technogoat 's review for:

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

4.0

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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First published in 1895, this landmark of weird fiction blends fin-de-siècle decadence with a sense of cosmic dread. The opening stories, linked by the forbidden play “The King in Yellow,” remain powerful for their atmosphere of madness, artistic obsession, and creeping unreality. While the later tales move toward romance and society drama, the book as a whole is a striking mix of styles that influenced writers from Lovecraft to contemporary horror. An uneven but enduringly imaginative collection, well served by the Penguin Weird Fiction edition.