I introduced my thoughts about General Sorrengail on Dark Dispatch.com with the following:

[T]here will be at least one more piece to follow, on Dain Aetos. After Iron Flame, I may even write about Fourth Wing politics. Why write about these things? Fourth Wing is one of the most important books to come out in years, and it’s worthy of the scrutiny.

Saying a book is important can prompt critical responses. And politics is dangerous territory, but let me read you a definition of politics: the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.

Politics isn’t just right vs. left. I’m Canadian; we have the right, far right, extreme far right, centrists, leftists, socialists, greens, and tokers. Plus, we have a useless king, and guess what? So does Fourth Wing.

It’s clear at the end of Fourth Wing that Navarre’s leadership is hiding the truth instead of fighting the real enemy. It seems that the people of Poromiel are the scapegoats; they’re blamed for a war and painted as the villains, when they really aren’t. But what’s the political agenda? I would say retaining power and control, but I think we need more from Iron Flame to do that part of this discussion justice. However, there are some critical things raised in Fourth Wing that hint at the broader themes the series is addressing, and it’s one of the sharpest commentaries on censorship since Fahrenheit 451.

Controlling access to information is one way to skew people’s beliefs and thinking. This is a standard tactic in Navarre.

On page 253, Liam tells Violet that after his parents were executed, he was “fostered by Duke Lindell, the same as Riorson. My little sister was fostered elsewhere.”

“They separated you?” My jaw practically unhinges. Neither fostering or separating siblings is mentioned in any text I’ve read about the rebellion, and I’ve read a ton.

We know from a handful of references, including on page 307, that at Basgiath, first year Riders aren’t allowed to even exchange letters with family or friends for an entire year.

Also, we learn the powers that be are censoring information during battle briefs. On page 255, Violet and Liam read a scroll about an attack on Sumerton that’s going to Professor Markham, but at Battle Brief, on page 260 Markham says, “The front lines are relatively quiet today, so we’re going to take this opportunity to dissect the Battle of Gianfar,” leaving Violet and Liam puzzled. 

Then we have the scrubbing of texts from the archives, which we pick up on from page 210, when Violet has Jeninia look for the The Fables of the Barren.

[Jesinia] signs, “I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t find that book. I even searched the catalog for wyverns—I think that’s what you said—but there’s nothing.”

I stare for a second. Our Archives have either a copy or the original of almost every book in Navarre. Only ultrarare or forbidden tomes are excluded. When did folklore become either of those? Though, come to think of it, I never came across anything like The Fables of the Barren on the shelves while I was studying to become a scribe. Chimera? Yes. Kraken? Sure. But wyvern or the venin that create them? None. Bizarre.

On page 391, Violet finds the note her dad left for her, which says:

Remember that folklore is passed from one generation to the next to teach us about our past. If we lose it, we lose the links to our past. It only takes one desperate generation to change history—even erase it.

On page 392, we have this exchange about her Dad’s letter:

“What do you think he was trying to tell you?” Xaden asks.

“I don’t know. Every fable in this book is about how too much power corrupts, so maybe he felt someone in leadership was corrupt.” I glance up at Xaden and joke, “I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if General Melgren ripped a mask off one day and revealed he was a terrifying venin.”

(Pause to let everyone who’s read the book question whether that’s foreshadowing, especially when we consider what Melgren’s dragon did to protect the marked ones from Melgren.)

October 2023, Rebecca Yarros spoke about her opposition to censorship at The Kennedy Center. Mentioning the place isn’t about self promotion. It’s making it clear that she’s willing to assert her beliefs in front of political leaders. That’s standing up for one’s beliefs, and The Empyrean series represents those beliefs.

In Fourth Wing, we have one of the sharpest political commentaries in years, a theme I expect to expand over the series. The commentary is deftly woven into an action-packed, entertaining novel that’s accessible to a wide readership. Consequently, this book has the potential to get a lot of people thinking about the significant topics it references, topics that are relevant today. Hence my assertion this is one of the most important books in years. 

Every now and again, my instincts kick in and tell me there’s something deeper going on with a story. When I interviewed Laura Lippman, I asked about her foot injury because of what I read in To The Power of Three. When I interviewed Simon Kernick, I asked about his near death experience after reading The Murder Exchange (though he made me wait to read the answer in a national newspaper a few weeks later). Fourth Wing had that same effect on me, and made me feel it was laying the groundwork for both political and religious commentary that will be part of the foundation of the series. While I don’t interview often these days, my list of questions go far beyond my smartass sex questions about Rhiannon’s signet in the bedroom. What I really want to know about centers on the military, leadership, and censorship.

Video format:

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Closing Note:

I will touch on the religious commentary when I talk about Dain, although my suspicion is that Violet’s arc in Iron Flame will also represent deprogramming from religious indoctrination. I may expand on the leadership corruption after Iron Flame.