Customer Reviews

The King in Yellow

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robert W. Chambers' "The King in Yellow" is a book within a book. Or, more properly, it's a collection of macabre short stories with a common theme; a fictional two-act play that brings decadence, hallucinations, and madness to any reader.

The stories within this collection, published in 1895, are set in a fictional militaristic 1920s in both the USA and Europe. The tales stand free of each other, and are told from a number of different perspectives, by socialites, soldiers, and artists. Each tells how the lives of the narrator and colleagues have been affected by reading "The King in Yellow", a controversial play that has been denounced by the church and suppressed by governments. After coming into contact with it, their lives are tragically affected. Some find themselves hounded by shadowy agents, while others become confused and delusional. Others are driven to act out the play's sad and decadent events, while some simply go insane.

The substance of the play itself is only alluded to, or hinted at in brief extracts. It is clearly a tragedy, but the motivations and actions of its central characters, including the mysterious King in Yellow himself, are not clear. Like many authors of macabre tales, Chambers was content for our imaginations to do the work, and this book is more powerful for it.

(And by the way, if the central theme of a forbidden book that induces insanity is familiar to you, you've probably read some of the Mythos tales of H.P.Lovecraft. In fact, I doubt that too many people come to read "The King in Yellow" by any other route; Chambers' book is clearly stated as a strong influence on Lovecraft's work.)

To be honest, I was shocked to find myself reading a book that was over a HUNDRED years old, an activity I had assumed was reserved for crusty academics and lovers of classical literature. But, more pointedly, I was surprised to find that "The King in Yellow" is a highly readable volume, full of entertaining, colourful and disturbi! ng tales with a very modern feel to them.

The only downside I found was that the final few stories lose the central theme. I found myself wondering if these thinner, romantic tales, were more representative of Chambers' other work, and were, in effect, "fillers". But perhaps I missed the point? It is only this that stops me from awarding five stars to this impressive book.

Overall, if you've had a bellyful of today's crop of relentless gore and explicit sexuality, take a literary Alka Seltzer by checking out the "King in Yellow".

It's a classic, and I'm not talking Jane Austen.

Most of the other reviews here rightly criticize
the syrupy romance of Chambers and the thin
character development in this book. They also
entirely miss the point. This book was published
in 1895, and between Poe and Ambrose Bierce the
literature of fantasy and the macabre had not
developed greatly. This book should simply be
enjoyed for what it is -- a flawed book with
some rather sinister and chilling stories.

A better purchase would be "The King In Yellow And
Other Stories," which collect this and other works.

The King in Yellow is a group of thinly connected short stories all dealing with the effect of a two act play titled "The King in Yellow". The play will show up in the lives and libraries of the victums as if it has a dark soul and will of its own.

All that find this work are blasted in a horrific cosmic game of tag that is some of the darkest fiction in weird literature.

Published in 1895 by a young art student who wrote most of it while living in Paris, the King in Yellow and the early work of Robert W. Chambers were an influence on the work H. P. Lovecraft. Some feel that The King in Yellow is the source of the Necronomicon.

For more information on the work of Robert W. Chambers see: www.ioc.net/~larryloc/yking001.html

Larry Loc

Each time a reader reads this book, he or she is actually reading the same book spoken of in the text, the reading of which will drive the reader mad - case in point, the only passages that we are allowed to glimpse from the legendary "King In Yellow" within the stories are the same passages that appear in the actual copy one is reading at the time. For all of you who have seen the film "The Ring", think of it as a videotaped "King In Yellow" - beware the Yellow Sign, lest your reputation become beyond repair!

The King In Yellow is not what I expected; the horror more subtle, the portraits of old Paris more sensitive, and neither set of stories particularly worn for their age.

It is clear to see the connection between the first and the contributions of Lovecraft and King, but I wonder particularly about the inspiration behind one of the latter, "The Prophets' Paradise", and who may have picked up _that_ thread of literature in the intervening years.

Were it not for the board game Arkham Horror, I would never have heard of The King in Yellow. Tantalized by its concept - a play that drives anyone who reads it insane - and encouraged by the knowledge that H. P. Lovecraft had read it, I dove eagerly into the book. I am pleased to report that it did not drive me mad.

The King in Yellow is a collection of ten loosely connected short stories - the first few reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe with a distinct focus on the King in Yellow, his yellow sign, and his play; the remainder more romantic, less macabre, and sharing only a common character or setting with the stories preceding. At times the work has an engaging and modern feel; at others one is reminded of bad English novels and bored children listening to ghost stories by a campfire. Still, I found the overall experience enjoyable.

Because of its disjointed nature, it is hard to recommend this book to anyone - it simply has no target audience! Completist fans of the Cthulhu Mythos should definitely give it a read but horror enthusiasts may be disappointed.

many fans of the work of robert w. chambers insist that "the king in yellow" is an actual book, the existence of which can only be taken on faith. while i am naturally skeptical about this, as i am about the "necronomicon", i find the soul crushing ambiance of cosmic doom and impending insanity far superior to many of the famed tales of lovecraft. "the repairer of reputations" is to my mind ranked with m.r. james "casting of the runes" and "the shadow over innsmouth". whether he was writing about a real book or not, chambers obviously had something weighing on his mind. creepy as hell.

I read this book months ago and am still occasionally creeped out by the thought of The King in Yellow. A very well written and subtly creepy set of stories (though not all are "horror" stories) I cannot recommend it enough.

The King in Yellow is a typical anthology horror, in that some of the stories work, and some don't. Its generally worth picking up for the better half of its tales, and also one for Lovecraft enthusiasts, as the Yellow Sign has come to be incorporated into the Cthulhu mythos by later writers, and is now featured in the various Cthulhu board and card games, etc.

However, this edition leaves something to be desired. Its cheaply printed, and full of typos and formatting errors. I'd recommend finding a better edition before purchasing.

As the title suggests I have been waiting for this book for a good while and I have finally found it here at Amazon. Since many of the hardcovers are out of print "The King in Yellow" is hard to come by. However some publishers have carried on printing hardcovers and this one is very nice. It has a library binding which means they added a lot of reinforcing stiching to strengthen it and make it easier to read as well. Needless to say they did a good job! I just love the subtle horror of the stories. I almost wish the terrible fictional book of the same name as this one existed.