The King in Yellow is a collection of ten short stories by the American writer Robert W. Chambers. The book's name comes from a fictional play of the same title which is mentioned within the plot of some of the stories. The King in Yellow, is a forbidden play which induces despair or madness in those who read it. It has been widely reported that he first season of the TV show True Detective makes use of the phrases "The Yellow King", "Carcosa" and "You, sir, should unmask", as well as other themes and ideas associated with these stories.