The King in Yellow

Robert W. Chambers

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'The King in Yellow' by Robert W. Chambers is a collection of short stories that range from horror to romance, with a central theme revolving around a mysterious and madness-inducing play called The King in Yellow. The first four stories are highly praised for their eldritch horrors, macabre dystopias, and Lovecraftian themes, while the remaining stories explore war, romance, and dream-like fragments set in Paris and other settings. Chambers weaves together a mix of horror, romance, and supernatural elements, creating a unique and eerie atmosphere throughout the book.

Chambers' writing style in 'The King in Yellow' is described as intricate and detailed, with a focus on creating a sense of mystery and tension. The stories are noted for their atmospheric descriptions, clever narratives, and thematic connections that delve into cosmic horror, psychological suspense, and the consequences of encountering the forbidden play, The King in Yellow.

Characters:

The characters often include artists and intellectuals who grapple with madness and obsession, frequently featuring unreliable narrators that enhance the unsettling tone.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by rich and atmospheric prose, filled with ambiguity and influenced by Gothic and decadent literary traditions.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot consists of a collection of interconnected stories that explore the chilling effects of a fictional play, culminating in themes of sanity and madness, while the latter stories shift focus towards romance and societal life.

Setting:

The setting spans from the vibrant art scene of late 19th-century Paris to an imagined futuristic New York, establishing a backdrop for both the horror and romantic elements.

Pacing:

The pacing varies, with the first half building tension gradually, while later stories might feel slower or less connected to the overarching themes.

Toward the end of the year 1920 the government of the United States had practically completed the programme, adopted during the last months of President Winthrop’s administration. The country was appa...

Notes:

The King in Yellow is a collection of ten short stories published in 1895.

Four stories in the collection are linked and revolve around a fictional play, The King in Yellow, which drives its readers insane.

Chambers mixed genres, blending horror with art nouveau influences and dashes of science fiction.

The first story, The Repairer of Reputations, is set in a dystopian future of 1920 New York.

Themes of madness and obsession are prevalent throughout the collection, particularly in the first four stories.

The King in Yellow has had a lasting impact on the horror genre, influencing writers like H. P. Lovecraft.

Many stories touch on artistic themes, often featuring protagonists who are artists or involve the art world.

The Yellow Sign is noted as the most popular story in the collection and was influential in subsequent horror literature.

Chambers' work contrasts the eerie horror of the interconnected stories with more traditional romantic tales in the latter half of the book.

The book's title character, the King in Yellow, along with accompanying locations like Carcosa and Hastur, have become embedded in the broader Lovecraft Mythos.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Triggers include mental illness, obsession, madness, and themes related to existential dread. Some stories may also depict societal decay and violence.

From The Publisher:

For fans of HBO's True Detective, here is the complete, original text of The King in Yellow, a collection of ten Victorian-era short stories that includes some of the most important and defining works in the genre of weird fiction.

Along the shore the cloud waves break,

The twin suns sink behind the lake,

The shadows lengthen

In Carcosa

With these opening lines, Robert W. Chambers introduces readers to The King in Yellow, a fictional play referred to but never fully seen in four of the stories included here: The Repairer of Reputations, The Mask, In the Court of the Dragon, and The Yellow Sign. Set in the dark and sinister world of Carcosa, the play drives all who encounter it to madness and despair, though we, as readers, only glimpse its unspeakable horrors.

This seminal collection of short stories has captured the imaginations of generations of readers, including H. P. Lovecraft, who used The King in Yellow as inspiration for the Necronomicon, the fiction-within-a-fiction at the heart of his own genre-defining Cthulu Mythos. More than a century later, The King in Yellow continues to wield remarkable influence in popular culture, and has experienced a resurgence in popularity as a key literary reference in HBO's hit dramatic series True Detective.

Ratings (25)

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Reader Stats (65):

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Currently Reading (4)
Want To Read (27)
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Not Interested (7)

1 comment(s)

ColorfulLeo92

It Was OK

1 month

3.5 stars. An intresting collection of short stories that I'm glad I gave a try. While I had my usual struggle as I almost always have with short stories, I did find it an intresting read.

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About the Author:

Robert W. Chambers (1865-1933) was an American writer of novels and short stories in the genres of weird fiction, horror, science-fiction, fantasy, and romantic fiction. He is best known for The King in Yellow, a short story collection published in 1895.

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