The King in Yellow, Deluxe Edition: An early classic of the weird fiction genre
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Even H. P. Lovecraft, whose esteem sustains the reputations of many other writers, admitted that the four linked stories constituting The King in Yellow were of "uneven interest," so don't blame Culbard if you're hardly knocked out by his adaptation. Animating the eventually fatal scenarios of them all is a play of unknown authorship, The King in Yellow, that turns anyone who reads it to the dark side, where he climactically expires in murder, suicide, madness, or "the hands of the living god." Prefacing the lot is a scene in which a "lethal chamber"—a euthanasia emporium—is ceremonially opened in 1890s New York. The victims include a former mental-asylum patient, a sculptor, and two painters—friends—as well as some cryptic, sinister little men as pale as death. Culbard draws them in a stripped-down Modiglianish manner, keeping background detail to a minimum and the colors flat and dusty. Lovecraftians will want to give Culbard's visual resurrection of Chambers' fin de siècle spook show a look. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

This is a graphic adaptation by Culbard (The New Deadwardians) of Chambers's (1865–1933) renowned collection of the same name. In the original work, Chambers weaves ten creepy, supernatural stories that served as a major inspiration for horror writer H.P. Lovecraft (1890–1937). The first four tales showcased in the illustrated version are significant owing to their direct reference to a play called The King in Yellow and/or a yellow sign. All who read the play, in which an evil, insuppressible force stalks its prey, then infects the victims with a cosmic knowledge that the fragile human mind can't handle, or encounter the yellow sign either go mad or meet some type of early demise, which is the thread that binds these stories. Culbard's illustrations and muted colors vibrate with a menacing darkness, bringing to life the eerie, otherworldliness of Chambers's fiction. Verdict Essential for all readers of Lovecraft. Adults and teens who are fans of old-school horror will delight in these macabre tales. But anyone who isn't interested in spooky or potential hysteria upon reading should avoid The King in Yellow...if you can.—Laura McKinley, Huntington P.L., NY (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.