A classic of weird and horror fiction. I really enjoyed this edition that was clean and had more info about the author and explantions of the work from the people who published it. I guess there are lots of editions. I read the one from Horror Writers Association by Sourcebooks with book introduction by Nic Pizzolatto. ( )

First half great
Second half so so lame ( )

This collection of short stories influenced HP Lovecraft. The stories are intertwined and connected by a fictional play named The King In Yellow, which drives its readers mad. The first half of the collection all mention the play at some point and show how it effects the readers. The second half of the stories, while being interconnected to each other, don't seem to be related to The King In Yellow at all.

I greatly enjoyed the first half, the second half felt mediocre compared to it. I wish that it was broken up into two short story collections because they just did not complement each other. ( )

La prima metà è bella (ma non proprio dell'orrore, più del soprannaturale direi). La seconda parte inzomma.. Alcuni racconti li ho saltati del tutto. ( )

The term "weird fiction" could have been coined to describe “The King in Yellow”. First published in 1895, and recently reissued in a deluxe "gift edition” by Pushkin Press, it features elements of horror and the supernatural and even a touch of science fiction and yet fits uncomfortably under any of these categories. It is frankly, just plain “weird”.

The book consists of four short stories which are linked by some common characters and, more importantly, by a recurring leitmotiv, a mysterious play called “The King in Yellow”. This play is, purportedly, a work of such evil genius that whoever reads its second act descends into madness and despair. Chambers uses a technique which would later greatly inspire [a:H.P. Lovecraft|9494|H.P. Lovecraft|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1299165714p2/9494.jpg] (he applies it to great effect in his Cthulhu stories) – we are never actually told what the play is all about, the narrators in each story merely make vague references to its contents, leaving us to surmise what evil horrors this banned work might hold within its pages.

The first story – “The Repairer of Reputations” – is set (like the fourth) in an imagined future America of the 1920s and sets the macabre tone of the work. It is narrated by a young man just out of a mental institution, who has delusions about ruling America in allegiance with the powerful “King in Yellow”. This story recalls Poe in its portrayal of obsession and madness, leading to a bloody denouement. The second tale, "The Mask", is a sort of “Pygmalion” in reverse. Set in France, it tells of a sculptor who discovers a chemical solution which can turn live beings into statues. This story introduces a new ingredient to the mix – the bohemian milieu beloved of fin-de-siecle, decadent literature. It is not uncommon in such works to encounter a fascination with the Catholic faith, or at least, its cultural trappings. This is the case with “In the Court of the Dragon”, in which the protagonist seems to be pursued by a demonic church organist. This sinister predator is likely just a tired musician escaping to the loo during a longish sermon, but to the narrator, fresh from reading that abominable play, he comes across as a malign figure sent by the King in Yellow to claim his soul. “The Yellow Sign” takes us back to 1920s America, but we are again in a world of artists and their models. There is also the presence of a Catholic church, such that at first, the atmosphere is not far removed from that of the previous story. This time round, however, the haunting is not done by an organist but by a “worm-like” churchyard watchman who, it seems, is possessed by the King in Yellow and is after the Yellow Sign, a curious gold clasp found by the narrator’s model.

Chambers’ short story collection originally contained six other stories, but it is only the first four which are linked by the “King of Yellow” theme. So it makes sense for this edition to be limited to these four tales which, partly thanks to Lovecraft, have achieved cult status amongst lovers of weird fiction.

For a full review, including a choice of related musical works, visit:

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2019/01/horror-and-decadence-review-of-king-i... ( )