The first half of the book features highly esteemed weird stories and the book has been described by critics such as E. F. Bleiler, S. T. Joshi and T. E. D. Klein as a classic in the field of the supernatural.

"I cannot forget Carcosa where the twin suns sink into the Lake of Hali; and my mind will bear forever the memory of the Pallid Mask. The world trembles before the King in Yellow." (Jacketless library hardcover.)