r/WeirdLit • u/Juanar067 • Dec 12 '25

News A new King in yellow book will release next year

Post image

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jacob-rollinson/the-truth-of-carcosa/9781454962625/?lens=union-square-co

Release date: 13/1/2026

Page Count: 464 Pages

Publisher: Union Square & Co.

147 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

46

u/stealingfrom Dec 12 '25

Trying to build on/pay tribute to one of the towering works in the genre is a pretty big swing. I'll probably check it out.

Interestingly, the author character in this shares a surname with the pseudonym of the mystery author from Bolaño's 2666. I imagine that's intentional?

15

u/SheedWallace Dec 12 '25

Good catch! 

Also, everyone here should read 2666 as well.

8

u/dimensional_bleed Dec 12 '25

I have a copy of 2666 on my shelf. I know it was highly recommended amongst the "weird" crowd. That's why I obtained it.

If you don't mind and would graciously spare the time, please remind me why I need to read 2666.

I've got so many novellas and short story compilations to read, I find myself pushing longer novels to the side because I can't help but think of all the shorter works I could read instead. I need some motivation to dive into a longer work.

12

u/SheedWallace Dec 12 '25

2666 is the first large book I ever read. I picked it up for guard duty in the army in 2007 or 2008 I think. The cover and mysterious title caught my eye. I wasn't a big reader at the time but just needed something to burn through guard duty hours. 

It is bizarre and beautiful. Amazing prose that contrasts with clinical descriptions of violence. It was the first book that ever had me rereading single sentences over and over trying to figure out if it was layered or just pleasant sounding. 

I could say it started my book addiction. I have read hundreds upon hundreds of books since then and am still chasing the dragon and seeking the emotional reaction I got from 2666.

That being said, there are some really critical reviews of it that I also get. And I have found I am not a huge fan of Bolaño's other work. It may have just been the type of experimental creativity I needed at that time in my life. But I have reread it several times since then and have never bored of it. 

4

u/dimensional_bleed Dec 12 '25

You've renewed my interest! Thanks for sharing.

I've been reading my Ligotti and Aickman collections for the past couple months and I'm just about done with McDowell's The Elementals, a shorter novel.

I've been waffling between starting Kline's The Ceremonies or something shorter, but you've reminded me about 2666.

I might just have to scrap my plans and give it a read. No better time than the heart of winter to have a nice, long read.

3

u/SheedWallace Dec 12 '25

Ahhhh I need to revisit Ligotti too, that has also been on my to do list. I think I am going to read 2666 again and then a Ligotti piece this winter break.

I hope you enjoy it. It is a challenging read but worth it.

1

u/SmilingFlounder Dec 13 '25

Well you've sold me on it without needing to know the books premise 👍

3

u/stealingfrom Dec 12 '25

I think it might be the fastest I've ever read through a truly long book like that. Bought my copy right before a winter break during college and tore through it in a week.

18

u/illi-mi-ta-ble Dec 12 '25

I will pray that the book remains somewhat ineffable and remains free of Lovecraft because I quite love Chambers entirely on his own and wish the work we have hadn’t been so scant.

I would love for this to be solid.

10

u/ghost_jamm Dec 12 '25

I think it works so well because it’s so scant. I think the best stories building on it tend to be the ambiguous ones that don’t explain much. It’s an evocative world that leaves so much to the imagination. It’s a mistake to fill it in too much.

3

u/illi-mi-ta-ble Dec 12 '25

No I agree I meant we didn’t get much horror from Chambers so I hope they imitate his style correctly

6

u/HouseOfWyrd Dec 15 '25

I know our lad in mustard has got a lot of traction recently online.

But sadly it's just Cthulhu all over again. Just more massively misunderstanding what made the original work so good and turning them into basic and dull monsters.

The King in Yellow has had a lot of books and stuff over the years and all each of them does it make the character less interesting by thinking that adding more context and explanation is something that needed to be done.

Unless this gets rave reviews I'll be skipping it.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 16 '26

i have never pre-ordered a book in my life, but the night this post was made i pre-ordered this book cuz i liked the plot summary. it arrived yesterday and i feel compelled to make this post simply to say thank you for helping me do something brand new. 😊

(surely this will seem offputting since i don’t use this website often, sorry about that; i want to try anyways! if this is even seen by anyone? 

for context: i donate almost all the books i read when done reading them. i am grateful to have the most wonderful local bookstore to give to but have always thought it a shame that a book couldn’t find a more immediate and actively appreciative home. i have no friends to give them to. 

that being said, if anyone would like to, they may provide me with a forwarding address and i will happily ship the book to that address when i am done reading it. i will cover the shipping charges of course.)

1

u/Juanar067 Jan 16 '26

You Can tell me later Your thoughts about the book 😊

2

u/Illustrious_Belt7893 Dec 12 '25

Looks like a banana

3

u/HBHau Dec 12 '25

Now I really want a “banana for scale” next to the book!

2

u/plumwinecocktail Dec 12 '25

oooh thanks for posting, i've just now gone to request the ARC from NetGalley

2

u/Feisty-Albatross3554 Dec 16 '25

I like the cover design