The King in Yellow and Other Horror Stories (Dover Mystery, Detective, & Other Fiction)
by Robert W. Chambers
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 57)
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
lovers of psychological horror; students of the genre
(Read via Project Gutenberg, not this edition.)
Chambers, along with Lovecraft, is one of the grandpappies of the contemporary horror genre, and these are his masterwork: a series of connected short stories and novellas about a mysterious play (also called The King In Yellow) that drives a reader mad. The play itself is never more than vaguely described; the stories are about the effects it has on the minds of those who read it, a...more
Chambers, along with Lovecraft, is one of the grandpappies of the contemporary horror genre, and these are his masterwork: a series of connected short stories and novellas about a mysterious play (also called The King In Yellow) that drives a reader mad. The play itself is never more than vaguely described; the stories are about the effects it has on the minds of those who read it, a...more
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Read in January, 1992
The King In Yellow is a collection of loosely connected stories which all involve, in one way or another, a forbidden book of the same title which brings inexorable and horrific ruin upon anyone unfortunate enough to read it. The world of these stories is nightmarish, surreal and oblique -- I think "The Yellow Sign" is one of the most chilling pieces of fiction I have ever read. If you think it would be cool for Ray Bradbury to team up with David Lynch to write some disturbing s...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
People that want to be creeped out
I'm kind of offended that nobody told me about this before. This is probably the origin of what we think of as "Horror" in the 20th/21st century. I hear that this was a direct influence on H.P. Lovecraft, and it shows - it's a really interesting collection of interlinked stories that revolve around a sort of cursed/haunted play called "the King in Yellow." Snatches of it are presented, but the reader never truly gets to see the entire thing. What the reader IS privy to is cre...more
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Read in June, 2006
Written 100 years ago, this book is creepier and more haunting than most horror fiction of today. This is ironic, because some claim all horror fiction today can trace its lineage to this book. I don't read much in the horror genre, but this is what I like when I do: mind-twisting, provocative, exotic yet with no blatant gore. The so-called "biological science fiction stories" at the end of this volume are fun and light-hearted, but don't match the power of the "The King in Yellow
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Exceptional collection of tales of dread and horror.
The tales address the malign influence of a play called The King in Yellow, which warps and distorts the lives of all who peruse it.
An obvious influence on the better known mythos of Lovecraft, and an excellent read for anyone who enjoys nameless dreads and malign influences with little in the way of explicit carnage.
The tales address the malign influence of a play called The King in Yellow, which warps and distorts the lives of all who peruse it.
An obvious influence on the better known mythos of Lovecraft, and an excellent read for anyone who enjoys nameless dreads and malign influences with little in the way of explicit carnage.
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Read in March, 2008
Literary type horror. Horror of the unameable a big theme.I really liked the book, but had to admit it's a slow read. literary type horror may be too dry and slow for those turned off by elaborate language & slow plot development.
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Read in April, 2008
The first four stories that cover The King in Yellow are very interesting. After that, he quickly departs from the theme and genre into fantasy and lost my interest.
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Read in February, 2008
A somewhat uneven collection on its own, but with enough gems and historical interest as one of Lovecraft's inspirations to be worth the read.
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Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
Lovecraft fans
If you love surreal horror stories, you'll probably love these.
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