The King in Yellow

The first five stories are fantastic, but the rest have nothing to do with The King in Yellow or the Yellow Myth. They're not even Horror. Though well written, I totally believe that combination is just a horrible idea and ruins the experience for those who come to this book to be scared or, at the very least, challenged to think.

What an intriguing and beguiling piece of fiction! I first heard about this book in reference to HBO's True Detective as it refers to the title and several plot points throughout the show. Little did I know this book would be a wonderful compilation of short stories, each in its own way both frightening and mysterious. Some of them intermingle and others seem completely separate. All are worth the read.

This book is amazing, disturbing and very enjoyable to read (for a New Yorker) as it describes the city in the late 19th century. Yes, I discovered it through the "True Detective" television series, and I have to say it's been a great way to continue the creepy vibe after the show. However, it really stands on it's own merits as a work of horror.
I'll have to go back and read Ambrose Bierce now to get a better understanding of Carcosa.
As for this edition of the book - it's lovely and perfect. The fabric cover and high-quality paper fit with a book of such historical origin and continued relevance. I also love the blank yellow cover which is suitably creepy. It sort of makes me think of insanity, sickness and a crypt all at the same time.
You can get this book for free on your kindle, but this edition just makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

My first venture into the "classic horror" genre. Well-written vignettes - you can see why H.P. Lovecraft acknowledged this as inspiration. The first 5 stories are horror - but the rest of the book doesn't contain any of those elements (i.e. The King in Yellow). A bit of a letdown - as the idea wasn't fully developed. But otherwise a very interesting read.

I thought the writing was impressive with each story holding up on its own but also strengthened by similar themes from the others.

I enjoyed the view of relationships in the late 1800's and the clear sense of the rules or honor and courtship.

This book has been compared to other fiction by the immortal H P Lovecraft of Providence, Rhode Island. It was referred to numerous times in the screenplay of the First Season of HBO's "True Detective" with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConnahey.

Anyone introduced to this work through True Detective, and expecting to find anything remotely as mystical and powerful as the mythos portrayed in the HBO series, will be horribly disappointed. It's a mix of early gothic horror and short prose that's interesting and competent, but nothing special. It's free, and not the worst read, but this is not Lovecraft.

Anyone introduced to this work through True Detective, and expecting to find anything remotely as mystical and powerful as the mythos portrayed in the HBO series, will be horribly disappointed. It's a mix of early gothic horror and short prose that's interesting and competent, but nothing special. It's free, and not the worst read, but this is not Lovecraft.

The King In Yellow has gained prominence since Nic Pizzolatto acknowledged it as one of his influences in the writing of True Detective. But Chambers' small handful of "Yellow King" stories are far more than antique curios. They'll get under your skin and stay there. Don't read them by yourself at night or you'll sleep with the lights on!

A good read, although the stories shift from "spooky" to romantic about half way through. If you're a fan of Lovecraft you'll likely enjoy the first half; if you like reading about bohemians in besieged 19th century Paris, you'll likely enjoy the second half.

People who say this book does an injustice to true detective or feel ripped off by it due to the show need to do some research.

This book was published in the 1800s and is public domain. There is no copy right and the book is not ripping off a television show that predates the invention of television by many decades.

As for the book itself, the first half was the best for me as it deals with more horror and interesting topics. The second half of stories is still good but if you read cover to cover you will find it getting a tad dull.

For a book over a century old, this still reigns as a good classic, with a cult following.

Great book. The stories related to the king in yellow are disturbing, beautiful, eloquent. The other stories did not really interest me much, but for the king in yellow stories alone, I have to rate 5 stars.

I read this solely because of the reference to The Yellow King in the True Detective series. I can say that in the story called The Repairer of Reputations, the character of Mr.Wilde was described as having yellow skin with fake pink ears. That was the police sketch in the HBO series. Also, it was based on a cult group of insane people believing they were going to take over the world, with the King in Yellow as it's ruler. The book leans more to the supernatural with the other 3 stories, but it was based around the church. I probably enjoyed the first 4 stories, for the most part because I was trying to connect them to the TV series. Kinda hard for me to do, without really putting a lot of thought in to it. So, if you did enjoy HBO's series, you might want to read this also. It's free so nothing lost.

Most of the reviews indicate this was a good book & it started out okay but then it sort of fell apart and was disjointed at the end. I read the whole thing but by the end I didn't really care anymore. I read it because it seemed to be important to the story line in HBO's True Detective but it did little to enlighten - the references in the book were pretty much the same vague details as revealed in the show. The whole Yellow King story is NOT revealed in this book - all tease and no substance. I did not get any essence of creepiness from the book. The TV show did a better job in that department.

A book of strange, entertaining stories with a similar tone to HP Lovecraft but predating his work. Many of the stories tie in to a fantastical book within the book, also titled "The King in Yellow", which is noted to be remarkable in both the quality of it as a literary achievement and in the terrible mental degeneration some readers are afflicted with. The later tales seem to drift to the topic of the lives of various artisans in bohemian Paris, and making any sense of them requires at minimum some small historical and cultural knowledge of the times and place.

It is nice that someone decided to republish this book (when I was a kid it was almost impossible to find). Anyway, the edition is nice, but it would be cool if someone did an academic edition of the book. I am surprised no one has thought of this yet.

I originally got into this book because of the first season of True Detective (which I loved) however after reading the book I must admit the two are scarcely related. Some of the stories in this book are really good and have a macabre attractiveness similar to that of an Edgar Allen Poe (although not as masterful). Some stories though we're hard to follow or hard to connect to while other stories would build you up to an ending that left me simply scratching my head. The first half was better than the second. Will I keep it in my Kindle for future reference or to read again? Probably not. Was it a waste of time? By no means whatsoever.

First half of the book is the more interesting read, with the second half devolving into romantic stories and less of the weird fiction that makes the first half a stronger read. Definitely interesting to see how some of Chambers' writing would go on to influence H. P. Lovecraft and others. Not a must read by any means, but an interesting one for context and influence on other writers.

I read this because of the connection to TRUE DETECTIVE and found some of the stories amazing, enthralling, inspiring and devious. But some of the others were weaker. The opening story, set in an entirely wild 19th century futuristic conception of Manhattan between Union and Washington Square is fabulous. It is truly scary. The stories about the artists and models living in Paris and unable to resist the lure of a book known to drive people mad is also top notch, Poe-like fun. The last few stories, including a life under siege during war and an Edith Wharton-ish tale of ex-pat artists are much less intriguing.

I guess my expectations were too high on this one. I picked it up after reading about how I HAD to read The King in Yellow to fully understand TRUE DETECTIVE on HBO (didn't work) and how influential the book had been to famous fantasy writers.

It started strong and I thought there would be a mindblowing thread about a secret and horrifying book throughout, but that thread died out early on and now I can't honestly say I remember what any of the later stories in the book were about.

The first half of this book was wonderful - feeling halfway between Poe and Lovecraft. The second half, however, was so so at best, having few if any of the "weird fiction" elements present in the first. They feel like two different books.