The King in Yellow

Getting through this book was a trawl, like dredging for fish in the north sea, essential if you own a chip shop in the Isles of Scilly or something and have lots of famished customers.

It requires a lot of effort and I went through two distinct phases of almost giving up, initially after the first story ‘The Repairer of Reputations’ undoubtedly the most bizarre and famous tale in this collection and then about two thirds of the way through due to the final two stories being so long, winding, not horror, and rather boring.

It’s a shame because some of the stories here are wonderful and I particularly enjoyed the first non-weird fiction tale ‘The Demoiselle d'Ys’, a fantasy time-traveling adventure about a man who seeks his muse, finds her, then has to deal with the illusion of it not being what it seems, similar to some of my recurring dreams in real life. It’s that romance element that takes over for the rest of the book as we get more embroiled in bohemian life in Paris. Unfortunately this unconventional art almost ruins this book and the final two stories should have been left out completely, remembering however that Robert W. Chambers is known for writing romance, but begs the question why include them in this anthology?

There’s an amazing snippet of text however that had me cackling into the pillow at the end of a long day, like you’re right there looking out the window and observing a creepy man in the street.

This is a particular writing knack of repeating the same sentiment in different words to make a point, which works beautifully here, but not always throughout the book.

There’s also another absorbing story ‘The Street of the First Shell‘, which isn’t horror exactly, but recounts trudging into war, getting flanked, being told to march on and face the guns and shells, witnessing dying and death all around you, and then what it’s like to be back home with your loved ones also being bombarded.

Unfortunately, I struggled to complete the book so much I can only give it 3 stars, although I might revise that opinion in the future.

It’s the sort of anthology to keep perpetually open to come back to and read a story now and again and, best of all, it makes other volumes by esteemed horror writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft seem less daunting.

Robert W. Chambers isn’t always enjoyable and this collection is a mixed bag and frustrating, but he writes with passion and makes you think and reflect, which are important qualities, just don’t expect to be always entertained.