Remy Rose reviewed King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
Review of 'King in Yellow' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
Like most modern people (I imagine), I decided to read this after discovering that it was an inspiration to H. P. Lovecraft. That worked out well when it lead me to Ambrose Bierce after all, who was also an inspiration to Chambers. It turns out, however, that the horror elements in "The King in Yellow," while very atmospheric and unnerving, are quite downplayed. I must say I was disappointed to discover that they actually peter out completely at some point. Fortunately my disappointment was short lived, as I became quite enamored of Chambers' other theme: romance. Moreover, romance with a large ensemble, among whom no jealousy ever arises! Characters incapable of normal, reasonable human friendship have often driven me from romance, so this was a breath of fresh air.
There is horror as well, or at least tragedy. The collection of very short pieces roughly in the middle are particularly …
Like most modern people (I imagine), I decided to read this after discovering that it was an inspiration to H. P. Lovecraft. That worked out well when it lead me to Ambrose Bierce after all, who was also an inspiration to Chambers. It turns out, however, that the horror elements in "The King in Yellow," while very atmospheric and unnerving, are quite downplayed. I must say I was disappointed to discover that they actually peter out completely at some point. Fortunately my disappointment was short lived, as I became quite enamored of Chambers' other theme: romance. Moreover, romance with a large ensemble, among whom no jealousy ever arises! Characters incapable of normal, reasonable human friendship have often driven me from romance, so this was a breath of fresh air.
There is horror as well, or at least tragedy. The collection of very short pieces roughly in the middle are particularly mind rending. They use a bizarre sort of recursion that really sticks in your brain. The foolishness about this book causing madness is just that. The yellow sign is real. I will be king.
