
Busy City

[@rainbow_doglover8301]

I somehow completely forgot that Turtle gave anemone her powers. Man he really ruined her life didn’t he.

[@lpsjewel]

24:24 quick correction. Darkstarker said it was once theorized that Nightwings got both prophecy, & mindreading, along with Animus powers under 3 full moons. But it wasn't true. 3 full moons just makes Nightwings have more potent abilities.

[@MoonTideTheOneAndONLY]

Plus turtle didn’t CREATE anemone. He simply gave her animus magic to take the attention off of him

[@galaxythedragonshifter]

I absolutely LOVE this series, and the worldbuilding. It's so unique, and its the first "sentient dragon society" book I've ever seen. I've loved dragons for a long time, and imagined one of my own stories (albeit a terrible one; I was only 11 or so after all) featuring talking dragons with an entire kingdom. I then saw one of my classmates with one of the books, ran to the library to grab whichever one was available, and fell in love immediately. I feel like a lot of fans would call it a crime that The Poison Jungle was the first book I read lmao. Now, I'm taking inspiration from WoF, Hunger Games, The Ascendance series, and more to make my own trilogy. And watching analysis videos like these really expand my understanding of the narrative!^^

[@thehayze259]

To be fair, The Poison Jungle is one of the best. And I'm not one to judge - I've started a LOT of series most of the way through.

[@MoonTideTheOneAndONLY]

14:51 “7.8/10 not enough water” LMAO

[@noahmasoodi184]

When you compared the Ice Wings to Fascists, I fist laughed. Then I thought about it, and realized how right you are. Now I cant get Mussolini Tundra out of my head and it’s back to being hilarious.

[@dragonluvver975]

Hey this is an amazing vid! I think for IceWings though it's heavily implied the ones in lower ranks don't care at all about what circle they're in, and focus more on the arts and community than (ironically) the dragons who lead them in the 1st circle. Deathbringer mentions it when he meets Glory in book 3 and says he's "always wanted to visit an IceWing tavern", implying IceWing villages have a more enthusiastic side that doesn't care about the rankings

[@thedarkshine4409]

Yep, the thing is that we only have the pov of the nobles. 4 IceWing protagonists, 3 royals and 1 noble who turns into a royal.

[@hermes4177]

Please make a part 2. We need more.

[@lumynoxx]

wings of fire was one of my favorite series's growing up, i havent read past book 10, but happy it's still holding up! (the darkstalker book is also one of my favs)

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

There's also hints of the real world in it; Clay finds a Javelina in book one, the scorching implies a world before dragons, and the continents' wildlife matches North and South America for Pyrrhia and Africa for Pantala.

[@guacamaca64]

I'd watch hours of you explaining wof stuff honestly, the way you narrate everything is great!!

[@rainbow_doglover8301]

Only 500 views for this glorious video essay?!

[@TrickyTalon23]

Wow this got me really hooked immediately, and this is the first time I've heard of this channel! Magnificent video! Really great descriptions of the tribes, and the claim about the potential dangers of animus magic being so unknown by dragons is a really great explanation as to why this otherwise broken system isn't causing plot holes. That doesn't entirely sway me over to agreeing with it though, considering several animus dragons like Darkstalker, Turtle, and Jerboa 1 had little to no fears about their souls getting destroyed from using their literal infinite power for anything they like. Although any broken magic system is bound to have plot hole issues no matter how hard the lore tries to explain around it, and it's awesome that this one did as well as it did. This video was really enjoyable and did a phenomenal job explaining the great things about Wings Of Fire!

[@Polarisarts11]

I LOVE THIS!! PLEASE DO A SECOND PART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@buggkid3969]

im surprised this doesnt have that many likes !! its such a good vid

[@pyronuke4768]

I do wanna say that while the immediate worldbuilding is pretty good, when it comes to the bigger picture there is definitely a focus problem where some tribes get way more attention than others. To illustrate, let's run down the list of protags to see which tribes get the spotlight. They are in order -- Arc 1: a Mudwing POV that's really more about the Skywings, the Seawings, the Rainwings, the Nightwings, and the Sandwings. Arc 2 has the Nightwings again, the Icewings, the Skywings again, a spinoff about the Nightwings Icewings & Seawings, the Seawings again, and ends with the Sandwings again. Arc 3 goes the Silkwings, the Hivewings, the Leafwings, a spinoff about the Scavengers that has some Sandwings in it, the Icewings again, and a final book with a Silkwing POV that tries to cram a bit of every tribe into it. Those who have read the series all the way through can tell that the Nightwings are Tui's favorite tribe to write about, followed closely by the Sandwings. Slightly more distantly are the Icewings, the Silkwings, the Seawings, the Rainwings, the Leafwings, and the Skywings; roughly in that order. Despite being the primary antagonists of Arc 3 the Hivewings just kinda get mixed in with the Silkwings and Leafwings, seen more for how they affect those two tribes than getting much representation themselves. And the Mudwings are by far the least developed tribe of them all. Tui is very good at immersive writing, but she tends to get tunnel vision when it comes to the big picture, which ends up resulting in the fans having to fill in a lot of gaps by themselves.

[@SilverScroll]

This is a really great summary of the world (for the first two arcs)! If anyone wants to get into the series after this, here's the release/reading order: The Dragonet Prophecy > The Lost Heir > The Hidden Kingdom > The Dark Secret > The Brightest Night > Moon Rising > _Prisoners_ > Winter Turning > _Assassin_ > Escaping Peril > _Deserter_ > *Darkstalker* > _Runaway_ > Talons of Power > Darkness of Dragons > The Lost Continent > The Hive Queen > The Poison Jungle > *Dragonslayer* > The Dangerous Gift > The Flames of Hope > A Guide to the Dragon World (books in _italics_ are _Winglets_ (short stories), books in *bold* are *Legends* books that expand the world from unusual perspectives)

[@ChonkyToad]

We need part 2 of this, it would be legendary

[@Lolacola-gr8pw]

More subs! The Hayze should be over 1000 at least

[@takumirocks2041]

Wings of Fire has probably been my favorite book series since I first picked it up. I was a bit late to the mark, starting when 7 books were already out. I've read all of the books except for A Guide to the Dragon World, and even rereading them now, they hold up well. Darkstalker and The Dangerous Gift are definitely my favorites. Watching Darkstalker's tragic descent into villainy and Snowfall's rise from paranoid isolationist to empathetic diplomat and reformer were both great experiences. The two chapters from the perspectives of Jerboas I & III were really good. I was so drawn in that I forgot that the whole book wasn't written in italics. I would love to see more WoF content from you. There's definitely a lot to talk about in terms of worldbuilding societies when it comes to Pantala.

[@flowersgamingg]

You've got a new sub! This video had an great explanation of all of the books!

[@Scrittlescrattle]

God I need to finish this series 😭 I’m still on Quilbi’s book. I know one shouldn’t compare apples to oranges, but even though I used to love the Warriors series throughout my elementary years it absolutely lost me at the second generation of protagonists 😔 wof not only captured my attention as a tween with each character in every book, it has such a vibrant world that it practically begs you to explore, nothing feels empty! Like I cannot remember any of the names after Fireheart’s arc nobody stands out to me, but I vividly remember all the dragons in the second series and most side characters our hero’s meet throughout the entire series because it’s just *memorable* it’s exciting, it’s fun! This is a great video and reminded me of why I absolutely love this series

[@HaughtyToast]

This series really surprised me. Sutherland has a real talent for taking the most brain dead tropes and not only making them work but making them work in ways we haven't seen before.

[@thehayze259]

Animus Magic actually working as a concept is the biggest miracle of the entire goddam series

[@freezedriedgarlicbread]

Part 2 :D

[@oxalian]

awesome video, great explanation!!!

[@user-oo6lv1pg2x]

Wow I'm gonna have to check this out

[@thehayze259]

You should! It's a fantastic series, and I don't get to talk about it with enough people

[@xenkk0o]

YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD

[@Golems_wrath]

@@thehayze259 yeah but it would be better if sunny got stuffed and was kept as a decoration for burn and the others were executed in a lot of various dark ways, or they could all get stuffed and kept as decorations for my queen burn,...XD😈😉😎🔥😜😱 I wish the author would make an alternative what if series of books of the villains weren’t dumb and would win. And what’d they do if they won. XD yes I like dark bad endings XD more interesting IMO

[@Golems_wrath]

@@xenkk0o it’s a shame scarlet and burn were dumb XD sunny would look fantastic as a stuffed decoration dragon, and tsunami would also look great with a spear through her annoying back and the others are executed also....XD😈😜😂

[@flowersgamingg]

@dannyadam dude are you okay

[@fallenflame1940]

Yess i love wings of fire part 2 plss

[@Keatosis_Quohotos]

If you want another children's series with just AMAZING worldbuilding you have to read Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

[@okartlenecromancien8095]

Please a second part :)

[@agsilverradio2225]

7:45 That's because everyone is allready dragon; aka, a type of monster.

[@JesusisLord403]

final. some one talking about the books

[@mikeporter1005]

I never thought of the Icewings as facial but now it seems so blatantly obvious I can’t unsee it.

[@thedarkshine4409]

Thank you very much on making a video of this amazing series 🙏

[@thedarkshine4409]

Also, Aquatic is actually part sign language XD They use both signs and light from their scales to communicate!

[@thedarkshine4409]

Oh, and ALSO Queen Oasis wasn't benevolent, it was hinted in book 3 and shown in book 10 how she treated Smolder (her son) and Palm (Smolder's partner).

[@darcydiscovers]

My least favourite plot hole in wings of fire is in arc 2! This plot hole genuinely messes with me and I hate that I thought of it so now you all get to hear about it too If Chameleon tears pieces off of Darkstalker's scroll to make his spells, then why was Darkstalker freed? Like, Peril does destroy the majority of the scroll, but the problem of Darkstalker being freed is solved by revealing that the pieces Chameleon tore off *still have animus magic and can actively cast spells* So why was Darkstalker's magic returned to him? The scroll wasn't completely destroyed. Either most of the scroll is destroyed and his magic is returned to him, leaving the pieces Chameleon tore off incapable of enchanting new things, or Darkstalker is never freed because his scroll was not completely destroyed and his magic was still in the pieces that remain. My solution to this is really simple: Chameleon never tears pieces off of scrolls, instead enchanting his jewlety directly. When the scroll is destroyed by Peril it is destroyed in its entirety. Darkstalker is defeated by forcing him to wear Pyrite's necklace.

[@hyzmarie]

Well… the pieces of scrolls are magical because Chameleon specifically enchants those pieces of the scroll before tearing them off. I don’t know why using a piece to turn Darkstalker into peacemaker worked other than that you can tell that Tui was backed into a corner to get Darkstalker out of the way.

[@ChowdiusPupperMemusII]

The only spells that work are the ones written on the scroll. Chameleon has pieces torn off the bottom the scroll, where there was no writing yet. The part that Peril burnt was the majority, and the part that stopped Darkstalker from using his powers. It is also worth mentioning that animus items wear away over time as the magic is used, as said in the books describing how he woke up while still stuck in Agate mountain.

[@hyzmarie]

@@ChowdiusPupperMemusIIyeah. Although the bracelet didn’t wear away because of being enchanted, but because it was made of thin wires and not enchanted to last a long time

[@pyronuke4768]

I really love this series! There is so much done well -- characters: fantastic! Development: very solid! Worldbuilding: pretty strong! But the absolute best part is the immersion; Tui T Sutherland really knows how to grab you and put you in a scene, make you feel, and leave you satisfied. I do have to address a few criticisms though, which is the plot's tendency to wander. It's not so bad in individual books, but across an arc there's that one installment that feels kinda filler-y, the tone sorta wanders a bit, some of the protagonists end up one-note after their POV, and about half of the subplots could've been given better development. However, I am one of those guys who likes to look at the big picture as a whole and seeing how the threads connect, so It's probably just a me thing. It's not a dealbreaker, just a mild annoyance for what is otherwise a practically perfect series.

[@kitabgaming9350]

Story Tale?

[@JayHurst1]

Wings of Fire is still my favorite book series ever

[@user-rl4rl7sv2y]

lol, i got he refence. fallen kingdom, idek how old that series is, heh.

[@thehayze259]

I didn't know what else I could have put... I didn't want to just add a png of the fall of Rome, since I've been trying to add more moving video into my... videos... so I just decided to go with a crazy viral Minecraft song parody. Glad you recognized it!

[@Golems_wrath]

@@thehayze259 Oh you’re here. Again we here for you to read and enjoy 😈❤️ yeah but it would be better if sunny got stuffed and was kept as a decoration for burn and the others were executed in a lot of various dark ways, or they could all get stuffed and kept as decorations for my queen burn,...XD😈😉😎🔥😜😱 I wish the author would make an alternative what if series of books of the villains weren’t dumb and would win. And what’d they do if they won. XD yes I like dark bad endings XD more interesting IMO

[@Purple-ishblue]

20:46 oooor think. They don't have to say it out loud

[@joshuagood-rz1fx]

Hello, I’m very new to the wings of fire series. I’m on book three and was wondering when to read darkstalker in the book order.

[@howtodrinkwaterin5simplesteps]

Probably throughout arc 2! It's when he first appears and becomes the main villain

[@hyzmarie]

I would say read arc 1, then Dragonslayer, arc 2, and THEN Darkstalker as it provides background for arc 2, but reading it in the middle would mess with the pacing and kind of breaks the mystery behind him.

[@Asmanidoesnotexist2]

I’d say read it after Arc 2

[@sugargirl1883]

Wait a min... how the frixk does this have 15k likes but only 115 views? >.>

[@thehayze259]

15k likes? It has 42

[@sugargirl1883]

Strange, says 15k on my end, anyway, its a great vid, man! I friggin love this book series!

[@thehayze259]

Thanks! I have a lot of love for it too. Even if the dialogue is not always great, there's so much heart, thought, and personality put into every single book.

[@enderskunk7515]

24:27 actually no, Darkstalker is an animus because Arctic was and the three full moons gave him his insane level of mind reading and prophecy

[@Purple-ishblue]

24:24 as someone else said, that's just darkstalkers theory and is probably not true

[@enderskunk7515]

11:54 that was not entirely thier fault, given that all of them were enchanted like everyone else...

[@agsilverradio2225]

I gotta disagree with you on 2 things: - 1) Animus magic is not a good magic system. Even Tui thoguht it was too overpowered to keep, and wrote it out of the books. - 2) I don't nessisarrily think that the nightwing's naming traditions are a sign of their eleatism/racism. They just want their kid to have cool sounding names like every other dragon.