Robert W. Chambers — The Yellow Sign
Having come back to the public eye with HBO's True Detective, Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow houses a number of stories of weird horror. Notable among these is The Yellow Sign. For any fan of this alien horror or the Call of Cthulhu RPG, the Yellow Sign, it's connection to Carcosa, and to Hastur is well known, and is refreshing to hear the characters speak of it in this tale. The Yellow Sign follows the narrator, painter Scott, his dealings with his model, Tessie, the strange watchman next door, and the horrifying volume The King In Yellow. Death, dreams, and otherworldly terror all join hands to flesh out Chambers' tale of strange horror entering the lives of ordinary people. The imagery presented is given wonderful life by Anthony Mann's lively reading. Taking on multiple voices, he gives each character their own identity, and enlivens the reading with fervor. Behind this, Maurizio Guarini's composition is restrained, and works well with the material at hand. It's far more traditional than what Theologian and Cadabra usually put forth, but in this instance, it certainly benefits the reading.
Continuing to impress with release after well done release, Cadabra is back once again with a lovely presentation of The Yellow Sign. Well read and well played, this telling shows that Cadabra knows what they're doing and won't settle for anything second rate. With this first foray into Robert Chambers and The King in Yellow under their belts, one can only hope that they continue to release his delightful brand of fright tales.