Reviews

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

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fermentedsorcerer's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Unfortunately, the macabre tone and "king in yellow" motif are exchanged part way through the book for Parisian romance. The former would have been sufficient for a mysterious and thrilling experience but the major tone shift part way through obscured my enjoyment. Regardless, the first four stories are highly recommended.

paperbackjourneys's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

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mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kermittfrog's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

flabslacey's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

rach_eb's review against another edition

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4.0

"Weird" is the perfect word for these eerie, unsettling stories centered around a book that drives those who read it mad. I can see why this is considered a classic of the genre.

Fair warning, the first story in this edition "The Repairer of Reputations" is set in a white 1890s man's idea of a utopic USA, and the description of this setting contains, well, exactly the sort of racist, xenophobic stuff you might expect.