A weird book needs to be approached in a weird way. Accordingly, I read the book backwards, chapter wise, starting with the last story “Rue Barree” then proceeding back to “The Repairer of Reputations.”
It’s been suggested that the horrors of the first stories, clear and obvious, gradual ripple out into barely imperceptible connections in the later tales. I wanted to see if I could pick up on these diminishing currents by swimming back into the central vortex of horrors rather than away from them. I can’t say that I encountered any unconcealed terrors in these further out tales, although hints of dark atmosphere seem to exist, shoehorned into otherwise bright sunlit scenes of gardens, admitting disquiet notes into peaceful composition.
More certain, what I did encounter was the use of the word “yellow”, usually in a description of a lamp (The Street of the First Shell), but also, more than once, as a cat’s eye color (several times in The Street of the Four Winds), and quite notably, in the final story, “Rue Barree,“ where the protagonist has a horrid nightmare of drowning in a “river of yellow ochre.” No one seems to reference this yellow nightmare mentioned so close to the book‘s ending. Furthermore, if any one of these stories had mentioned the yellow sign or the king, even just once, that story would fall right in place with the rest.
Approach it like a Beatle album, with some stories having clear thematic connection, while others, though less adherent to the theme, still foster uneasy impressions and unresolved episodes, with perhaps two or three fillers thrown in for literary completeness.
Notes:
Rue Barree is the name of a street, but also the name of an elusive lady who lives on that street, for no one knows her real name. Cryptic and puzzling ending, darkness and marble walls, almost funereal.
The Court of the Dragon is the name of the place where the main character lives. A very good story… poe-ish elements abound, especially Poe‘s “The Man in the Crowd.’’
The Demoiselle D’ys: Astounding story with a great ending.
The Street of the Four Winds: a thin and hungry cat befriends a struggling artist. Very nice collar on the cat, but it’s very loose about its neck. Better find this poor cats true owner…then again.
The Street of Our Lady of the Field: Dr. Byram, an old family friend, helps Hastings(Hastur?) find lodging on the Street of Our Lady of the Field. Hastings is introduced to Valentine at the garden. Weird atmosphere, a soldier playing a drum, an elusive Valentine, she wants to leave. A train ride like no other, or was it a train ride? I’ll assume it was a train ride.
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Reviews with images
Missing the dedication.
The original had a dedication to Robert Chambers’ Brother. Which was a nice lead in from the original printing. It is omitted in this version. That being said, it’s still a fairly accurate representation of the original work. A must have for any Lovecraft fan.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2018
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Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2024
The original had a dedication to Robert Chambers’ Brother. Which was a nice lead in from the original printing. It is omitted in this version. That being said, it’s still a fairly accurate representation of the original work. A must have for any Lovecraft fan.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2023
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Jacopo
Cover is of the worst quality of paper ever, ripped during delivery
Reviewed in Italy on May 22, 2023
Jacopo
Reviewed in Italy on May 22, 2023
I did a refund and they sent me another AGAIN with a ruptured cover. Just terrible.
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