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horizonlights's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
joshparr's review against another edition
3.0
This reads surprisingly modern for a book written in the late 1800s. The stories do decline in quality throughout, and there is a sharp drop-off once they veer away from cosmic horror and into lukewarm tales of love in the Parisian Latin Quarter. The Repairer of Reputations, The Mask and The Demoiselle d'Ys stood, to me, head and shoulders above the rest.
katiescho741's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed these weird little stories. I loved the fantasy Twilight Zone feel of them, with everything feeling slightly off or based on a creepy concept.
My least favourite was The Court of the Dragon, but I loved the rest of them, and I could never guess where they would go. I love the idea of this intense, forbidden play that drives people mad, and the fact that you never know when or where the reference will come in each tale.
These tales were very readable as well. I have read many older/classic books, and sometimes they can be very heavy and long winded, but these stories felt very modern, and it was easy to get caught up in the weird fantasy/horror worlds they created.
We don't know why we are afraid of The King in Yellow and his world, but we know that we must be.
My least favourite was The Court of the Dragon, but I loved the rest of them, and I could never guess where they would go. I love the idea of this intense, forbidden play that drives people mad, and the fact that you never know when or where the reference will come in each tale.
These tales were very readable as well. I have read many older/classic books, and sometimes they can be very heavy and long winded, but these stories felt very modern, and it was easy to get caught up in the weird fantasy/horror worlds they created.
We don't know why we are afraid of The King in Yellow and his world, but we know that we must be.
praedatrix's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
reynaskywalker's review against another edition
4.0
the nature of books of short stories means i waffle between three & five stars, so i compromise. some of these slay (literal). some of these slay (figurative). and some of these. are there
shmark's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
old_odd_biscuit's review against another edition
3.0
The first 4 stories are excellent examples of subtle/weird horror, with some impressive ideas that seem surprisingly modern. A cursed book that drives you insane if you read it, ties them together, and was clearly the inspiration for H. P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon.
Two of the stories are set in an imagined 1920s, making them early examples of science fiction. The government department of suicide in The Repairer of Reputations anticipates current news of the Sarco assisted suicide pod, although Futurama predicted it more recently in 1999.
The Demoiselle D'Ys is a great time slip story, and The Street of the Four Winds a lovely cat-lover tale with a macabre end.
The rest of the collection have no supernatural element, and are instead a separate cycle of stories about Paris and recurring characters living in the Latin Quarter.
The Street of the First Shell is a war story set in the 1870 Seige of Paris, apparently featuring characters from the author's novel published the year before. There is a wonderful atmosphere and description but on first reading I felt annoyed by how inconsequential it felt.
Also worth highlighting is the final story, Rue Baree, which is a straight romance story and is sensitively written.
As a collection, The King in Yellow suffers from being so sharply divided between two genres, horror and historical romance. I came to it for the horror stories so the rest felt like a meal I didn't order. I might better appreciate them on a second read in a more receptive frame of mind.
But I must say that while parts were not gripping, it was never uninteresting. The details of ordinary life and the experiences of love are well written. Overall, this is a remarkably modern-feeling work for having been written in 1895. My old belief that all Victorian writing was as ornate as Conan Doyle has been dispelled by my recent exploration of works like this.
Two of the stories are set in an imagined 1920s, making them early examples of science fiction. The government department of suicide in The Repairer of Reputations anticipates current news of the Sarco assisted suicide pod, although Futurama predicted it more recently in 1999.
The Demoiselle D'Ys is a great time slip story, and The Street of the Four Winds a lovely cat-lover tale with a macabre end.
The rest of the collection have no supernatural element, and are instead a separate cycle of stories about Paris and recurring characters living in the Latin Quarter.
The Street of the First Shell is a war story set in the 1870 Seige of Paris, apparently featuring characters from the author's novel published the year before. There is a wonderful atmosphere and description but on first reading I felt annoyed by how inconsequential it felt.
Also worth highlighting is the final story, Rue Baree, which is a straight romance story and is sensitively written.
As a collection, The King in Yellow suffers from being so sharply divided between two genres, horror and historical romance. I came to it for the horror stories so the rest felt like a meal I didn't order. I might better appreciate them on a second read in a more receptive frame of mind.
But I must say that while parts were not gripping, it was never uninteresting. The details of ordinary life and the experiences of love are well written. Overall, this is a remarkably modern-feeling work for having been written in 1895. My old belief that all Victorian writing was as ornate as Conan Doyle has been dispelled by my recent exploration of works like this.