The King in Yellow is a book of short stories by American writer Robert W. Chambers, first published by F. Tennyson Neely in 1895. The book is named after a play with the same title which recurs as a motif through some of the stories.[The first half of the book features highly esteemed weird stories, and the book has been described by critics such as E. F. Bleiler, S. T. Joshi and T. E. D. Klein as a classic in the field of the supernatural. There are ten stories, the first four of which ("The Repairer of Reputations," "The ...
Read More
The King in Yellow is a book of short stories by American writer Robert W. Chambers, first published by F. Tennyson Neely in 1895. The book is named after a play with the same title which recurs as a motif through some of the stories.[The first half of the book features highly esteemed weird stories, and the book has been described by critics such as E. F. Bleiler, S. T. Joshi and T. E. D. Klein as a classic in the field of the supernatural. There are ten stories, the first four of which ("The Repairer of Reputations," "The Mask," "In the Court of the Dragon," and "The Yellow Sign") mention The King in Yellow, a forbidden play which induces despair or madness in those who read it. "The Yellow Sign" inspired a film of the same name released in 2001.
Read Less
This was really the seminal example of what came to be known as supernatural thrillers or esoteric fiction. But its elegant style and understated weirdness has never been done better. Lovecraft is the lovechild of Chambers. Who or what is the King in Yellow will only be answered when he is unmasked by future refugees from the reality studio.
Highly recommended.
fenn138
May 17, 2007
Weird & Chilling Classic
For fans of Lovecraft, Machen, Bloch and other masters of weird fiction. A classic.
