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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The King in Yellow -3/5
This collection is decent, and I can 100% see the huge influence it had over the later Cthulhu Mythos from Lovecraft and others. The sense of lingering dread, the paranoia, the pursuing almost-cults, the entities that seem to linger in places deep behind the scenes, and the cursed tome which drives its readers mad. When those elements are the focus Chambers does an great job, and he's able to portray a generic madness and paranoia better than Lovecraft or his contemporaries ever could. Also, whilst he doesn't manage to capture alien vistas or creatures as well as those later authors he still manages a few well done locations and, more rarely, monsters throughout, especially in his interpretations of Carcosa and Hastur.
However, as the stories go on much of the focus shifts towards fairly generic 1890s melodramatic romance over the strangeness, and that's just not something I'm interested in. If it had stuck with the French angle and went for a Decadent approach it may have worked well for me and been an interesting contrast with the very morally conservative and uptight Lovecraft, but it's largely maidens swooning for men and men getting far too obsessive over every woman they meet. Chambers also has a tendency to just end his stories rather abruptly. This isn't unique to him and various writers of these types of stories would do the same but occasionally he'll just write a really quick page or two to wrap up a story which has spent 15 pages building up atmosphere, leaving it feeling pretty unsatisfying. I think the atmosphere building alone is worth it, and probably why you'd read these stories anyway, but the issue with endings still stood out to me whilst reading.
So, The King in Yellow is probably more of an interesting read from a historical perspective than as a book in itself. Still, if you're interested in a foundational text in weird fiction and horror I'd definitely check the first few stories out.
This collection is decent, and I can 100% see the huge influence it had over the later Cthulhu Mythos from Lovecraft and others. The sense of lingering dread, the paranoia, the pursuing almost-cults, the entities that seem to linger in places deep behind the scenes, and the cursed tome which drives its readers mad. When those elements are the focus Chambers does an great job, and he's able to portray a generic madness and paranoia better than Lovecraft or his contemporaries ever could. Also, whilst he doesn't manage to capture alien vistas or creatures as well as those later authors he still manages a few well done locations and, more rarely, monsters throughout, especially in his interpretations of Carcosa and Hastur.
However, as the stories go on much of the focus shifts towards fairly generic 1890s melodramatic romance over the strangeness, and that's just not something I'm interested in. If it had stuck with the French angle and went for a Decadent approach it may have worked well for me and been an interesting contrast with the very morally conservative and uptight Lovecraft, but it's largely maidens swooning for men and men getting far too obsessive over every woman they meet. Chambers also has a tendency to just end his stories rather abruptly. This isn't unique to him and various writers of these types of stories would do the same but occasionally he'll just write a really quick page or two to wrap up a story which has spent 15 pages building up atmosphere, leaving it feeling pretty unsatisfying. I think the atmosphere building alone is worth it, and probably why you'd read these stories anyway, but the issue with endings still stood out to me whilst reading.
So, The King in Yellow is probably more of an interesting read from a historical perspective than as a book in itself. Still, if you're interested in a foundational text in weird fiction and horror I'd definitely check the first few stories out.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this is a bit of a "managing expectations" issue for me. While I enjoyed the front half matter *very* much with such stories as The Mask, Court of the Dragon, The Yellow Sign, I wasn't as enthused about the more romantic looks at Americans in France living their lives.
Upon reading a little more about Chambers, I did see that he lived as a painter in France for several years, so, while it does make sense that he'd write of it, I was hoping for more glimpses of the King and his fantastical play. Overall, I'm not upset that I read it, but it was a bit of a letdown.
Upon reading a little more about Chambers, I did see that he lived as a painter in France for several years, so, while it does make sense that he'd write of it, I was hoping for more glimpses of the King and his fantastical play. Overall, I'm not upset that I read it, but it was a bit of a letdown.
3.5 preferred the first half, not the romance stuff, which is good yet skippable.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
mysterious
tense
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