Margot Robbie reportedly met up with Sarah J. Maas for a recent lunch. Normally two successful women meeting up wouldn’t be news, but speculation over the two teaming up for an ACOTAR adaptation is running rampant. 

Robbie’s been on a producing roll lately; her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, has been behind some of the best movies and TV (Dollface, Barbie, Saltburn) in recent years. And while LuckyChap has tackled several genres, it has yet to produce anything fantasy. ACOTAR — also known by its full name, A Court of Thorns and Roses — is a perfect candidate for a live-action series. It has faeries, magic, romance, action, and political intrigue. What more could a viewer ask for? 

Is Margot Robbie producing a series for Sarah J. Maas?

As of now, we have no idea if Robbie is working on the ACOTAR series but we sure hope she is. What we do know is that an ACOTAR series is definitely in the works, or at least it was as of Nov. 2023. Showrunner Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander) was last said to be working on a series with Hulu but that’s where our intel stops. 

It’s very possible Robbie’s interested in ACOTAR, but may I remind you, dear reader, that Maas has other books primed and ready for a live-action adaptation? Like, Throne of Glass, is right there, Robbie! Make it happen! Regardless of whether it was a business meeting or two fans meeting to gush over each other’s work, I hope to see more great work from Luckychap Entertainment and Maas in the future.

Hollywood has adapted renowned author Cormac McCarthy’s work multiple times, so many readers hope to see Blood Meridian get the same treatment. After all, most fans consider Blood Meridian to be McCarthy’s defining novel, with plenty of cinematic potential.

True, Blood Meridian takes an unusually candid look at violence. It is also a sprawling epic, longer than McCarthy’s other popular novels. However, there is no denying the remarkable impact and lasting goodwill of No Country For Old Men.

That adaptation released in 2007 to widespread acclaim, earning multiple wins at the Oscars. It’s still considered one of the best thrillers of its time. Blood Meridian is an equally thoughtful western, though translating it into a movie could be challenging.

Is Blood Meridian getting adapted into a movie?

According to a report by Variety, seasoned writer John Logan is attached to adapt Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian into a feature film. Logan is credited with writing the screenplay for many hit movies, dating back to the ’90s.

This includes a wide range of genres from Ridley Scott’s Gladiator to the 007 franchise standout Skyfall. Logan’s flexibility and previous character-driven thrills suggest they could adapt Blood Meridian without losing its essence or altering too much.

Variety also confirmed that John Hillcoat will direct and produce the new Blood Meridian movie, alongside producer Keith Redmon for New Regency. Hillcoat previously directed The Road, which was also based on a Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name.

The Road released in 2009, just a couple of years after No Country For Old Men. But it still struggled at the box office despite decent reviews from critics and audiences. The post-apocalyptic story may have been too bleak for casual moviegoers compared to the cat-and-mouse thrills of No Country For Old Men.

Blood Meridian might prove equally tricky to adapt to film, almost akin to something like Dune. But Hillcoat is already familiar with translating McCarthy’s work to film, which should prove useful.

Actor, producer, and director James Franco also previously planned to adapt Blood Meridian into a movie over a decade ago in 2011. Instead, Franco directed an adaptation of Child of God, a different Cormac McCarthy novel.

Is there a release date for John Logan’s Blood Meridian?

At this time, New Regency did not confirm a release date or window for the Blood Meridian film adaptation from John Logan and John Hillcoat. Since the company only just announced a writer and director, fans will have to wait a while for anything concrete.

Blood Meridian is also hefty and sophisticated, so production could potentially take longer than usual. Both No Country For Old Men and The Road released during November, so Blood Meridian might follow suit.

Sarah J. Maas’ high-fantasy book series A Court of Thorns and Roses is a hit on BookTok, but is becoming better known by for its steamy scenes than its plot. Yes, there’s plenty of “spice” if you’re into that, but let’s not discount the great world and characters Maas has built. 

Not every book in the ACOTAR series is equal in quality, but the world-building and characters remain just as interesting throughout. Take the Faerie realm Prythian for example: directly north of the Mortal Lands Feyre once called home, Prythian is separated into seven distinct courts. There are four seasonal courts (Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring) and three solar courts (Day, Night, and Dawn). Each has its own rich history, culture, complex political climates, and of course, High Lord. 

The High Lord (and High Lady, in the Night Court) is the ruler of their respective court and is typically the most powerful High Fae in the region. Like a traditional monarchy, the position is passed down through the High Lord’s male bloodline but the first-born son won’t necessarily inherit the title, but the strongest. Naturally, this leads to a lot of competition and back-stabbing among the High Lord’s sons as they try to prove their worth — or eliminate the others. 

The current High Lords are a tough bunch but that doesn’t mean they’re evenly matched. Even out of the most powerful High Fae, one High Lord reigns supreme as the strongest. Here are all 7 high lords, ranked by strength. 

7. Tarquin

Tarquin is the High Lord of the Summer Court and the youngest of the current High Lords. He’s not weak by any means but his youth does mean he’s a little less experienced than the others, especially as he became High Lord while living Under the Mountain. Like the rest of the High Fae, his powers were limited while Amarantha was in control. Tarquin only gained his full abilities since Feyre defeated Amarantha, which is probably why Hybern invaded the Summer Court relatively easily. Give him a few decades and Tarquin will be up there with the best of them.

6. Kalias

We don’t know a lot about Kalias, the High Lord of the Winter Court. He has the ability to create and manipulate ice, a power he’s given to Feyre. He helped protect his court during the war, so we do know he can hold his own in a fight. With so little to go off on, he’s not an easy one to rank. 

5. Thesan

Thesan is the High Lord of the Dawn Court and has the ability to heal others. It might not be very flashy, but healing is no joke; ask any Dungeons & Dragons players without a cleric in their campaign. 

4. Beron

As much as we hate him, Beron, the High Lord of the Autumn Court, is likely a very powerful High Lord. He’s long-lived despite fathering several sons who’d love to usurp his throne and he’s made enemies in basically every court; he has to have a lot of power to back up all that audacity.

3. Helion

Helion, the High Lord of the Day Court, is definitely one of the strongest High Lords in ACOTAR. His power is a healing light that can also break through enchantments and magic wards. Having both offensive and defensive power gives him an edge over his fellow High Lords. 

We also know his beast form is described as the light version of Rhysand’s so it’s got to be incredibly strong. If all that wasn’t enough, the Day Court is also home to thousands of libraries documenting Prythian knowledge for centuries. This dude knows things.

2. Tamlin 

I know, I know; we hate Tamlin. That doesn’t mean the High Lord of the Spring Court isn’t super powerful. He could even rival the top spot if he had some discipline and truly worked to understand his powers. For now, just his raw strength alone has him coming in at number two on this list. 

Rhysand once said a fight between him and Tamlin would prove particularly destructive, and I believe him. Tamlin might be a mess but a weakling, he isn’t.

1. Rhysand

Was there any doubt? Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, is frequently described as the most powerful High Lord in all of history, which is saying something. He rules over not one but two courts and he’s half-High Fae and half-Ilyrian, a Fae race known for their strength. Rhysand’s almost comically powerful (he can reduce enemies into a cloud of bloody mist by just looking at them) and he’s a trained warrior.

He’s on another level compared to the other High Lords but we think Feyre could compete for the title if we extend the list to High Ladies…

Trailers for the upcoming thriller The Watchers smartly kept the threats a mystery, so fans might be interested in answers if the film is based on a book. There’s a lot of hype surrounding the film, which releases on June 14, 2024.

Ishana Night Shyamalan directed The Watchers, and she is already a proven writer after working on Servant. Even horror icon Stephen King endorsed the show in 2021, calling it creepy and bingeworthy.

Ishana Shyamalan’s father is also veteran director M. Night Shyamalan, who is known for regularly writing his own material. So, many casual viewers might expect Ishana Shyamalan to continue that tradition and write her own material too.

Is The Watchers movie based on a book?

The latest trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures makes it clear that The Watchers is based on a novel of the same name by A.M. Shine. The main poster used for marketing the film also mentions author A.M. Shine, although the poster still says the film was written and directed by Ishana Shyamalan. This likely created some confusion among fans.

The Watchers’ new trailer, released on April 22, clearly states the film was written for the screen by Ishana Shyamalan. However, this also suggests that the film adaptation could potentially make some noticeable changes.

The Watchers is about a young artist who becomes trapped with strangers in a mysterious forest, where terrifying creatures threaten anyone outside of their bunker. The movie features an all-star cast, including Dakota Fanning as the main character Mina, Barbarian standout Georgina Campbell, and more.

Will The Watchers movie make any changes to the book?

A.M. Shine’s original book The Watchers released in 2022 to strong reviews. So, Ishana Shyamalan may not alter anything especially important. Trailers for The Watchers film remain secretive, only teasing the basic premise. As a result, the movie adaptation mostly resembles the source material thus far.

The novel’s iconic twists don’t need to be changed to fit the implied tone of the film. The cultural sincerity, survival elements, and thoughtful turns are already very accessible. The book also featured a relatively small cast of characters.

So, like most film adaptations, fans can probably expect the movie to simply condense some minor plot points for runtime. However, M. Night Shyamalan is known for his ability to surprise audiences, as seen in trailers for his promising new film coming this year, Trap. The Watchers novel also enjoyed subverting expectations.

It’s possible that Ishana Shyamalan might aim to create some original twists, so that even readers won’t be prepared for the film. In a post on Twitter, author A.M. Shine congratulated the filmmakers. Regardless of any potential changes, Shine regularly shows support for the adaptation.

If like so many people in the fantasy community, you just can’t get enough of Sarah J. Maas and her Court of Thorns and Roses series, and you already find the wait for the next book excruciating, then reading the bonus chapters might be the only way to alleviate that drought for the time being.

Taking place in a fictional world where the faerie folk are not just real but live in an alternate world of their own, A Court of Thorns and Roses mostly revolves around a heroine named Feyre Archeron, who gets swept into this magical realm of danger and intrigue and fights for survival.

A Court of Thorns and Roses has gained a lot of acclaim over the years because of its snappy prose, great characterization, and compelling romantic affairs. J. Maas has written five books in the series, including the eponymous A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, a novella titled A Court of Frost and Starlight, and the spinoff A Court of Silver Flames.

An upcoming sixth novel is in the works, with an unspecified release date that puts it anywhere between 2024 to late-2025, so fans are naturally impatient to get another taste of Prythian and its colorful characters. Well, if you’ve read all the books, there’s nothing for it but to wait. That is, barring the bonus chapters that expand the plot of certain characters. Here’s what they’re about and where you can find them.

A Court of Thorns and Roses bonus chapters, explained

Different editions of A Court of Thorns and Roses series may include these bonus chapters, but getting your hands on them can prove tricky, especially if your local bookstore only sells the older editions. Besides, there aren’t many of them, so even if you insist on reading them, buying another version just for those extra pages may not be prudent.

That’s where the internet once again comes to the rescue. According to the online ACOTAR community, Sarah J. Maas has only released three bonus chapters to date. One of these revolves around Azriel and has become a hot topic of conversation in the fandom. (You’ll know why when you read it.) Another one features Nesta and Cassian from A Court of Mist and Fury, while the last one depicts Feyre and Rhysand in A Court of Silver Flames.

You can find all three of them through this Reddit thread.

Diana Gabaldon has not only gifted us with a book series and a TV show, but through Outlander, she has also introduced us to interdimensional love intertwined with time travel, history, and Scottish folklore. What’s not to love? Well, perhaps the wait between books.

When you consider the gap between the Outlander novels, it suddenly makes perfect sense why George R.R. Martin is one of the editors of this book series. Between books 8 and 9 alone seven years passed. Of course, that’s not enough to rival Game of Thrones‘ 13-year hiatus, but it’s long enough time to leave readers parched.

On that note, if you’re a fan of the Outlander series, you probably know that the show only has two more seasons left. Does this mean that Outlander the show will conclude before the book series, and is there a tenth book already out there?

How many Outlander books are there?

There are nine Outlander books, and as of now, book 10 has not yet been released. However, Gabaldon has confirmed that she is currently working on the novel that will follow Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone, but according to the author, it remains untitled.

We also cannot be certain whether the series will take a creative approach to conclude Jamie and Claire’s story. Gabaldon works closely with the writers of Starz’ Outlander adaptation, and they might have the best approach to the final season by proxy — even if we readers are still in the dark about what lies ahead.

That being said, Gabaldon is known for running her blog, where she often creates posts to update fans on the progress of her novel. On one of the web pages, the author touched briefly on whether Book 10 will be the last one of the Outlander series. “Book Ten might be the last of my Outlander novels which feature Jamie Fraser and Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser,” she wrote. “Or it may not! I don’t know yet but will be sure to let you know when I do.” Well, that’s crystal clear…

For now, you can keep up with some of the quotes and excerpts from the unreleased Book 10 on Gabaldon’s website, and soon enough — November 2024 to be exact — we’ll also get Outlander season 7 on screen.

Sarah J. Maas is currently writing the hotly anticipated next book in A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but is there a release window?

Fans of Feyre Archeron have been waiting on this next chapter for years now. The last book in the series, A Court of Silver Flames, mostly revolved around Feyre’s sister Nesta, and drummed out our heroine from her lead role to a supporting character. Now, the ACOTAR fandom is expecting J. Maas to go back to Feyre and Rhys, who are currently ruling over the Night Court after the initial conflict for Prythian ended. 

There are even whispers of a name for this anticipated sequel. A Court of Bloom and Decay they’re calling it, even though there’s zero evidence from J. Maas and her editors to confirm it. In fact, we’ve already discussed the possibility of A Court of Bloom and Decay at length in another article. So when we refer to the next book as Bloom and Decay, note that it’s just a placeholder for the real title, whatever it turns out to be. 

Back to the question at hand: When is the next Court of Thorns and Roses novel coming out? And will it once again bring Feyre to the fore as the main protagonist?

Is there a release date for the next ACOTAR book?

While you might think that A Court of Thorns and Roses is the hottest IP in Sarah J. Maas’ extensive bibliography — at least going by sheer popularity alone — the author is keeping herself busy with a number of other projects. The last time we heard about J. Maas’ upcoming line-up of books, Bloomsbury had reported the existence of seven upcoming projects from the Queen of Romantasy. 

Her latest novel was House of Flame and Shadow, which continued to chronicle the Crescent City saga. There was even an overlap with the Prythian universe, as one of the protagonists in House of Flame and Shadow ended up in the world of faeries. Call it the fantasy’s most unexpected crossover, if you will.

But look, while these are all exciting for this developing Sarah J. Maas multiverse, we can’t help but keep going back to Feyre, Rhys, and Tamlin.

In a recent interview, the best-selling novelist confirmed that her next book following House of Flame and Shadow will definitely be from ACOTAR.

“I’m very, very excited about that one,” Maas said. “I know much more about what’s happening in this one. And then the next book in that series, I have the ideas and general, vague thoughts. But the nitty-gritty of writing and the emotional journeys with the characters — I usually love to go on those journeys with them.”

As for when that book will come out, your guess is as good as ours. Since Flame and Shadow just came out, though, we’d put the next ACOTAR book anywhere between 2025 and 2026 at the earliest.

There is a lot of hype surrounding Sarah J. Maas’ planned sequels to A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but do we know the title of the next book, and where are all these rumors about A Court of Bloom and Decay coming from? 

Ever since the end of the Prythian war in A Court of Wings and Ruin, and the not-so-well-received spinoff A Court of Frost and Starlight, fans have been patiently waiting for the next chapter in Feyre’s story. 

Even 2021’s A Court of Silver Flames took the story down an unexpected path and revolved around our heroine’s sister, Nesta. And though we all loved Silver Flames for its daring stride in the narrative and characterization departments — not to mention the sheer amount of spicy content — it’s high time J. Maas returned to Feyre and Tamling’s story proper. Here’s everything we know about the planned ACOTAR sequel.

Is there an ACOTAR sequel called A Court of Bloom and Decay?

There have been a lot of rumors swirling around on the internet lately about the next book in the Court saga. A Facebook post even leaked a cover that revealed the title of the sequel as A Court of Bloom and Decay.

Alas, though that name makes sense in the context of the Court universe and might very well be a working title for J. Maas, it seems that A Court of Bloom and Decay isn’t actually a thing. The original poster even released an update saying that this was a “horrible April Fools’ joke” that the fandom fell for.

We know that Sarah J. Maas had multiple novels in the pipeline as part of her contract with Bloomsbury Publishing, and that contract was recently expanded to include a whopping seven book releases in the future, so even barring the new Crescent City series, there are bound to be more books in the Court saga.

The initial conflict for Prythian may have ended in Wings and Ruin, but the fictional world of devilishly handsome faeries still has a lot of potential for expansion. For one thing, our protagonists could start on new character arcs, ones that may end in a more satisfying manner than the original trilogy could indulge. And for another, there are still threats to be addressed in Prythian, or else Rhysand wouldn’t have gone out of his way to keep Tamlin close despite all the things that went down between them.

At any rate, we’ll be sure to keep you updated if we learn anything about Sarah J. Maas’ next A Court of Thorns and Roses novel.

There was no greater time to be a fan of popular young adult genre fiction than in the early-to-mid 2010s, when the likes of Twilight and The Hunger Games were making mincemeat of the box office with four films apiece, and Hollywood executives had dollar signs twinkling in their eyes whenever they heard the word “dystopian,” “vampire,” or “love triangle.”

Late to this party, however, were the Maze Runner films, which currently consists of a trio of movies based on James Dashner’s sci-fi novels of the same name, adapting the first, second, and third books in the series in the form of The Maze Runner, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, and Maze Runner: The Death Cure, respectively.

Falling somewhere between the high-flying Hunger Games movies and the almost universally detested Twilight films in terms of quality, the Maze Runner franchise still proved to be a heavy hitter at the box office between 2014 and 2018, and with Disney having announced about five years ago now that the film series would continue, one has to wonder if that window is still open in a post-Covid world.

Indeed, what’s the word on Maze Runner 4?

Is there a Maze Runner 4 release date?

At the time of writing, there is no release date for the fourth Maze Runner movie, largely due to the fact that there’s not much in the way of evidence for such a film’s existence in any capacity.

If it ever does come along, however, it could take the form of an adaptation of The Kill Order, a prequel novel set 13 years before the events of the original Maze Runner book, detailing how the world of the canon came to be (specifically, the cosmic event that ravaged humanity and paved the way for the events of the original trilogy).

Another likely possibility is branching off into The Maze Cutter spinoff trilogy; a story focused on Glader descendants set 73 years after The Death Cure. Given the book’s publication in 2022, that adaptation would arguably be the wiser move as it’s likely fresher in the minds of readers at the moment.

All Maze Runner movies are currently available to stream on Disney Plus.

Earlier today, Salman Rushdie, one of the most lauded novelists of our time, released his latest title in the form of a memoir titled Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder. The attempted murder in question, of course, was the one made against him back in the summer of 2022.

The attack took place prior to a lecture that Rushdie was scheduled to give at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, where he was stabbed multiple times by then-24-year-old Islamic extremist Hadi Matar.

The attack’s roots can be traced back to 1988, the year that Rushdie published his magic realism novel The Satanic Verses, the title of which directly references said verses found in the Quran. For this, then-Supreme Leader of Iran Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa (a legal ruling specifically in the context of sharia law) against Rushdie, putting a $3 million bounty on his head and calling for his assassination.

The decade that followed would lead to Rushdie living a heavily-guarded life in the United Kingdom, rife with many other assassination attempts and a surplus of police protection. The state of Iran walked back the ruling in 1998, but attempts on his life still continued, as a fatwa cannot be fully revoked under Shia Islamic tradition. Other deadly conflicts, such as bombings by Islamic extremists and assassination attempts against other figures involved with the book (such as Japanese translator Hitoshi Igarashi, who didn’t survive the attempt on his life), had also occurred in that time.

Rushdie then moved to New York in the early 2000s, where he lived a much safer life and continued on with his illustrious writing career. The ghosts of that fateful fatwa returned in 2022, however, in the form of the aforementioned stabbing attack carried out by Matar, who stated that despite only having read a few pages of The Satanic Verses, he attacked Rushdie over the writer’s criticisms of Islam.

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder is now available for purchase everywhere.

Finding someone with beef with Donald Trump is like finding a day that ends with “Y.” What’s harder is finding dissenters against his wife, Melania Trump. The Slovenian-American is regularly praised by the right for her class, but detractors have asserted that a woman like that doesn’t end up with that kind of man unless she’s a willing participant.  

No one is willing to say it louder than her former friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff who says that “she and he are one in the same,” and she wants everyone to know just how morally bankrupt the former first family is.

Melania Trump and Stephanie Wilson Wolkoff’s friendship

Winston Wolkoff has an impressive resume. She got her start as a lobbyist for Sotheby’s, a fine art brokerage based in the U.K. before going on to work for concert promoter Ron Delsner. By 1996 and was the public relations manager for Vogue magazine, where she organized massive events like the Met Gala and VH1 Fashion Week.

Her forays into the fashion world allowed her to rub shoulders with plenty of New York’s elite, including Melania Knauss, who was only dating the mogul when the pair met.  The women became fast friends. They had monthly luncheons to keep up with one another.  Winston Wolkoff came to Barron’s baby shower; Melania Trump attended Winston Wolkoff’s 40th birthday blowout, and the pair met. Winston Wolkoff has even claimed that Trump was like “the sister [she] never had.”

Other Trump insiders have claimed that the relationship was “overstated,” and that Wolkoff abused Trump’s trust.

Even so, Winston Wolkoff revealed that the former First Lady was constantly asking for favors, and that she “repeatedly referred to one of Ms. Winston Wolkoff’s sons by the wrong name.” Wolkoff regularly came to Trump’s defense and answered the call for favors, no matter how ludicrous they might have been. She even wrote a letter of recommendation for Trump’s sister to help her obtain her visa. Despite never having met the girl, she did it.

Wolkoff described Trump as sweet, someone who didn’t care what others thought of her, and steady as a rock. Those positive qualities would soon appear in a different light.

Why did Stephanie Wolkoff and Melania Trump stop being friends?

When Trump took the presidency in 2016, Winston Wolkoff’s event-planning skills were indispensable during the lead-up to the 2017 inauguration, for which she was a key event coordinator. She was named as senior adviser to First Lady Trump – with the caveat that she was completely unpaid for her labor.

In her book, Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, Wolkoff describes her work as part protector, part shadow chief of staff, and part friend/mentor. Her role required an NDA — and that gag order came back to haunt her when she was accused of financial crimes, much like many of Trump’s since-indicted criminal underlings.  

Winston Wolkoff’s nebulous, unpaid job was suddenly the center of scrutiny. People were unfamiliar with what exactly she did for the First Lady, and every decision surrounding the inauguration seemed to be traceable to only the former Fashion Director. The NDA prevented her from explaining herself, which Winston Wolkoff says made her the perfect scapegoat.

Their relationship began to unravel, and Winston Wolkoff, seeing the writing on the wall, began recording their interactions. She begged Trump to explain the finances, and though Trump wanted to remain friends after the whole ordeal, she refused to speak to the allegations. Despite Trump’s silence, Wolkoff remained in contact with her, all the while building her lengthy dossier of conversations.

When her work was done, Wolkoff compiled her information, none of which was still constrained by her NDA after she answered several subpoenas, and wrote Melania and Me, which she even dedicated to her former friend. Winston Wolkoff went from defending Trump to lambasting her thusly: “Her selfishness is so deep, it enables her to keep her distance from the rest of the world.”

Could it be that the steady, sweet, and self-confident woman was actually unempathetic, self-absorbed, and only using others as a means to an end? It doesn’t seem like a stretch to those of us who pay attention to her abomination of a husband.

The NDA might prevent her from ever talking about ever piece of the drama within the Trump White House, but recorded conversations — a move Donald Trump’s former “fixer,” attorney Michael Cohen, used as well – prove she was at least partially a victim of the former First Lady’s apathy. The book serves as a way for Winston Wolkoff to save her reputation — not only from the criminal charges, but from the elite she has brushed shoulders with for years.

More importantly for those of us looking in, the anecdotes and word-for-word transcripts provide some insight into the kind of woman willing to marry a living garbage bag for some sense of security.

Widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, William Shakespeare is still a celebrated figure in literary circles, if not often cited as an inspiration for every burgeoning scribe out there.

The Bard of Avon is credited with some of the most elaborate and era-defining plays in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Most, if not all, of current drama and tragedy is derived from works like Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Henry V, Julius Caesar, and Coriolanus, but theatre is not the only place where Shakespeare has staked his artistic claim. 

The playwright also published a collection of sonnets, mostly in the form popularized by Sir Thomas Wyatt, the politician poet who introduced sonnets to the English language in the early 16th century. These sonnets work to highlight Shakespeare’s genius wordplay even beyond the bounds of his dramatic work. Perhaps the best way to do them justice would be to pray beg the Bard himself for help; “For we, which now behold these present days, Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise.”

Here’s a breakdown of the sonnets attributed to Shakespeare and why they remain a significant part of English poetry all these centuries later.

What is a sonnet and why are Shakespeare’s sonnets significant?

The sonnet is believed to have been invented under the rule of Frederick II, King of Sicily, King of Italy, and Holy Roman Emperor in the 13th century. The Italian poet Giacomo da Lentini, who was the headmaster of the Sicilian School at the time, came up with the form and progressively perfected it until a “sonnet” (from the Italian word sonetto, meaning “little song”) came to mean a poem consisting of 14 lines with a strict rhyme scheme.

It is only a testament to the sonnet’s incredible thematic flexibility that it has survived in its original form throughout history. While many poets have experimented with the form to create different meters, Shakespeare mostly wrote in the traditional iambic pentameter, not only because of its natural rhythm, but because of the way it can be so expressive in so short a stride. But that’s not the only thing setting Shakespeare apart from his contemporaries. The sonnet initially worked as a worshipful verse attributed to a feminine goddess, but Shakespeare reinvested the sonnet in the conceptual sense and introduced his own philosophies to it, which mostly revolved around the figure referred to as the “Fair Youth.”

Here’s an example of the Shakespearean sonnet not only reflecting love, but also bringing other themes to the fore:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.
    So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

The main body of Shakespeare’s sonnets refers to the 154 sonnets published in a quarto in 1609, but if we take the additional 6 sonnets in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Romeo and Juliet, and Henry V, it would take the total number of his published sonnets to 160. There is also a partial sonnet in Edward III, taken from the 1609 collection’s 94th sonnet, “They That Have Power to Hurt and Will Do None.”

Even after several centuries, Shakespeare’s sonnets continue to invoke universal truths and describe themes like love, mortality, and all the other complexities of the human spirit. The emotional depth of these sonnets is, in my personal opinion, unmatched in the Western canon, and continues to amaze literature buffs and linguists to this day.

What remains, then, but the heedless joy, to open now the Bard’s quarto and breathe deep the product of his literary toil? “O, learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit.”