The King in Yellow

THE KING IN YELLOW by ROBERT CHAMBERS is an amazing collection of loosely related fin-de-siècle (end of the century) horror stories, written in 1895. It served as one of the primary literary influences for H.P. LOVECRAFT and the entire "weird tale" genre, which was born as a literary entity in the pulp magazines of the early 20th century.

One should not pick up this book with the expectation that all the stories are coherently linked. They are written from radically different perspectives, though… (more)

THE KING IN YELLOW by ROBERT CHAMBERS is an amazing collection of loosely related fin-de-siècle (end of the century) horror stories, written in 1895. It served as one of the primary literary influences for H.P. LOVECRAFT and the entire "weird tale" genre, which was born as a literary entity in the pulp magazines of the early 20th century.

One should not pick up this book with the expectation that all the stories are coherently linked. They are written from radically different perspectives, though several of the stories have the common setting of an imagined future 1920's America and Paris. The stories are not even always related thematically, other than being sinister works of weird horror. The most important recurring elements in the stories are:

Yellow, a color indicative of the decadent and aesthetic attitudes fashionable at the end of the 19th century. Notable reference points include THE YELLOW BOOK, a literary journal published by OSCAR WILDE and AUBREY BEARDSLEY, and the short story by CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILLMAN, THE YELLOW WALLPAPER. Yellow may also suggest quarantine, decay, and illness (especially mental illness).

THE KING IN YELLOW, a blessedly rare volume containing a two act play that drives anyone who reads it insane. Also a mysterious and malevolent entity.

THE YELLOW SIGN, a mysterious graphical character of sinister, but largely undefined importance.

Esoteric and vaguely defined proper nouns like CARCOSA, a city, probably in another dimension; HASTUR, both a person and a place; and ALDABRAN, a star of occult significance.

The stories are sometimes criticized for thin character development and syrupy language. Such criticism is lodged in ignorance of the literary style of the time and tradition in which this book was written. If you don't like to revel in decadent and evocative turns of phrase or if you can't recognize the brilliance of sustaining a rarefied psychological state of horror without the introduction of relentless gore or explicit and twisted sexuality (which constitutes 90% of more recent "horror" pieces), then this book is not for you.

Perhaps the best, or at least most representative story in the collection is THE REPAIRER OF REPUTATIONS, which is set in a militaristic future New York City, circa 1925. Immigration is controlled and suicide is legalized with the introduction of "Government Lethal Chambers." The main character has been injured in a fall from a horse. As a result, his personality changed dramatically and he subsequently spent some time in an asylum. During recovery he reads the censored play, The King in Yellow, which further imbalances him. He becomes a recluse, pouring over old books and maps, and associating with another unsavory character who specializes in blackmail on a Machiavellian level. With help from this "repairer of reputations," the main character believes he will become the heir of the "Last King" of "The Imperial Dynasty of America."

Yes, it's strange, and it gets even stranger. Enjoy!