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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
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:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
found this book when i was researching cosmic horror history. i enjoyed this, its really really weird and unsettling. still sometimes think about these stories
Alzai i miei occhi bruciati verso quella luce insondabile e contemplai le nere stelle sospese nei cieli mentre i venti umidi del lago di Hali mi ghiacciavano il volto.
E in quell'istante, lontano, sopra infiniti oceani percorsi da procellose ondate di nuvole, vidi la luna trasudare schiuma e dietro la luna innalzarsi le torri di Carcosa.
Quelle di Chambers sono pagine che sono invecchiate bene: hanno affrontato con dignità lo scorrere del tempo, e si presentano fresche e moderne a più di un secolo di distanza.
Il re in Giallo è una raccolta di dieci racconti che sfuma dall'horror, affrontato nella prima parte del libro, al romantico, presente nella seconda metà. Per quanto io abbia decisamente preferito i primi racconti, anche gli ultimi sono degni di nota e riescono a catturare interesse e creare atmosfera.
L'autore mostra infinita delicatezza sia nell'affrontare il tema dell'orrore, sia nel delineare situazioni più "classiche"; l'horror di Chambers è un horror velato e misterioso, mai diretto od esplicito. Ed è proprio questo il pregio dell'opera, a mio modesto avviso. Si ravvisa qualcosa che sia canale di profonda angoscia e disperazione, ma non lo si analizza; rimane lì, nell'ombra, in agguato ad attendere. Il filo conduttore tra i primi romanzi è proprio questo: il terrificante Re in giallo, con la sua pallida maschera, la sua Carcosa, Hastur, Cassilda, il lago di Hali. Ed un libro che non deve essere letto... Capisco benissimo perché tanti altri autori successivi si siano sentiti ispirati da tutto ciò.
Riguardo la seconda parte, invece, l'unico racconto che non sono proprio riuscita a digerire è La demoiselle d'Ys, e nemmeno Via dei quattro venti mi ha entusiasmata molto. Ciò che davvero è degno di nota è l'atmosfera nostalgica e sognante, oltre che decadente, che Chambers imprime a Parigi, città che mi ha sempre affascinata, ma che solitamente funge solo da teatrino per del romanticismo ordinario; ho apprezzato il vento fresco, senza dubbio.
Una lettura meritevole, in definitiva. I primi quattro racconti sono da cinque stelle e lode!
E in quell'istante, lontano, sopra infiniti oceani percorsi da procellose ondate di nuvole, vidi la luna trasudare schiuma e dietro la luna innalzarsi le torri di Carcosa.
Quelle di Chambers sono pagine che sono invecchiate bene: hanno affrontato con dignità lo scorrere del tempo, e si presentano fresche e moderne a più di un secolo di distanza.
Il re in Giallo è una raccolta di dieci racconti che sfuma dall'horror, affrontato nella prima parte del libro, al romantico, presente nella seconda metà. Per quanto io abbia decisamente preferito i primi racconti, anche gli ultimi sono degni di nota e riescono a catturare interesse e creare atmosfera.
L'autore mostra infinita delicatezza sia nell'affrontare il tema dell'orrore, sia nel delineare situazioni più "classiche"; l'horror di Chambers è un horror velato e misterioso, mai diretto od esplicito. Ed è proprio questo il pregio dell'opera, a mio modesto avviso. Si ravvisa qualcosa che sia canale di profonda angoscia e disperazione, ma non lo si analizza; rimane lì, nell'ombra, in agguato ad attendere. Il filo conduttore tra i primi romanzi è proprio questo: il terrificante Re in giallo, con la sua pallida maschera, la sua Carcosa, Hastur, Cassilda, il lago di Hali. Ed un libro che non deve essere letto... Capisco benissimo perché tanti altri autori successivi si siano sentiti ispirati da tutto ciò.
Riguardo la seconda parte, invece, l'unico racconto che non sono proprio riuscita a digerire è La demoiselle d'Ys, e nemmeno Via dei quattro venti mi ha entusiasmata molto. Ciò che davvero è degno di nota è l'atmosfera nostalgica e sognante, oltre che decadente, che Chambers imprime a Parigi, città che mi ha sempre affascinata, ma che solitamente funge solo da teatrino per del romanticismo ordinario; ho apprezzato il vento fresco, senza dubbio.
Una lettura meritevole, in definitiva. I primi quattro racconti sono da cinque stelle e lode!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
An interesting little book of short stories. The first four connect as part of the eerie "King in yellow" mythos, all relating to that fictional play in one way or another. The King in Yellow stories are eerie and portray the characters' madness quite well, bringing the readers inside their minds. The other stories, while all well written, did not relate to the king in yellow and we're not really "horror" stories save one romantic ghost story. The others were period romance stories all set in France from the perspective of American ex patriots living in France. All well written with intriguing characters but not what I was expecting from the book and in that sense slightly disappointing.
I read this with students in my World Literature class, for the first time. The collection does not feel complete. Chambers wanders into different themes and we lose all suspense of The King in Yellow. It wanders into romance when my students were eager for horror.
When I re-read Ambrose Bierce'sAn Inhabitant of Carcosa in February, I decided to finally revisit The King in Yellow after trying to get into it several months back and never managing to gain enough enthusiasm for it. Now the situation was completely different.
The first story, The Repairer of Reputations, is a great introduction to Chambers's universe. It starts as a sci-fi story of sorts, but then it slowly makes you question everything you've read previously. In The Mask, an unusual scientific discovery is able to turn living beings into marble. In the Court of the Dragon leans heavily towards horror with its creepy as hell organist, and The Yellow Sign (my absolute favorite) is an equally sinister story about a man who is disturbed by a worm-like churchyard watchman, who babbles about the Yellow Sign. The Street of the Four Winds has a kitty. Kitties for the win (and people who talk to their cats like they're their friends)!
The rest of the stories, although enjoyable, weren't simply even comparable to the great beginning. While not bad on their own, I'm still struggling to understand why Chambers decided to include them in the collection in the first place, instead of writing more about the yellow king and the play that has the power to drive people mad (what a fantastic concept, by the way!). There are a few connections between the first and the latter half, but they're mostly superficial, and the tone is significantly different in the stories about artists in Paris.
What comes to the mythology, it's definitely interesting enough to warrant a position in literary history. I haven't had much interest toward Lovecraft or cosmic horror in general, but the Yellow Sign (which inspired Lovecraft, by the way) is somehow very intriguing. The more you try to grab hold of it, the further it escapes from your grasp, and that mystery and lack of answers are the keys to Chambers's success.
Apparently, apart from a few names, Bierce's story has nothing in common with Chambers's stories, but the parts True Detective referenced are easy to spot. The starry sky, the mind control aspect, the ear thing with Mr. Wilde and youknowwho etc. Reading The King in Yellow doesn't necessarily help you navigate through the show, but I don't think it's supposed to. The mythology just adds to the mysteries of the show and makes the South a whole lot creepier.
I'll never look at the color yellow the same way again, that's for sure.
The first story, The Repairer of Reputations, is a great introduction to Chambers's universe. It starts as a sci-fi story of sorts, but then it slowly makes you question everything you've read previously. In The Mask, an unusual scientific discovery is able to turn living beings into marble. In the Court of the Dragon leans heavily towards horror with its creepy as hell organist, and The Yellow Sign (my absolute favorite) is an equally sinister story about a man who is disturbed by a worm-like churchyard watchman, who babbles about the Yellow Sign. The Street of the Four Winds has a kitty. Kitties for the win (and people who talk to their cats like they're their friends)!
The rest of the stories, although enjoyable, weren't simply even comparable to the great beginning. While not bad on their own, I'm still struggling to understand why Chambers decided to include them in the collection in the first place, instead of writing more about the yellow king and the play that has the power to drive people mad (what a fantastic concept, by the way!). There are a few connections between the first and the latter half, but they're mostly superficial, and the tone is significantly different in the stories about artists in Paris.
What comes to the mythology, it's definitely interesting enough to warrant a position in literary history. I haven't had much interest toward Lovecraft or cosmic horror in general, but the Yellow Sign (which inspired Lovecraft, by the way) is somehow very intriguing. The more you try to grab hold of it, the further it escapes from your grasp, and that mystery and lack of answers are the keys to Chambers's success.
Apparently, apart from a few names, Bierce's story has nothing in common with Chambers's stories, but the parts True Detective referenced are easy to spot. The starry sky, the mind control aspect, the ear thing with Mr. Wilde and youknowwho etc. Reading The King in Yellow doesn't necessarily help you navigate through the show, but I don't think it's supposed to. The mythology just adds to the mysteries of the show and makes the South a whole lot creepier.
I'll never look at the color yellow the same way again, that's for sure.
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Last 4 sections/stories are very out of place with the first few and don’t involve the king in yellow at all. Those last sections are clunky romance set in France rather than cosmic horror/weird fiction.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No