People descending into madness. The otherworldly King in Yellow. The pallid mask. Carcosa, where the black stars hang in the sky.

Anyone with the slightest interest in Lovecraftian literature will feel at home when reading the first three or so short stories in this book. They do indeed contain that same essence of "cosmic terror" that Lovecraft since refined and perfected - and who knows; maybe the name of R.W. Chambers would be the blackest star shining, had he but decided to continue on that horrfic path towards Carcosa. But history (and probably he himself) chose otherwise.

The majority of stories in this collection are romantic and witty. Had they been movies, they would have bene classified as romantic comedies. Don't get me wrong, though. They are nice reads too. Just not what one expects after having been subjected to the threat that is "The King in Yellow".

Chambers descriptions of being a drunken, young, aspiring artist in Paris are wonderful, as are his commentaries on/observations of people's behavior in general. These qualities are better diplayed in the romcoms, so even though they might not be your preferred genre of literature, I still urge anyone picking this book up to read those stories as well.