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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This anthology has fascinated and frustrated readers for a little over a hundred years, and will likely continue to do so as long as horror fiction is published. Why? Because it's a bad anthology filled with great stories. The King in Yellow contains horror stories, a sci-fi story, and a few fairly dramatic love stories, the concerns of which feel almost oppositional when read in sequence. And the thing is, the horror stories in this are all-timers. The very first story in this collection, "The Repairer of Reputations," is not only in the running for one of best short horror story ever written, but could persuasively be argued as the best short horror story ever written. The other stuff is...pretty good. There's no bad story here, but the gap in quality between the best and the rest is incredible. Honestly, though, who cares? However bizarre the shifts in tone are in this collection, it ultimately doesn't matter. This is a must read.
dark
mysterious
tense
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i hope my writing will one day drive people to madness and/or get them killed as the king in yellow did its readers
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really great promise in the first few stories in this anthology, but it very quickly loses it's way and becomes a difficult slog of little-to-nothing of worth occurring throughout the rest of the stories. This causes the initial mystery and tension to evaporate and it was ultimately a very frustrating read.
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!"
I am reading through some classic weird stories at the moment and "the King in Yellow" did not disappoint. Of the different stories I most enjoyed "The Repairer of Reputations" as it seemed most fleshed out among them. The narrator's unreliability was shown step by step until the forseeable end. Very well done. "The Mask" was excellent as well, although I didn't care for the optimistic turn at the end.
I am reading through some classic weird stories at the moment and "the King in Yellow" did not disappoint. Of the different stories I most enjoyed "The Repairer of Reputations" as it seemed most fleshed out among them. The narrator's unreliability was shown step by step until the forseeable end. Very well done. "The Mask" was excellent as well, although I didn't care for the optimistic turn at the end.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No