The King in Yellow
Publisher: Standard Ebooks
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Subjects: Short stories, American; Horror tales, American; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
Description: <p><i>The King in Yellow</i> is a fascinating, almost two-faced work. The first half consists of five legendary weird tales, loosely tied together by a fictional play—the eponymous <i>King in Yellow</i>—that drives those who read it mad. Celebrated by authors like <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/h-p-lovecraft"><abbr>H. P.</abbr> Lovecraft</a> and Lin Carter, these stories are classic tales of madness, despair, and strange happenings.</p>
			<p>With the fifth tale the reader finds a sort of palate-cleansing collection of short prose-poems leading into the last four stories, which take a sharp turn away from the weird and into the romantic. The concluding tales are set in the Parisian art world.</p>
			<p>In modern times <i>The King in Yellow</i> enjoys a reputation largely due to the strength of its first half of macabre tales, but by no means does that make the second half less enjoyable. Both halves are written in a quick, light prose style that demonstrates why <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/robert-w-chambers">Chambers</a> was a best-seller in his day.</p>