The King in Yellow is a collection of ten stories by Robert Chambers first published in 1895. The first four stories revolve around a fictional play titled The King in Yellow, which drives people insane once the second act is read. The fifth story is a weird fiction tale which, except for some use of names, seems unrelated to the first four. The sixth is written as a prose poem. The final four revolve around young artists living in the Latin Quarter of Paris, with each one’s title referring to a street. Those four stories were probably based on the author's experiences as an art student in Paris.
I liked the four King in Yellow stories a lot. They were dream-like, atmospheric, and eerie. I see why they are so well regarded, why H. P. Lovecraft was impressed with them, and why they became part of his Cthulhu Mythos. The King in Yellow also shows up in the first season of True Detective, which is where I first heard about it.
I knew going in that there were only four actual King in Yellow stories, so I was wondering how I was going to like the others, especially after seeing mostly negative comments. I was pleasantly surprised. After some initial hesitation I wound up enjoying most of the other stories as well. It was an odd transition though and I feel that the stories about young artists in Paris would have fit better in a different collection. Then again, if they were in a different collection, I probably would never have sought them out and read them.
I read The Haunted Library of Horror Classics Edition from Poison Pen Press. It includes all the ten of the original stories as well as annotations from co-editor Leslie S. Klinger. If you don’t want to bother with the later stories, Pushkin Press has a slim edition that only includes the first four stories. It’s more expensive than the Poison Pen Press softcover but it’s a hardcover, although rather small.
The four stories are also available along with the rest of the author’s weird fiction in The Yellow Sign and Other Stories: The Complete Weird Tales of Robert W. Chambers, edited by S. T. Joshi from Chaosium. Petty creepy cover.
I’m fascinated with the different ways authors can influence each other. In Supernatural Horror in Literature, Lovecraft points out that Chambers was influenced by American author Ambrose Bierce, “It is worth observing that the author derives most of the names and allusions connected with his eldritch land of primal memory from the tales of Ambrose Bierce.”
Chambers borrowed names from two stories, Hastur from “Haita the Shepherd” and Hali and Carcosa from “An Inhabitant of Carcosa.” Both of which I read before starting this book of course. Lovecraft reportedly read The King in Yellow in 1927 and added some elements to his Cthulhu Mythos. Names from The King in Yellow appear in Lovecraft’s 1931 tale, The Whisper in the Darkness.
The Stories:
“The Repairer of Reputations”
Hildred Castaigne reads The King in Yellow while recovering from a head injury. Afterwards he associates with Mr. Wilde, an eccentric man known as “The Repairer of Reputations” who he believes can help him become the King of “The Imperial Dynasty of America.” There’s a lot going on in this story and Chambers pulls it off brilliantly.
“The Mask”
A sculptor (mentioned briefly in the previous story) creates a solution that can turn any living thing into marble. A mysterious solution and love triangle. This story felt like a dark fairy tale.
“In the Court of the Dragon”
A man who has been reading The King in Yellow attends a sermon at his favorite church. He leaves after he sees a sinister looking organist but then finds that the organist is following him. Chilling.
“The Yellow Sign”
Artist Mr. Scott (seems to be Jack Scott from The Mask) is repelled by a watchman he sees in a nearby churchyard. The descriptions of the watchman are just one of the highlights of this story. His model Tessie has morbid dreams about a hearse. Excellent escalation of tension and dread culminating in a powerful ending.
“The Demoiselle of d’Ys”
An American hunting in the Brittany region of France gets lost in the moors. He meets a young woman named Jeanne d’Ys and she takes him to her home. A beautifully told story.
The name d’Ys caught my attention. It reminded me of one of the first import RPG video games that I played, Ys I & II, a compilation of Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished and Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter. I liked the music so much that I bought the soundtrack.
In M. Grant Kellermeyer’s summary and analysis of “The Demoiselle of d’Ys” (available to read on the OldStyle Tales Press website) he has this to say:
“One of the Breton legends that fascinated Chambers was the story of the City of Ys, a mythical metropolis that was built below sea level on the coast, where the sea was held back by towering dikes. Like Atlantis, Sodom, and — less mythically — Pompeii, Ys was known for its decadence and for its catastrophic destruction.”
He goes on to say, “While Chamber’s tale has little to do with the actual myth of Ys, the themes of both stories are consistent…” I’ll stop there as the rest of the quote includes spoilers.
“The Prophet’s Paradise”
This one is told in a series of poetic-prose sections. I didn’t care for it as I couldn’t make much sense of it.
“The Street of the Four Winds”
A poor artist feeds a cat that shows up. When he discovers who it belongs to he attempts to take it back to its owner. More of a sketch than a full story but I enjoyed it.
“The Street of the First Shell”
This is a love story set during the Franco-Prussian war. Trent is an American in Paris trying to remain safe with other struggling artists during the Siege of Paris. The story is told in four parts. I loved the writing in the opening paragraphs but then I lost interest quickly. A revelation at the end of part two regained my interest a little. Then part three grabbed me and really pulled me back in.
Trent joins the defenders of Paris and takes part in a chaotic and intense battle in fog. It’s one of the best depictions of a battle that I’ve ever read. I felt like I was reading one of Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe novels. Next, I was in suspense all throughout the fourth part and couldn’t wait to get to the end. I almost gave up on this story but now I’m glad that I didn’t.
“The Street of Our Lady of the Fields”
A naive American art student arrives in Paris. He falls for a young woman who acts strangely when he shows interest in her. She tells him not to speak of her to the other students. While it’s melodramatic and corny I thought the ending had such raw emotion. Sometimes I’m just a sentimental fool I guess.
“Rue Barrée”
Art students vie for the affection of a young lady they pass by regularly. They name her after the street Rue Barrée as they don’t know her name. I didn’t care for this one as the main character makes some odd choices and the ending didn’t work for me.
The Hastur Cycle
After The King in Yellow, Chambers wrote mostly romantic and historical fiction. He returned to weird fiction later in his career but apparently those later works didn’t have the same impact. While it’s a shame Chambers didn’t write further King in Yellow stories, other authors have written stories in what has become to be known as the Hastur Cycle.
Hastur Cycle stories can be found in The Hastur Cycle: 13 Tales that Created and Define Dread Hastur, the King in Yellow, Nighted Yuggoth, and Dire Carcosa, edited by Robert Price from Chaosium. It includes thirteen stories from a variety of authors. Besides Bierce, Chambers, and Lovecraft, authors included are Karl Edward Wagner, James Blish, Arthur Machen, Richard A. Lupoff, Ramsey Campbell, James Wade, August Derleth, Joseph Wayne Brennan (2nd edition only) and Lin Carter.
Final Thoughts
I wasn’t familiar with the book Lovecraft mentions in the opening quote, Trilby by George du Maurier. But it turns out that I am familiar with one of the characters, the rogue, musician, and hypnotist Svengali. I just never knew his origins.
I was so drawn into the world of The King in Yellow stories that I didn’t really notice anything else. It wasn’t until the later stories about the young artists that I noticed how lyrical Chamber’s prose could be. It made me realize how much I like his writing. While I enjoyed the weird fiction stories the most, I’m glad that I read the entire collection.
My Story Ratings:
The Repairer of Reputations (5/5)
The Mask (4/5)
In the Court of the Dragon (4/5)
The Yellow Sign (5/5)
The Demoiselle of d’Ys (5/5)
The Prophet’s Paradise (2/5)
The Street of the Four Winds (3/5)
The Street of the First Shell (3.5/5)
The Street of Our Lady of the Fields (5/5)
Rue Barrée (2/5)
