"The King in Yellow" is a book within a book. This is a bunch of slightly connected short stories all dealing with the effect of a two act play titled "The King in Yellow". The stories in this collection, published in 1895, are set in a fictional militaristic 1920s in the USA and Europe. The tales are told from a number of different perspectives, by socialites, soldiers, and artists. Each of them tells how the lives of the narrator and colleagues have been affected by reading "The King in Yellow", a disputable play that has been accused by the church and suppressed by governments. The book tragically affected the lives of those who were reading it. Some find themselves followed by shadowy agents, while others become confused and delusional. Others acted out the play's sad and decadent events, while some just go crazy. The idea of the play itself is only alluded to, or hinted at in brief extracts. One thing is absolutely clear – it’s a tragedy. But the actions of its central characters, including the mysterious King in Yellow himself, remain mysterious and unexplainable. Anyone who is keen on dark macabre tales will certainly love this book!