Author Rebecca Yarros is bringing readers back to the dragon-riding world of Navarre and Basgiath War College two weeks from now, with the release of her new companion collection Threshing Day. The book arrives on September 29, 2026, offering thirteen short stories that explore the franchise’s most beloved characters long before the events of Fourth Wing unfold.
Yarros is one of the biggest names in modern publishing as the author of The Empyrean Series, a pop culture phenomenon frequently compared to Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga for its sales and cultural reach. That series began with 2023’s Fourth Wing, following Violet Sorrengail, a young woman whose dream of a scholarly life is shattered when her mother enrolls her in a dangerous academy for dragon riders. There she meets her rival and love interest, Xaden Riorson.
A Companion Book, Not the Next Novel
So far, three novels have been published in Yarros’ planned pentology, with book four still untitled and without a release date. Threshing Day is not that next entry; instead it serves as a companion collection set in the same universe and featuring some of the franchise’s favorite characters.
The title refers to the dangerous ceremony when riders bond with wild dragons, an event where many potential riders wind up incinerated or devoured. Those who successfully forge a bond go on to become official riders. According to a Google Books listing, Xaden Riorson and Brennan Sorrengail are featured in the short stories, promising “many more.” Given the structure, each story may chronicle the day these familiar characters first bonded with their dragons, making Threshing Day effectively a prequel that fleshes out backstories for characters who are already established dragonriders by the time Fourth Wing begins.
“The publishing industry told me we couldn’t do that because someone would inevitably leak it,” she wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post, explaining her original plan to release Threshing Day as a surprise. “If you work for a retailer and come across Threshing Day before release day, don’t be the person who proves the industry right and leaks it for clicks and engagement.”
Rebecca Yarros
The Future of The Empyrean Series
The Empyrean Series began in 2023 with Fourth Wing, tracing Violet’s start at Basgiath War College. Its sequel Iron Flame arrived a few months later, followed by book three Onyx Storm last year. Two more books are expected to complete the five-book arc, though no further details have been released.
This year, Yarros confirmed she is writing the franchise’s fourth installment. “In the next few (hopefully couple) weeks, I’ll be back in the Empyrean world for the foreseeable future,” she wrote in a January Instagram post. “Book 4’s playlist is simmering, and I’m almost ready for the index cards and plot board. Don’t worry, everyone in Navarre is still alive. For now.”
The franchise is also being adapted into a TV series by Prime Video, with Michael B. Jordan as producer, Wednesday’s Meredith Averill as showrunner, and Westworld’s Lisa Joy producing and directing the pilot. “Rebecca’s books have become one of the fastest-selling franchises of the 21st century, with a fandom so passionate, so devoted, they don’t just read these books, they live in them,” Averill told Deadline. “The emotional stakes are sky high, the battles are epic, power dynamics are thrilling, and underneath it is so much humor and heart and a romance that will consume you.”
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