The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
The King in Yellow is a classic example of “strange fiction.” The main representative of this largely American tradition, which gives us the impression that there are dark and hideous powers lurking beneath the surface of our world, is H P Lovecraft.
A wide variety of genres are combined in The King in Yellow, which makes it interesting. It will start with a piece of social science fiction, a la H. G. Wells, Edward Bellamy, and William Morris. It envisions a militaristic regime that promotes euthanasia taking over America in the near future.
The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
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It is also a supernatural story about The King in Yellow, a book written by a demon whose reading always results in madness and death. The entire situation could perhaps be a fantasy created in a crazy home. What makes the text so intriguing is its inherent instability. Where do we as readers stand? Is the author crazy? Simply put, we lack any basis for knowledge.
And “The King in Yellow,” a collection of short stories by Robert Chambers that is loosely bound together by a mystery drama of exquisite terror, is one of the most alluring sources of horror and lunacy. The problem is that the second half of the collection is simply less compelling. The horror stories included here are some of the best examples of classic horror that can be discovered, full of the ragged decay of the unseen and the bewitching power that mere words can only hint at. “The King In Yellow,” a play whose plot and characters are never completely explored beyond a few snippets of song and brief descriptions of the setting, unites the first four pieces.
The genius of this plot device is that Chambers largely enables the reader to use their imagination. He allows us to picture something so magnificent yet terrifying that it could drive someone insane (“Carcosa where black stars hang in the heavens”), and plants a few hauntingly beautiful, unsettling images in the reader’s head. Since just reading these stories might result in emotions ranging from nightmares and illness to full madness, they are ultimate perfection, both horrific and lyrically wonderful (down to declaring oneself to be king of America). The subsequent stories don’t have that quality, which is the issue. Although they continue to be excellent and frequently wonderfully written, it can be disappointing to read stories that fail to frighten or enthral as Chambers did.
An artist converses with a scrawny cat and eventually tries to take her back to her mistress, Sylvia Elven; a story set during the Franco-Prussian War in which an artist’s life is destroyed by the impending German attack; and two romantic relationships between young people are among these stories.
