Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
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Synopsis
An important early classic of fantasy/sci-fi. [Main story:] The ill effects of a soul-destroying play, to read which brings doom. A discovery that changes living flesh to stone. The mad adherents of a cult of evil powers from beyond. A lost traveler is suddenly 400 years in the past. Great writing; powerful emotions. Chambers wrote mainly conventional stuff, but not here.
Is The King in Yellow appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This atmospheric horror classic explores madness, existential dread, and the corrupting influence of forbidden art. Contains disturbing psychological themes, body horror (flesh turning to stone), and characters driven to insanity and death by exposure to a cursed play.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include death, mental illness, and body horror (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens interested in classic horror and the origins of cosmic dread will appreciate this influential collection that inspired Lovecraft and modern weird fiction.