Book Review: The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

The original volume of this publication includes nine short stories and a sequence of poems, but this printing only contains the first four stories. These particular stories are weird fiction, a sub-genre of odd stories that create unease and terror through a blend of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Edgar Allan Poe is often cited as the first author of weird fiction, though surely Frankenstein, published a decade before Poe began writing, fits the category as well. 

The stories are united in references to "The King in Yellow," a play available in book form that several character read and then go insane. The play has a reputation for its deleterious effect on people though it is available world-wide (two of these stories are set in New York City, two in Paris). Many people resist reading it or unwittingly mirror its content, including the sigil called "The Yellow Sign" that is a marker of, at best, tragedy. The characters are artists (authors, sculptors, painters) who have weird visions and dreams or odd works that hint at the dark things to come in their lives. 

I found the collection uneven. The odd atmospheres were interesting in all of them, but the first story, "The Repairer of Reputations," was too cryptic and unsatisfying. "The Mask" and "The Yellow Sign" were the best, with thrilling conclusions that are bit predictable but nonetheless unsettling. The third story, "In the Court of the Dragon," needed a bit more. 

Mildly recommended--maybe find an edition that has the other stories and poems.

TV Review: Below (2026)

Below (2026) created by Jesse McKeown

Calvin Penny (Josh Hartnett) has had a hard life. As a child, his family had to move from a remote fishing village to a less remote village because of a government buyout. The family brought their house on the water but something went wrong. The dad switched from the boat to house to see what's going on. Then the house was dragged underwater by some sort of creature. At least that's what Calvin saw. Now he's a widower in mid-life and the new town is getting bought out by the government again. Calvin doesn't want to leave but most of the locals do. His children come to visit for a town festival. He tries to convince them to move back but things get difficult when it seems like the underwater creature is back. Will the town believe him? Can he beat the creature? And what about the cute scientist he's working with, who staffs the local scientific institute and knows a bit about aquatic life?

If this was a movie, that would be all the complications. But as a miniseries, a lot of side plots are introduced. Each of Calvin's three children have their own issues that get resolved by the end after some tough turns. Calvin's sister, the harbormaster for the town, has a little plot. A science vessel that shows up takes up some of the run time. Even the creature gets some character development. None of these elements are boring but they don't quite hang together as a tight narrative either. I found myself thinking several times, "this is a bit bonkers." But it is the fun kind of bonkers, not the stupid kind. The show is not going to win any big awards (maybe special effects?). It is very entertaining even with some very conventional turns in the last episode. I had a fun time watching it--it's a b-movie in TV miniseries form.

Recommended.

As I publish this, the show is only available streaming on Netflix.

Book Reviews: Seraph of the End Vols. 9 and 10 by T. Kagami et al.

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign Volume 9 story by Takaya Kagami and art by Yamato Yamamoto

The battle for Nagoya continues as Yuichiro's unit from the Japanese Imperial Army keeps trying to kill vampire nobles in the city. The battle at city hall seems to be going well until they run up against a top-level vampire named Crowley who wants to capture Guren, the leader of another unit who is working with Yuichiro's group and has a lot of top-level information that could be useful to the vampires. This story is mostly action with some background linking Yuichiro and Guren.

Mildly recommended.

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign Volume 10 story by Takaya Kagami and art by Yamato Yamamoto

The action heats up as Yuichiro is taken by his former friend (and now vampire) Mika. They flee from the battle scene with some help from Yuichiro's group, which doesn't sit well with the other humans. Mika is still suffering intensely from not having tasted human blood, leading to a conflict with Yu who wants his friend to live, even if that means feeding him his own blood. While they are resolving that problem, the other humans are figuring out if they want to save Guren or proceed with the evacuation plan.

It seems like a straightforward decision not to let his friend become a permanent vampire by letting Mika drink his blood but they complicate the situation anyway. Yu thinks of Mika as a brother and wants to do anything for his family. Mika reveals a lot of the horrible things the humans have been doing, including this "Seraph of the End" project that he blames for a lot of the problems they have, including the devastating events that led to the vampires having control over the surface of the Earth. Mika also claims that Yu is part of the experiment and probably won't come out well. I have mixed feelings about where the story is going, but I will keep going along to find out.

Mildly recommended.

Movie Review: The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Maltese Falcon (1941) co-written and directed by John Huston

Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is half of the Spade and Archer Detective Agency. They are hired by Miss Wonderly (Mary Astor) to follow Floyd Thursby, a man she claims has swept her sister off her feet but really is no good. Sam's partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) is happy to do the job because Wonderly is a looker. Unfortunately, he winds up shot dead. The police call Sam to the scene of the crime. In short order, it's reported that Thursby has been shot. At first, the police try to pin Thursby's death on Sam as revenge, though when the find out that Archer's wife Iva (Gladys George) has a thing for Sam, they try to pin Archer's death on Sam. He points out the incongruity of committing both murders. Meanwhile, he tries to get a straight story out of Wonderly, who is registered as Leblanc at a hotel. That names turns out not to be her real name. Sam is also visited by Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre) who wants the item that the dame had. He threatens to search the office and has a tussle with Sam, who doesn't know about any package but plays it cool to get more info from Cairo. The plot gets more convoluted from there as Sam tries to find out about the mysterious bird that everyone is after. Viewers know it's a valuable 16th century statuette from Malta, information provided in the movie's opening scroll.

This film noir classic has great performances from all of the cast, including Sydney Greenstreet as another interested party and Elisha Cook Jr. as a young tough employed by Greenstreet. Bogart shows the bravado and nerves of Spade, the iconic hardboiled detective. The plot is a bit convoluted but plays out wonderfully with solid direction from Huston and great dialog taken from the Dashiell Hammett novel. It's a riveting watch with plenty of memorable dialogue and scenes. It's the stuff that dreams are made of.

Highly recommended.

TV Review: The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026)

The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026) co-written and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green based on the Marvel character

Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) aka The Punisher, is at a tough spot in his life. He's killed off the last of the people responsible for his family's death. He still has flashes of people from his life. Those memories dredge up bad memories for him. Ignoring the horrible crimes going on in his neighborhood, Frank tries to find some purpose for his life. Then a woman (Judith Light) shows up asking him to get revenge on the guy who killed her family but with a very hard twist--she's the last remaining member of the last of the people responsible for Frank's family's death. She's put out a bounty on his head and broadcast it all over, so every lowlife in town will be after him. Frank lives in New York City, so that's a lot of lowlifes.

The story moves back and forth between Frank's existential crisis and the excessive violence that surrounds his life. His struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, manifested through his memories and his hauntings, is very sympathetic. Bernthal gives a very good performance. I was much less sympathetic with the loads and loads of violence. Sure, it's exciting and very well put together. But the excess gets to the point of numbing and it is easily the least interesting part of the show. I really like The Punisher as a character, and he has some great character moments in this show, but if I watched again, I'd skip the middle 20-30 minutes of rampaging violence.

Not recommended unless you are a Punisher fan.

As I write this (September 2026), this is only available on Disney+.

Book Review: Spooky Maryland by S. E. Schlosser

Spooky Maryland: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore by S. E. Schlosser and illustrated by Paul Hoffman

This collection of scary stories tells tales from around the state of Maryland. As with many other such collections, a lot of the tales are centered around slavery and the Civil War, with supernatural experiences both during and long after the events that happened. Some are more contemporary, like the (Maryland) famous Goatman or Black Aggie statue. Schlosser does a good job telling the tales, capturing different voices for different narrators, including a lot of haunted shoremen who work the Chesapeake Bay. The collection is entertaining in a chilling way and great for October reading.

Recommended.

Cute Kid Pix October 2026

More photos that did not get their own post...

I finally went to one of the local farmers' markets and made a purchase. Well, two purchases but who wants to see vegetables. I bought a Baltimore Bomb pie from Dangerously Delicious Pies. The pie is a southern vanilla chess pie with chunks of Berger's Cookies, a local favorite, in the crust. It was very yummy. 

It's hard to get a picture of a whole pie in our house

I went to the Columbia waterfront to find an earthcache. There's a memorial to veterans there with a specific type of marble. The weather was great and the spot is very nice.

By the text

The memorial

We tried out rolled ice cream at La Creme Roule. They serve them in little taco shells. They were yummy but a bit pricey for what you get. I guess ice cream is a luxury.

Enjoying strawberry cheesecake ice cream

At the grocery store, I saw this horror...

Um, what?!?

*****

Our son performed in his school's Fall play, based on one of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. He was the lead character, a prince who has to save his parents and his people from the evil forces of another island country. It was a fun show.

Got spear?

Waking up from a nap

I went to the final farmers' market at Savage. Sine it was the Wednesday before Halloween, people dressed up and there was trick or treating. I did not dress up but I did buy one last pie from Dangerously Delicious Pies. 

Waiting in the pie line

A spooky section of the market

My son's Scout troop had their Court of Honor, which included some skits and songs. It was a fun night.

In the skit

Telling a story from summer camp

In the spirit of Halloween, I share this bathroom sign I was confused by. Initially I thought it was a wheel-chair fleeing some crossbred horror. Turns out the symbol is supposed to represent "all genders," which could be terrifying in its own right.

Here's your sign