Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events: Books 1 - 3

The Bad Beginning, By Daniel Handlier (Lemony Snicket hereon in) (1999)

It's an archetypal tale to say the least; three children from well off parents are orphaned and are forced to live with their "uncle" (Fourth cousin three times removed, or third cousin four times removed; it's unsure) Count Olaf, who is after their tremendous fortune.

Overall, a bit deadpan and depressing for a children's book, although in this one it manages to balance the seriousness of the topic with the unconventional and dare-I-say slightly British tone that comes across in the book. The now famous style is that of a journalist with connections to the orphans, with hidden secrets about their lives ready to tell in this series.

The Bad Beginning sets the series off well; good characterisation, good plot, and a sense of loose comedy to the whole thing, despite wearing a shroud of deppression.

The Reptile Room, By Lemony Snicket (1999)

The plot thickens as the next guardian of the Baudelaires is chosen, and they are sent off to live with their herpetologist (studies snakes) "uncle" Monty. A rather benevolent fellow, and preparing to go off with the trio to Peru.

That would have gone to plan, if this series' frequent formula didn't require that Count Olaf appear in a paper thin disguise and con, murder and/or dazzle their guardian. In this case, he disguises himself as a herpetology assistant and kills Monty with a fork to imitate a snake bite. Terrible.

This series is unique not only for its strange style of writing but also for the many adult themes and literary references scattered about. It perhaps reinforces the moral that the well-read are the more morally guided: but also makes it accessible to older readers.

The Wide Window, By Lemony Snicket (2000)

Oh dear. It's book three of thirteen and already there's a drab lake filled with meat-eating leeches, a hurricane warning and a woman afraid of falling fridges.

Perfect material, then, for Handlier's unique style of a mix of faux-concern and deadpan humour. And that still shines through, despite being one of the more deppressing earlier books, with irony and absurdity everywhere, blended perfectly with the dark nature of the book.

This time the three are sent to live in a rickety old shack barely holding onto the side of a cliff, with their "Aunt" Josephine, whose husband died because the leeches in the lake sensed he had eaten recently and ate him. She later dies the same way, mainly because of a newly disguised Count Olaf as a sailor type; with some new henchmen in tow.

A good end to the introductory period of the series, it works well because the next book is less deppressing!

Overview

The introductory period of the series does well to establish the writing style and elaborate references of Handlier's work, as well as introducing the formula which will most definately be broken later on.

Thanks.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The images were removed from this article because it was garnering an unfair amount of coverage for its images alone.