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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
Enjoyed the first half. Hated the second. The thread of the short stories was too loose to keep my interested. I found it a difficult read despite it being so short.
Like most modern people (I imagine), I decided to read this after discovering that it was an inspiration to H. P. Lovecraft. That worked out well when it lead me to Ambrose Bierce after all, who was also an inspiration to Chambers. It turns out, however, that the horror elements in "The King in Yellow," while very atmospheric and unnerving, are quite downplayed. I must say I was disappointed to discover that they actually peter out completely at some point. Fortunately my disappointment was short lived, as I became quite enamored of Chambers' other theme: romance. Moreover, romance with a large ensemble, among whom no jealousy ever arises! Characters incapable of normal, reasonable human friendship have often driven me from romance, so this was a breath of fresh air.
There is horror as well, or at least tragedy. The collection of very short pieces roughly in the middle are particularly mind rending. They use a bizarre sort of recursion that really sticks in your brain. The foolishness about this book causing madness is just that. The yellow sign is real. I will be king.
There is horror as well, or at least tragedy. The collection of very short pieces roughly in the middle are particularly mind rending. They use a bizarre sort of recursion that really sticks in your brain. The foolishness about this book causing madness is just that. The yellow sign is real. I will be king.
As other reviewers have noted, this book of short stories is really split down the middle in terms of subject matter.
The first few stories -- the King in Yellow cycle -- are excellent on the whole. If you got here through Lovecraft (as I did) you will leave satisfied. They are not exactly gothic horror but they definitely have gothic elements. Neither are they quite as surreal and metaphysical as Lovecraft, although you can see the germ his inspiration in Chambers' stories.
The middle of the book contains two spooky and sweet ghost stories that are well worth reading. There are also a series of bizarre little bits of poem and prose which read like dream fragments.
The last section of the book is completely disjointed from everything preceding it. The stories largely describe the bohemian lifestyles of American ex-patriot art students living in France. Unfortunately, this was too much of a palate change for me, and I did not like this part as much as I may have if separate from the beginning of The King in Yellow.
I wish I could read the play, The King in Yellow. I love the excerpts that Chambers intersperses through his early stories.
Words Below
Vocabulary
traduce. (v) To speak badly or tell lies about someone so as to damage their reputation.
tumefy. (v) Become swollen.
mahl-stick. (n) A light stick with a padded or leather ball at one end, held against work by a painter or signwriter to support and steady the brush hand.
morion. (n) A kind of helmet without beaver or visor, worn by soldiers in the 16th and 17th centuries.
clerestory. (n) The upper part of the nave, choir, and transepts of a large church, containing a series of windows.
centime. (n) A monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a franc or some other decimal currency units.
doxology. (n) A liturgical formula of praise to God.
sabot. (n) A kind of simple shoe, shaped and hallowed out from single block of wood, traditionally worn by French and Breton peasants.
sortie. (n) An attack made by troops coming out from a position of defense.
capote. (n) A long cloak or coat with a hood, worn especially as part of an army or company uniform.
uhlan. (n) A cavalryman armed with a lance as a member of various European armies.
dolman. (n) A long Turkish robe open in front. A woman's loose cloak with cape-like sleeves.
chasse-pot. (n) A type of bolt-action breech-loading rifle used by the French army between 1886 and 1874.
gudgeon. (n) A small edible European freshwater fish, often used as bait by anglers.
gendarme. (n) A paramilitary officer in France and other French-speaking countries.
tabouret. (n) A low stool or small table.
grisette (n) A young working-class Frenchwoman.
Quotes
On my hearth a tongue of flame whispered secrets to the whitening ashes.
He promised, and watched them, two by two, drift into the darkening city, and stood so long that, when again he raised his eyes, the vast Boulevard was twinkling with gas-jets through which the electric lights stared like moons.
The first few stories -- the King in Yellow cycle -- are excellent on the whole. If you got here through Lovecraft (as I did) you will leave satisfied. They are not exactly gothic horror but they definitely have gothic elements. Neither are they quite as surreal and metaphysical as Lovecraft, although you can see the germ his inspiration in Chambers' stories.
The middle of the book contains two spooky and sweet ghost stories that are well worth reading. There are also a series of bizarre little bits of poem and prose which read like dream fragments.
The last section of the book is completely disjointed from everything preceding it. The stories largely describe the bohemian lifestyles of American ex-patriot art students living in France. Unfortunately, this was too much of a palate change for me, and I did not like this part as much as I may have if separate from the beginning of The King in Yellow.
I wish I could read the play, The King in Yellow. I love the excerpts that Chambers intersperses through his early stories.
Words Below
Spoiler
Vocabulary
traduce. (v) To speak badly or tell lies about someone so as to damage their reputation.
tumefy. (v) Become swollen.
mahl-stick. (n) A light stick with a padded or leather ball at one end, held against work by a painter or signwriter to support and steady the brush hand.
morion. (n) A kind of helmet without beaver or visor, worn by soldiers in the 16th and 17th centuries.
clerestory. (n) The upper part of the nave, choir, and transepts of a large church, containing a series of windows.
centime. (n) A monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a franc or some other decimal currency units.
doxology. (n) A liturgical formula of praise to God.
sabot. (n) A kind of simple shoe, shaped and hallowed out from single block of wood, traditionally worn by French and Breton peasants.
sortie. (n) An attack made by troops coming out from a position of defense.
capote. (n) A long cloak or coat with a hood, worn especially as part of an army or company uniform.
uhlan. (n) A cavalryman armed with a lance as a member of various European armies.
dolman. (n) A long Turkish robe open in front. A woman's loose cloak with cape-like sleeves.
chasse-pot. (n) A type of bolt-action breech-loading rifle used by the French army between 1886 and 1874.
gudgeon. (n) A small edible European freshwater fish, often used as bait by anglers.
gendarme. (n) A paramilitary officer in France and other French-speaking countries.
tabouret. (n) A low stool or small table.
grisette (n) A young working-class Frenchwoman.
Quotes
On my hearth a tongue of flame whispered secrets to the whitening ashes.
He promised, and watched them, two by two, drift into the darkening city, and stood so long that, when again he raised his eyes, the vast Boulevard was twinkling with gas-jets through which the electric lights stared like moons.
Peculiar book all around, which hasn't aged well. But it's interesting for a look into what short stories were like at the time, and for fuzzy look at America and Paris back then.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A foundation of the genre for a reason! My favorite stories were Mademoiselle D’ys, The Mask, and The Street of the Four Winds. I super tuned out when I got to the miscellaneous stories outside the King in Yellow mythos, but I’d recommend the book up to that point.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
First couple stories we good. After that, disappointment
Some really excellent (If often rather "of their time") stories with imagery that I expect will stick with me for a long time, you can tell why this was so influential to the horror genre. Unfortunately the collection is let down by the extremely dry romances that make up the latter part of the book and the author's eventually slightly grating Francophilia.