Name: The King in Yellow and Other Horror Stories
Rating: 3.384615384615385 (13 reviews)
ISBN: 9780486317625

Robert W. Chambers

A milestone of American supernatural fiction from the author who has been hailed as the link between Poe and Stephen King. 12 gripping stories, with an introduction by E. F. Bleiler.

The King in Yellow and Other Horror Stories

Robert William Chambers

A milestone of American supernatural fiction, The King in Yellow created a sensation upon its 1895 publication. Since then, it has markedly influenced writers in the genre, most famously, H. P. Lovecraft. Author Robert W. Chambers has been hailed as a writer of remarkable imaginative powers and the historic link between Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King. This edition features 12 of his gripping stories and was edited by a noted authority on supernatural fiction, E. F. Bleiler, who provides an informative introduction.

Greg Talbot

***Review is for the four stories that comprise "The King In Yellow". Mesmerized by "True Detective", I looked to find the source content that generated those disturbing ideas: carcosa, the king in yellow, masks of horror, and the undefined madness that lies beneath everything. These stories to me work, and they don't. Maybe it's the parlance of its time, but any type of horror reaction was nullified by my looking up the vocabulary, or trying to understand the sentence structure. Here's what I really like about these stories. All the stories have some tie into this "King in Yellow" a book that can drive you insane, or at least has some otherworldly property that terrorizes and destroys. To great effect in "THE REPAIRER OF REPUTATIONS", Chambers brings the reader from normalcy to insanity with relative ease. What a brief but disturbing ending sentence too, eureka! He builds up tension in a very terrifying way in "THE YELLOW SIGN". Blurring reality, art and this underworld presence is just a fascinating disturbing mix. At time these stories feel very fragmentary, but that adds to their allure as well. It's not the horror tome of Stephen King, or the lengthy passages of Lovecraft, but the source of their horror may very well be taken from Chambers. Worth reading, and if you have the patience find the links between the four stories. A pleasant, albeit frightening Sunday afternoon read, better suited toward an autumn season.

Rohan Uddin

These stories induce dread and paranoia. They scare and leave you shaking. What a strange, wonderful collection. Inspired Lovecraft, I believe. What else do you need?

The King in Yellow and Other Horror Stories

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