geve_'s review against another edition
3.0
This is a series of variably interconnected stories, generally involving or at least mentioning a play that, if read, drives you insane (or enlightens you?), written by the guy who strongly influenced Lovecraft. I am in.
I was a bit hesitant at the beginning of the first story, where it starts off with a historical retelling that is extremely racist, but once I got into the story, it made more sense. It was a very interesting story, and probably the best of all of them. There was a ton of weird, creepy detail in this story, and it did a good job of revealing the world, and the narrator slowly. I will say, I ended up being a touch disappointed
From here, there are a series of different stories, often revolving around girls or at most, 19 year old women falling for the narrator, who is sometimes a 20ish year old man, ok good, or occasionally a much older, even middle aged man (sigh). I was honestly surprised at just how much romance there was in this, and it was VERY 19th century, gothic style. That made the romance pretty childish and stilted (by modern standards), and at best, a little quaint, but it did make the horror aspects pretty fun.
The last few stories were really not horror at all, and I found them pretty boring.
I can def see the influence this had on Lovecraft, and I enjoyed those weird fiction/horror aspects of the stories generally. There were lots of unknowable and unexplained threads that were fun. I think this has aged fairly well, although some of the stories, as I said above, are a bit quaint. Overall, glad to have read it, and enjoyed a handful of the stories quite well.
I was a bit hesitant at the beginning of the first story, where it starts off with a historical retelling that is extremely racist, but once I got into the story, it made more sense. It was a very interesting story, and probably the best of all of them. There was a ton of weird, creepy detail in this story, and it did a good job of revealing the world, and the narrator slowly. I will say, I ended up being a touch disappointed
Spoiler
in that it turns out that the main character is just insane, likely from a brain injury from a fall from a horse, and was not even driven insane by reading the King in Yellow. With all the weird build up, that was kind of a let down of an ending. Still, the story overall was pretty great.From here, there are a series of different stories, often revolving around girls or at most, 19 year old women falling for the narrator, who is sometimes a 20ish year old man, ok good, or occasionally a much older, even middle aged man (sigh). I was honestly surprised at just how much romance there was in this, and it was VERY 19th century, gothic style. That made the romance pretty childish and stilted (by modern standards), and at best, a little quaint, but it did make the horror aspects pretty fun.
The last few stories were really not horror at all, and I found them pretty boring.
I can def see the influence this had on Lovecraft, and I enjoyed those weird fiction/horror aspects of the stories generally. There were lots of unknowable and unexplained threads that were fun. I think this has aged fairly well, although some of the stories, as I said above, are a bit quaint. Overall, glad to have read it, and enjoyed a handful of the stories quite well.
vanessa_issa's review against another edition
2.0
O livro é interessante, mas é preciso ter bastante paciência para analisar o significado de cada conto. Confesso que foi bastante cansativo para mim. É importante ressaltar que li por conta própria, só por diversão, sem que tivesse nenhum guia ou estudo a fazer.
A primeira parte é composta por 4 contos, que tratam de um livro/peça chamado "O Rei de Amarelo", conhecida por causar efeitos traumáticos e enlouquecer as pessoas. Todas as personagens tem muito medo de terem qualquer contato com a história. Esse início é que caracteriza a parte assustadora da obra. Em seguida, temos alguns poemas em prosa que marcam a metade, preparando o leitor para a segunda parte. Daí por diante, aquele enredo da peça é abandonado e o foco é um tanto mais romântico e social.
A primeira parte é composta por 4 contos, que tratam de um livro/peça chamado "O Rei de Amarelo", conhecida por causar efeitos traumáticos e enlouquecer as pessoas. Todas as personagens tem muito medo de terem qualquer contato com a história. Esse início é que caracteriza a parte assustadora da obra. Em seguida, temos alguns poemas em prosa que marcam a metade, preparando o leitor para a segunda parte. Daí por diante, aquele enredo da peça é abandonado e o foco é um tanto mais romântico e social.
bobbert215's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
charliecat's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the first couple stories, and even that one nonsensical chapter.
Slight spoilers -
However the whole book ended up feeling like a ruse for me to read the author's unfinished novella about gaudy parisian students. I did enjoy those chapters, as dense as they were, but I didn't like feeling tricked into reading them. I spent the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop, excited to see where the King in Yellow would come in, but nothing happened.
3 Stars for how enjoyable the first chapters were, but the last part had me fighting to not give it anything less.
Slight spoilers -
However the whole book ended up feeling like a ruse for me to read the author's unfinished novella about gaudy parisian students. I did enjoy those chapters, as dense as they were, but I didn't like feeling tricked into reading them. I spent the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop, excited to see where the King in Yellow would come in, but nothing happened.
3 Stars for how enjoyable the first chapters were, but the last part had me fighting to not give it anything less.
sofipitch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
This is hard to rate bc it is the first 4 stories that are the best. Those are all horror, unreliable narrators, and strange situations. I loved them and can't state which is my favorite. Then the second half was a lot of stories of a guy who is a painter or knows a painter in Paris, in love with some girl. It's legit the setting for like 3/4th the stories, which were all a little boring. I can't tell if they are boring on their own or it's just the shift that made it blah
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
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
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