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The King in Yellow
Between the covers of this small, unassuming book lies a tale one hundred years in the making. Banned by the governments of Europe upon its publication, burned by the zealots of religion and sanity, its very name only whispered in the shadows by decadent artists: THE KING IN YELLOW, a play for the damned and the lost.
112 pages, Paperback
First published March 26, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 25, 2017
Before discussing Thom Ryng's creation, some clarifications are in order. The King in Yellow is the title of a short story collection by Robert W. Chambers, first published in 1895. It contains some magnificent individual pieces, including "The Yellow Sign" and "The Repairer of Reputations", which allude to a mysterious play entitled "The King in Yellow". The play is described as a masterpiece of decadent aesthetics. Some of the characters and locations, a few quotes and details of the plot are scattered throughout these stories, but reading the play in its entirety is said to drive you mad.
In "Supernatural Horror in Literature", his influential essay of 1945, Howard P. Lovecraft included Chamber's collection in his round up of classic weird fiction. It is presumably as a result of this that Hastur, Carcosa and the Yellow Sign have since been incorporated into what is termed the Cthulhu Mythos – that increasingly loose set of tropes based upon Lovecraft's own fictional work. In fact, Chamber's stories of decadent artists, transgressive love and world-warping guilt are a poor match for the Mythos and contain no tentacles whatsoever (they are possibly an even worse match for the first season of True Detective, but people find inspiration where they find it).
So what is this slim volume, sharing the title of Chamber's collection but published in 2006? It is Ryng's attempt to reconstruct the script of that maddening play. As acknowledged in the introduction, he is not the first to do this, but Ryng has taken an interesting and I feel successful stance. 1895 was the heyday of the Grand Guignol, the Parisian theatre of horror. In combining the shards provided by Chambers with the conventions of the Grand Guignol, he had created an entirely workable play that was indeed performed in Seattle in 1999.
Taking his principal inspiration from "The Repairer of Reputations" (with a nod to the Pyramid Texts), he bases the action upon a struggle for the throne of an Empire, once great but now riven with corruption, famine and rebellion. In their palace overlooking the Lake of Hali, the royal family distract themselves with balls and intrigue, any effective response stymied by the melancholy conviction of Queen Cassilda that this is the age of the Prophecy, that her line will fail and be replaced by the King "who hunts and eats the world". The fratricidal plotting (spurred on by a clergy who interpret the Prophecy as meaning they shall rule) is interrupted by the arrival of a masked stranger, claiming to be a messenger of the King. It is not giving too much away to say that, after the masquerade which ends Act I ("You, sir, should unmask"), things go rapidly downhill. Torture, murder, mutilation and existential doubt are paralleled by a progressive degeneration of the physical set, until both characters and audience reach their ultimate destination.
Whatever it says about my sanity, I found this to be an interesting little piece, that functions as nicely as a satire on this contemporary world as it does as a decadent fantasy.
In "Supernatural Horror in Literature", his influential essay of 1945, Howard P. Lovecraft included Chamber's collection in his round up of classic weird fiction. It is presumably as a result of this that Hastur, Carcosa and the Yellow Sign have since been incorporated into what is termed the Cthulhu Mythos – that increasingly loose set of tropes based upon Lovecraft's own fictional work. In fact, Chamber's stories of decadent artists, transgressive love and world-warping guilt are a poor match for the Mythos and contain no tentacles whatsoever (they are possibly an even worse match for the first season of True Detective, but people find inspiration where they find it).
So what is this slim volume, sharing the title of Chamber's collection but published in 2006? It is Ryng's attempt to reconstruct the script of that maddening play. As acknowledged in the introduction, he is not the first to do this, but Ryng has taken an interesting and I feel successful stance. 1895 was the heyday of the Grand Guignol, the Parisian theatre of horror. In combining the shards provided by Chambers with the conventions of the Grand Guignol, he had created an entirely workable play that was indeed performed in Seattle in 1999.
Taking his principal inspiration from "The Repairer of Reputations" (with a nod to the Pyramid Texts), he bases the action upon a struggle for the throne of an Empire, once great but now riven with corruption, famine and rebellion. In their palace overlooking the Lake of Hali, the royal family distract themselves with balls and intrigue, any effective response stymied by the melancholy conviction of Queen Cassilda that this is the age of the Prophecy, that her line will fail and be replaced by the King "who hunts and eats the world". The fratricidal plotting (spurred on by a clergy who interpret the Prophecy as meaning they shall rule) is interrupted by the arrival of a masked stranger, claiming to be a messenger of the King. It is not giving too much away to say that, after the masquerade which ends Act I ("You, sir, should unmask"), things go rapidly downhill. Torture, murder, mutilation and existential doubt are paralleled by a progressive degeneration of the physical set, until both characters and audience reach their ultimate destination.
Whatever it says about my sanity, I found this to be an interesting little piece, that functions as nicely as a satire on this contemporary world as it does as a decadent fantasy.
March 4, 2019
“Tell us a story,” my players said.
So I told them stories of dragons and dungeons, of fallen gods and risen corporations, of all the wonders that humans have fancied.
“No, tell us the other story,” they said.
And I sighed, and began to tell the stories of the ones who were before time and after space. I told of those who lurk beneath the skin of the world. And I saw their hearts quicken with fear, but their eyes glimmered with desire.
“No, tell us the other story,” they said. I replied that I would rather not, and wouldn’t they prefer a fine old dungeon crawl? “No,” they said. “Tell us the other story.”
So I pulled Mr. Ryng’s script from my shelf. I read its words, derivative of Shakespeare and fin de siècle, but so it must be, for it is art that makes the world rot. I read his words, his fine words, and I knew.
And now I will tell them the story, and they will hear his words, and see Carcosa.
It’s a shame, really. It’s quite a nice play.
So I told them stories of dragons and dungeons, of fallen gods and risen corporations, of all the wonders that humans have fancied.
“No, tell us the other story,” they said.
And I sighed, and began to tell the stories of the ones who were before time and after space. I told of those who lurk beneath the skin of the world. And I saw their hearts quicken with fear, but their eyes glimmered with desire.
“No, tell us the other story,” they said. I replied that I would rather not, and wouldn’t they prefer a fine old dungeon crawl? “No,” they said. “Tell us the other story.”
So I pulled Mr. Ryng’s script from my shelf. I read its words, derivative of Shakespeare and fin de siècle, but so it must be, for it is art that makes the world rot. I read his words, his fine words, and I knew.
And now I will tell them the story, and they will hear his words, and see Carcosa.
It’s a shame, really. It’s quite a nice play.
June 22, 2013
This play is a pastiche of "The Tempest", "Othello", and "Hamlet". It was easy to pick out the Shakespearian qualities which lead to the play being extremely redundant. But... the play had an easy flow and was a quick read.
It just didn't do anything for me, which is sad because the back of the play and the forewords really had me intrigued.
It just didn't do anything for me, which is sad because the back of the play and the forewords really had me intrigued.
December 30, 2014
Very strong collection of short pieces. Unfortunately, when I was reading this, I was under the impression that it was a novel told in disjointed narratives. That was a bit confusing.
These two I absolutely adored:
> The Mask
> The Demoiselle D'Ys
These two I absolutely adored:
> The Mask
> The Demoiselle D'Ys
February 4, 2014
interesting take on the play, although very directed in the author telling you what you see, feel etc.
April 7, 2022
Thom Ryng's take on The King in Yellow is nowhere near as esoteric and mysterious as James Blish or Simon Bucher-Jones's and as a result, it's much less convincing as the "real" play described by Robert W. Chambers. However, it's much longer and much more performable as an actual work of theatre.
The play feels like an homage to Shakespearean tragedy infused with suspense and horror elements. It won't drive audiences to madness, but it could at least astonish and excite them. The plot isn't groundbreaking as Shakespeare himself already did much of it better, but it's still appreciated as there aren't many modern plays that attempt a plot of this style.
The play feels like an homage to Shakespearean tragedy infused with suspense and horror elements. It won't drive audiences to madness, but it could at least astonish and excite them. The plot isn't groundbreaking as Shakespeare himself already did much of it better, but it's still appreciated as there aren't many modern plays that attempt a plot of this style.
April 4, 2021
I was quite curious what to expect from this play after finding out that the legendary John Tynes of Delta Green fame published it. After roughly an hour I was left rather disappointed. Especially after recently working through Denis Dettwiller's incredible DG-campagin IMPOSSIBLE LANDSCAPES, which deals with the same topic and is inspired by the same literary foundation, this work strikes me as boring, repetitive and badly written. It evokes in no way or form the feelings I generally associate with the King in Yellow.
May 1, 2018
Dry in a way that I find much older horror/fantasy tales. But if you like Lovecraft, etc, this is one of his forerunners. I enjoyed the read, as I'm always interested in early horror/fantasy stories. It was a nice collection of four tales.
August 6, 2024
This was not a planned purchase but I was halfway through the first story and realized it was one of my better impulse buys. The King in Yellow is an obsession, a twisted perception and a literary addiction. I was simultaneously unnerved and enthralled, I didn't want it to end.
May 5, 2018
A must read!
January 1, 2024
Pretty decent. Very ambiguous, even for a book in that genre. Def can see the influence it had on Lovecraft though
Fav story was In the Court of the Dragon
Fav story was In the Court of the Dragon
March 5, 2014
Seems like flowery, long-winded prose is something to my liking. Also, tales of madness and desperation.
The first four stories in this collection are what you could consider 'real' King in Yellow tales, something that later inspired H.P. Lovecraft and other writers to depict the broken towers of Lost Carcosa and dark waters of Lake Hali. Among these, 'Repairer of Reputations' and 'The Yellow Sign' stand as exceptional and convey a genuine sence of disturbance and madness within us. Rest of the stories are romantic tales that revolve around ghosts, siege of Paris, artists' life in Paris, and so on. Interesting in their own way, though some of them leave an impression as if they were concluded without an actual conclusion.
5 stars for the King in Yellow part. 3 stars for rest of the stories.
The first four stories in this collection are what you could consider 'real' King in Yellow tales, something that later inspired H.P. Lovecraft and other writers to depict the broken towers of Lost Carcosa and dark waters of Lake Hali. Among these, 'Repairer of Reputations' and 'The Yellow Sign' stand as exceptional and convey a genuine sence of disturbance and madness within us. Rest of the stories are romantic tales that revolve around ghosts, siege of Paris, artists' life in Paris, and so on. Interesting in their own way, though some of them leave an impression as if they were concluded without an actual conclusion.
5 stars for the King in Yellow part. 3 stars for rest of the stories.
October 26, 2012
I read this a prop for a Cthulhu game.
The story itself is a very generic take on a very generic subject. There is a plot to take over the throne. The court intrigue is painted over some surreal and apocalyptic themes.
The book is small, quick read, written in the form of a script for a play.
It doesn't really hit the mark as far as feeling like a nineteenth century text. The style, the language, and the dialogue are quite modern.
Despite all the indications that it should be a flop as a story, I still liked it. It wasn't that bad.
The story itself is a very generic take on a very generic subject. There is a plot to take over the throne. The court intrigue is painted over some surreal and apocalyptic themes.
The book is small, quick read, written in the form of a script for a play.
It doesn't really hit the mark as far as feeling like a nineteenth century text. The style, the language, and the dialogue are quite modern.
Despite all the indications that it should be a flop as a story, I still liked it. It wasn't that bad.
December 31, 2024
A great diversion from what I usually read. This book was written in 1895 and has, to me, the feel of Edgar Allen Poe meets The Twilight Zone. The stories are surreal, mixing horror and romance. The common thread to otherwise unrelated stories is a play called "The King in Yellow", which either drives people crazy or lures them into some other sinister fate if they read it. I really enjoyed it, and appreciated the way in which it was written - they just don't write 'em like that anymore!
May 14, 2014
I picked this book up because of some references from the series True Detective.
Although I gained no insight to the show I did enjoy the first half.
I found it interesting to read a book from the late 1800's that was not a "Classic" in the scholastic sense.
The short stories just stopped being engaging about half way through.
However the book was free from amazon.com so no loss there.
Although I gained no insight to the show I did enjoy the first half.
I found it interesting to read a book from the late 1800's that was not a "Classic" in the scholastic sense.
The short stories just stopped being engaging about half way through.
However the book was free from amazon.com so no loss there.
May 21, 2018
One (long) sentence review:
A lovercraftian tale about a mind shattering device - a book, told closely or from a far by collection of stories that feel weird - like a future with suicidehouses or a weird birdloving zealot princes and her pet-play wanting hero protagonist, great if you want to feel confused.
A lovercraftian tale about a mind shattering device - a book, told closely or from a far by collection of stories that feel weird - like a future with suicidehouses or a weird birdloving zealot princes and her pet-play wanting hero protagonist, great if you want to feel confused.
March 16, 2014
The first two or three stories were awesome, but than the others had no reference or even mention of the yellow king and that kind of bummed me out. Would be kool to have more stories like the first few ones that were written.
March 10, 2014
The first four plays, regarding the King in Yellow were all pretty great but I kind of started to snooze after that!
March 10, 2014
The first 5 stories are great! I enjoy classical horror and they're a nice addition to the psudo-supernatural cosmic horror genre. The rest of the book did nothing for me.
May 6, 2014
كنت فاكر إنها أمتع من كده، رعب كلاسيكي ملهاش علاقه اوي بالمسلسل
بس فيه رابط بينها و بين حاجات زي filth & fight club
ال ثيم الوحيد اللي ممكن يكون رابط بين القصص الجنون و اليأس
بس فيه رابط بينها و بين حاجات زي filth & fight club
ال ثيم الوحيد اللي ممكن يكون رابط بين القصص الجنون و اليأس
May 7, 2015
Leaves your Brian tingling, I promise
December 21, 2021
Thom Ryng did a great job at imagining the fabled King In Yellow play. I can only be grateful I didn't go insane after Act 2.
The twin suns sink below the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.
The twin suns sink below the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.
March 22, 2014
A whole book of short stories and only two of them are interesting. A real shame.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews