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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
The King in Yellow has been on my list to read for years now. As an H.P. Lovecraft fan I'd heard these are highly recommended, so I picked up the Pushkin Press edition without knowing it is incomplete. Within this edition are the four stories relating to the titular King in Yellow play. These stories are fantastic and the way in which they are written and the subtle ways in which they connect to each other are genius and unsettling. Even now Robert W. Chambers' writing is enchanting and innovative. It's a wonder why someone hasn't adapted this collection into a miniseries or anthology film.
In all four stories the characters encounter the King in Yellow play and have either their minds or realities (or both) distorted. The causal way in which Chambers reveals this is uncanny and disturbing. He has a way of reflecting on madness that I think surpasses even Lovecraft. These stories seem to reward repeat reading since characters, places, events, items interlock. Each story is wonderful on its own, but there is extra merit in these little touches.
I recommend the Lanternfish Press edition edited by John Edgar Browning for completists, being that it has the additional short stories originally published with The King in Yellow (and it's the same price as Puskin Press edition). I'll review that edition at a later date once I've read the rest of the short stories.
In all four stories the characters encounter the King in Yellow play and have either their minds or realities (or both) distorted. The causal way in which Chambers reveals this is uncanny and disturbing. He has a way of reflecting on madness that I think surpasses even Lovecraft. These stories seem to reward repeat reading since characters, places, events, items interlock. Each story is wonderful on its own, but there is extra merit in these little touches.
I recommend the Lanternfish Press edition edited by John Edgar Browning for completists, being that it has the additional short stories originally published with The King in Yellow (and it's the same price as Puskin Press edition). I'll review that edition at a later date once I've read the rest of the short stories.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A strange, almost unclassifiable set of short stories - a mix of eerie horror, romance and sumotuous description. Not an easy read despite being short, the drifting, surreal nature of the stories make the collection almost read like a dream journal that one has stumbled upon, not meant for public consumption. The titular King in Yellow is a brilliant connecting device, yet this is abandoned halfway through the stories, as if the author's ambiguous whims moved on from this framing device. An eerie and sometimes unsettling collection, but ultimately oddly inconsistent. Perhaps that very inconsistency adds to its mystique however.
Credited with inspiring HP Lovecraft’s work, Chambers book is a collection of 10 short stories, the first four of which involve this fictional “King in Yellow” play that drives any reader mad upon reading it; a late 19th century popular fiction/tales of the macabre. However the balance of the stories are not weird fantasy at all. They are all intense. They can sometimes feel interconnected which enhances their power. There is some excellent wry humor, especially in the final two. If you read King or any ‘contemporary horror’, you need to read Lovecraft. If you’ve read Lovecraft, you should read Poe. And if you’ve read those 3, read Chambers.
Cannot keep track with this or any narrator i found
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first four stories in this book had me googling Robert Chambers and "The King in Yellow" to find out how Lovecraft influenced his writing. It turns out, the influence was the other way around: Chambers predates Lovecraft. If the whole book had been stories about the madness and horror brought on by the King in Yellow, I would have given this book a 4+ and wanted more more more. But the rest of the stories turned out to be less engrossing, so they dragged the average down.
This is the first book in my late September/all October "spooky and creepy" book read. It was a good way to start.
This is the first book in my late September/all October "spooky and creepy" book read. It was a good way to start.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The stories seemed a bit disjointed. Would have liked a better flow