Reviews - The King in Yellow

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1.53k reviews for:

The King in Yellow

Robert W. Chambers

3.43 AVERAGE

hurdy42's review

3.0

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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

It is extremely weird that one of the seminal works of cosmic horror is mostly a collection of bohemian romance stories. Chambers is a better writer than Lovecraft, his stories more varied and his horror more subtle, but I expected more based on this book's prominence. Maybe things change in Act II?

mrs_digriz's review against another edition

4.0

Лавкрафт занудний, ви знали? Так, творець непередаваного неосяжного жаху. Але пише він занудно. Чемберс виявився краще. Його жах не настільки всеохопний, але про Гастура все одно всі чулі, міфологія також тягнеться в далеке минуле, і в порівнянні читати якось бадьоріше виходило.

Приємно вражена влучними ідеями, коротким метром і флером Єйтса. Прикро знати, що цей всесвіт Чемберс швидко закинув, а до жахів так і не повернувся. Потенціал був шалений.

Друга половина добірки - просто існує. (Точніше, перша половина просто існує, бо друга більше притаманна автору за стилем.) Непогана, окремо від першої було б навіть цікаво її розбирати, але на фоні відчутно потьмяніла. Вона на трієчку, не дуже розумію принцип вибору оповідань під одну обкладинку. Десь там мало б бути розділення - чистий аркуш і курсивом ІІ.

Той, що відновлює репутації 5/5
Маска 5/5
У Дворі Дракона 4/5
Жовтий знак 4/5
Леді д'Іс 4/5
Рай пророків 5/5
Вулиця Чотирьох вітрів 3/5
Вулиця Пресвятої Богородиці 2/5
Рю Баре 4/5

nic0lele's review against another edition

4.0

I now understand why King in Yellow is referenced so often in horror movies, books and games. This collection of short stories written in 1885 was way ahead of its time and a big influence in the horror genre. I highly recommend King in Yellow to every horror lover, even though the characters in the stories probably wish they had never read the book King in Yellow.

quintelance's review

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

usaidyousaf's review against another edition

5.0

My favourite stories in order
1. The Mask
2. Repairer of reputations
3. Demoiselle d’Ys
4. The yellow sign

Enigmatic, dissonant and ethereal. Truly does stand the test of time.

joao96leite's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Sentimentos mistos por esse. Como fã de horror cósmico, foi muito legal ver o que seria algumas das primeiras ideais do gênero começarem a tomar forma na escrita. Por outro lado, a segunda parte do livro, com romances históricos, foi, sinceramente, meio tediosa, não que os contos sejam ruins, só que realmente não fazem meu estilo. No entanto, a edição da Darkside é realmente lindo e tornou a experiência de leitura muito mais interessante, as ilustrações adicionaram mais significado aos contos e o prefácio trouxe novas perspectivas e enriqueceram o andamento da leitura. Definitivamente recomendado.

hud1986's review against another edition

3.0

For its time, there are some interesting ideas. I give it 3 stars because I don’t know what else to give it; it’s not a bad book, but it also doesn’t stand out as anything worth noting beyond it being ahead of it’s time. It was quick and painless, I’m happy to have sampled the influencer, but I’ll stick with the man he influenced: Lovecraft.