The King In Yellow (1895)

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers (1895) – A collection of short stories with an interesting spread to them.  The first four have a strongly supernatural feel and a connection to a play that can inspire madness in those who read it, “The King in Yellow”.  The supernatural aspect fades quickly in the remaining six stories.  All are worth reading.

This is a book I had never heard of but it turns out to have a certain fame of its own.  One writer called the book and the city of Carcosa that figures in the book as the most famous character and fictional location reference you’ve never heard of.  I think that might be true.

There appears to have been an actual play entitled “The King in Yellow” written in the 1870’s by a Ukranian named Vitaly Savinski.  There is no known printed copy of it (or I can find no reference to it) and it is unclear if it has ever been performed.  There were a preview and a performance of it scheduled in London in 1895, but again, it is unclear if they took place.

In the stories, the first act of the play is quite normal.  But the second act will drive the reader or the audience member to despair or madness.  The Yellow King is treated as a supernatural being with existence beyond the stage and there is something called the “Yellow Sign” that is connected to him.  It is all delightfully creepy.

If any of this sounds familiar it is because H.P. Lovecraft read the book in the 1920’s and included references to it in his Cthulu mythology.  Others have picked it up along the way.

For me, this is what horror should be about.  It isn’t about graphic descriptions of violence and gore.  The author leads you to the edge and then allows your imagination to fill in the blanks.  The best writers in the field allow the reader to mine their own fears and imaginations for the most terrifying imagery.

It’s a fascinating collection of stories.  The first four may stick with you forever.

Rating – **** Recommended