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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My god it should be illegal for people to write short stories unless they have proven they can do it. Unbearably dull
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
unique stories (5 stars)
however tales after The demoiselle d'ys are
however tales after The demoiselle d'ys are
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
read this in one sitting while tanning… picked this up because it was what directly influenced True Detective and Rustin Spencer Cohle is the love of my life.
The first four short stories, the ones that actually reference the eponymous in-universe play, are awesome. Their influence on Lovecraft and his particular brand of cosmic horror is clear. The rest of the stories are... really French? All supernatural elements get dropped for the last five short stories and they're all just bohemian love stories, which are good enough, but really not what I was expecting after the first four.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Life is too short to read a book that doesn’t go anywhere
The King in Yellow is a great concept. Chambers wrote a few short stories that all featured references to a mysterious piece of literature called "The King in Yellow." It's usually referred to by fans as a play, but I forget if it's explicitly called that in any of Chambers' stories. It's not important though. What's important is that the second act of the piece drives the reader insane. And the five stories featuring it (to various levels) all make a cool, shared Yellowverse.
Chambers is great at creating a sense of unease around the (I'm just gonna call it a) play. The first story, "The Repairer of Reputations," is written from the point of view of someone who's read the play. He seems fine at first, but his sanity becomes more and more questionable as the story progresses. Other stories are less overt, but they still contain a sense of dread with the play lurking in the background as a possible cause. At least for those first five tales in the collection.
The sixth thing collected is itself a collection of short poems that could themselves actually be excerpts from the play. But after that follow four more stories that don't contain any reference to the play or even any supernatural elements at all. They're social dramas with romantic subplots.
They do take place in a Parisian artist community much like the "King in Yellow" stories do, so there's a similarity of tone. I assume that's why they're grouped with the others. And they're well-written. I enjoyed them as their own thing. They just aren't definitively connected to the "King in Yellow" world and I question their inclusion in the collection. As do many other King in Yellow readers.
Chambers is great at creating a sense of unease around the (I'm just gonna call it a) play. The first story, "The Repairer of Reputations," is written from the point of view of someone who's read the play. He seems fine at first, but his sanity becomes more and more questionable as the story progresses. Other stories are less overt, but they still contain a sense of dread with the play lurking in the background as a possible cause. At least for those first five tales in the collection.
The sixth thing collected is itself a collection of short poems that could themselves actually be excerpts from the play. But after that follow four more stories that don't contain any reference to the play or even any supernatural elements at all. They're social dramas with romantic subplots.
They do take place in a Parisian artist community much like the "King in Yellow" stories do, so there's a similarity of tone. I assume that's why they're grouped with the others. And they're well-written. I enjoyed them as their own thing. They just aren't definitively connected to the "King in Yellow" world and I question their inclusion in the collection. As do many other King in Yellow readers.