The King in Yellow - Book Review
The King in Yellow is the 1895 weird tales book by Robert Chambers that has been hugely influential across media including TV (True Detective), books (inspiring the weird horror, cosmology and Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and the like, as well as videogames (Deadly Premonition, Signalis, Dark Souls and many more).
The book is comprised of 10 short tales and poems, some of which feature The King in Yellow that mysterious book within a book. This collection about a malevolent entity of otherworldly origins and the alien world of Corcosa has captivated readers for over a century however in this collection are tales are more romantic in nature which do not feature this cosmological entity that brings madness and chaos wherever it goes.
The stories are:
The Repairer of Reputations
The Mask
In the Court of the Dragon
The Yellow Sign
The Demoiselle d'Ys
The Prophets' Paradise
The Street of the Four Winds
The Street of the First Shell
The Street of Our Lady of the Fields
Rue Barrée
The Repairer of Reputations
This story involves a man of some means who has delusions of grandeur as he has read The King in Yellow. He dreams of being anointed as The Last King of The Imperial Dynasty of America. However, his cousin, who is a military man, stands in his way.
This is a good opening story as we are introduced to the dreaded tome and the warped effects it has on the human mind. It builds towards a dramatic denouement and is suitably sinister in its descriptions of the unsavoury parts of early 20th century Paris.
The Mask
A sculptor uncovers a scientific means of turning matter into stone, a useful tool for his trade to be sure. However, when a love triangle with his partner and his best friend threatens the tightly connected group, revenge seems on the cards.
This is a romantic story about unrequited love and the curse of the creator when the muse no longer inspires. It builds to a tragic climax but ends quite hopefully.
In the Court of the Dragon
A man reflects upon his life in a church but the organist plays some terrifying music. On his way home the man feels a presence and, through a time loop, ends up back at the church and then at Corcosa where he meets the King in Yellow.
This is a terrifying tale of the eerieness of liminal spaces; a usually knowable space that becomes malevolent within a different context. It features the iconic line, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”
The Yellow Sign
When an artist and his model muse keep seeing a strange man, who they had dreamt about beforehand, they wonder who he is. When they find The King in Yellow book in the library they know that their fate is sealed.
The story is wonderful as the love that grows between the artist and his model is slowly revealed and quite sweetly done. When they are consumed by the book their downfall is assured.
The Demoiselle D'ys
When an American tourist on a hunting tour gets lost in the moors of Britanny, France, he hunkers down for the night. However, before night falls he meets a beautiful and skilled huntress, a young woman who invited him to join her for the night at her castle. The castle seems to be a place out of time and the oddities continue.
This is an intriguing timeslip/ isekai story and, as the American hunter becomes aware of the unusual dialect, lifestyle and conversation, the differences between the time periods becomes more scarily stark.
The Prophets' Paradise
This is a collection of 8 poems based on various themes with different titles: The Studio, The Phantom, The Sacrifice, Destiny, The Throng, The Jester, The Green Room, and The Love Test.
The next three stories, which are not about the King in Yellow mythos, I call the Street Trilogy and I found to be less interesting overall. The Street of the Four Winds is about an artist in Paris who welcomes a stray cat into his home. While philosophising with his new found furry friend, he sees the name tag of the owner and decides to return it. He enters the ornate house and enters the bedroom. This is a strange story and is a bit of a weird tale in the style of Haruki Murakami or Katsuhito Otomo's Memories.
The Street of the First Shell
This concerns the citizens of a besieged city in the Franco-Prussian war. It's a tale of survival and community but also suspicion. It's slow paced and a pretty tough read as there are a lot of characters and political intrigue that I just couldn't get into.
The Street of Our Lady of the Field concerns the travails of love amongst the student art community. It's all quite gentle, playful and freewheeling like the work of Fellini- all vibes and rizz.
Rue Barre
This is quite a sweet love story as boy sees girl, falls in love with girl, buys tonnes of flowers for the girl without her knowing and sends them to her place. So far so stalker but rather than staying in the shadows he goes to speak to her face to face but is politely rejected. The story ends with the pair being awkward and unable to express themselves when the protagonist gets drunk one night and climbs up to her window on the second floor.
Overall, The King in Yellow is a captivating read and it’s a testament to Chambers' skill that his work continues to resonate with readers over a century later. The way he weaves together themes of cosmic horror, madness, and the uncanny is truly masterful. The mysterious play within the book serves as a powerful symbol of the unknown and the terrifying and -with the world in the situation it currently is- completely relatable.
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK: Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review
LINK: The Offworld Collection- Book Review
LINK: Shadow of the Colossus- Book Review
LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum
LINK: The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again
LINK: The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)