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michaelmay 's review for:
The King in Yellow
by Robert W. Chambers
The King in Yellow is a great concept. Chambers wrote a few short stories that all featured references to a mysterious piece of literature called "The King in Yellow." It's usually referred to by fans as a play, but I forget if it's explicitly called that in any of Chambers' stories. It's not important though. What's important is that the second act of the piece drives the reader insane. And the five stories featuring it (to various levels) all make a cool, shared Yellowverse.
Chambers is great at creating a sense of unease around the (I'm just gonna call it a) play. The first story, "The Repairer of Reputations," is written from the point of view of someone who's read the play. He seems fine at first, but his sanity becomes more and more questionable as the story progresses. Other stories are less overt, but they still contain a sense of dread with the play lurking in the background as a possible cause. At least for those first five tales in the collection.
The sixth thing collected is itself a collection of short poems that could themselves actually be excerpts from the play. But after that follow four more stories that don't contain any reference to the play or even any supernatural elements at all. They're social dramas with romantic subplots.
They do take place in a Parisian artist community much like the "King in Yellow" stories do, so there's a similarity of tone. I assume that's why they're grouped with the others. And they're well-written. I enjoyed them as their own thing. They just aren't definitively connected to the "King in Yellow" world and I question their inclusion in the collection. As do many other King in Yellow readers.
Chambers is great at creating a sense of unease around the (I'm just gonna call it a) play. The first story, "The Repairer of Reputations," is written from the point of view of someone who's read the play. He seems fine at first, but his sanity becomes more and more questionable as the story progresses. Other stories are less overt, but they still contain a sense of dread with the play lurking in the background as a possible cause. At least for those first five tales in the collection.
The sixth thing collected is itself a collection of short poems that could themselves actually be excerpts from the play. But after that follow four more stories that don't contain any reference to the play or even any supernatural elements at all. They're social dramas with romantic subplots.
They do take place in a Parisian artist community much like the "King in Yellow" stories do, so there's a similarity of tone. I assume that's why they're grouped with the others. And they're well-written. I enjoyed them as their own thing. They just aren't definitively connected to the "King in Yellow" world and I question their inclusion in the collection. As do many other King in Yellow readers.