jnzllwgr 's review for:

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

4.0

---

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.