Most children's books such as Pollyanna, David Schutte's Naitabal series or any Enid Blyton book, leave the reader with a happy feeling once you finish reading them. Very few children's books explore the darker side of life, where a happy ending is a thing unknown. However Lemony Snicket aka his "representative" Daniel Handler has decided to do just that with his Series of Unfortunate Events books.
By the end of the first chapter of the first book the three Baudelaire children, Sunny, Klaus and Violet have lost their parents and all their worldly possessions. While this seems bad enough, they are sent to live with a distant relative who turns out to be rather evil. Not quite on a par with Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter, but pretty nasty none the less. Evil Count Olaf then chases the triplets through the next nine volumes, alongside a veritable minefield of misery, or, if you prefer, a series of unfortunate events.
The Characters
Violet Baudelaire is the eldest of the three Baudelaire children, aged 14. She is very keen on inventing things. When she's inventing, she ties her hair back to keep it out of her eyes. She often uses her inventions to try and get out of situations. In the Bad Beginning, she invents a grappling hook to try and rescue Sunny. She also used her inventing talents to repair traps for Uncle Monty. She promised her parents that she would look after her two younger siblings.
Klaus Baudelaire is 12 years old and likes to read books. He tried to stop Olaf from marrying Violet by reading books on nuptial law from Justice Strauss's library. He also managed to decode the hidden message in Aunt Josephine's suicide note.
Sunny Baudelaire is the youngest of the three children being only a baby. Sunny has two very sharp teeth and likes to bite things with them. She used them to bite rope into shorter pieces for Uncle Monty and also to open a can of spaghetti in Heimlich Hospital. Sunny gently bites someone when she likes them. Sunny provides much of the humour in the books in the form of her special way of communicating. Like many babies, Sunny makes up her own words for things she doesn't yet know how to say and readers paying close attention will be rewarded with the odd surprise.
"Jose!" Sunny shrieked, which probably meant something like "No Way!" -The Reptile Room
Count Olaf is the first relative the Baudelaires are sent to live with. He really doesn't care for the children and is only after the Baudelaire fortune. He uses various disguises to get close to the children but always seems to fail...until book 9. The children always manage to spot him even when he is disguised. His distinguishing marks are a single eyebrow and a tattoo of an eye on his ankle.
Mr. Poe is responsible for finding a home that the Baudelaires can stay in. He never seems to believe the children when they tell him Count Olaf is around. He always has a bad cough.
Duncan and Isadora Quagmire befriend the Baudelaires at Prufrock Preparatory School and try to help them foil Count Olaf's evil plans. Count Olaf kidnaps them but they eventually escape with Hector in the Village of Fowl Devotees. The Quagmires were also orphaned in a fire.
The Books
The books are all readily available from Kidz Books and there are several special editions available. The British editions were published by Egmont books. Look out for the reversible dustjacket on a special edition of "The Hostile Hospital" - sensitive readers may wish to display "The Pony Party! volume one in the series "The Luckiest Kids in the World!" by Loney M. Setnick" on their bookshelf.
The American editions are quite different from the British ones and are quite attractive. The pages have a rough untrimmed deckle edge to them to make them look older as if they were made from parchment. The pencil sketches by Brett Helquist are few and far between but very attractive when they do show up. The cover of "The Miserable Mill" shows Klaus looking like a not-too-distant cousin of Harry Potter, but young fans picking up these book in hope of finding a substitute for Harry and firends will be sadly disappointed!
There are also library editions with dustjackets but these are more difficult to find as they were withdrawn from bookshops in 2002.
The Bad Beginning has been released in several special editions. The first of these is a hardcover with a window in the front board showing a picture of Count Olaf. There is also a particularly attractive leather bound edition of "The Bad Beginning" in a slip case. This edition was limited to 2000 copies, and each comes numbered and signed by the author. There is another American edition available which comes in a slip case and supplied with a limited edition portrait and souvenir frame.
Of course, what book collection would be complete without audiobook version. The Series of Unfortunate Events is available on CD and cassette, read by Tim Curry, with the added bonus of some sorrowful singing at the opening and closure of each tale.
Die-hard fans, particularly adults caught up in the multi-level humour will adore Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography where you can top up on Snicket-style puns, build up your Baudelaire background knowledge, and read up on VFD speculations while you wait for the next book to be published!
Also due for release near the end of 2004 is the Series of Unfortunate Events - The Movie. Starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, Billy Connoly as Uncle Monty and Merryl Streep as Aunt Josephine, the movie covers the first three books in the series.
The Story (spoilers are contained within)
The Bad Beginning starts with the children losing their parents one fine day in a fire which also destroys the family home. Bad turns to worse when they are sent to live with Count Olaf, a distant relative who is determined to snatch the Baudelaire fortune. They meet Justice Strauss, Olaf's neighbour who befriends the children and allows them to use her library. Will Justice Strauss become an unknowing accomplice to Count Olaf's evil scheme? Will Violet's quick thinking outsmart Evil Count Olaf in time? Time is ticking away...
The Reptile Room: The children are sent to live with a distant uncle, Montgomery Montgomery. Uncle Monty as he is fondly known, studies reptiles and has a room full of them. Monty is a kind man who gives each of the Baudelaires their own room, doesn't make them work and takes them to the cinema. Then Stephano appears - Monty's new assistant. But the Baudelaire children find him strangely and terrifyingly familiar...
The Wide Window: The Baudelaire children are sent to live with Aunt Josephine on the edge of Lake Lachrymose. Aunt Josephine is terrified of everything - gas, electricity, even the lake. Once again Count Olaf appears, this time in the guise of Captain Sham. Aunt Josephine is terribly piky about grammar, but will this help the Baudelaire orphans escape from Count Olaf's evil clutches?
The Miserable Mill: Violet, Klaus and Sunny are sent to live at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill in Paltryville where they are forced to work. On arriving, they notice a large sign that is identical to the tattoo on Olaf's ankle.Why is Klaus making such dangerous mistakes at the Mill? Could Count Olaf really be up to his old tricks again?
The Austere Academy: The children are sent to Prufrock Prepatory School. Here they befriend the two remaining Quagmire triplets - one died in a fire. Sunny is forced to work in an office for Vice Principal Nero while Klaus and Violet are at school. Then along comes Count Olaf, this time disguised as a coach and forces the children to run all night. Can the Quagmires save the Baudelaires from expulsion? And what exactly is the mysterious VFD? Now the story really begins...
The Ersatz Elevator: The Baudelaires are sent to live with Jerome and Esmé Gigi Geniveve Squalor. Their life here is determined by what's "in" and what's "out". (Elevators are out - pinstripe suits are in!) The Quagmire triplets make a return and join the Baudelaires in their flight to escape their arch enemy once more.
The Vile Village: The children are given the choice of village to go live in. They choose one with the initials VFD which turns out to be the Village of Foul Devotees. On arrival, Hector is assigned to look after them. Hector takes care of the chores in the village and the children must help him. In this village, many books are banned as are mechanical machines. However, Hector has a secret library and is working on a way to escape the village in the form of an airship. Mysterious notes, murder accusations and a gloomy prison cell make for a predictably depressing tale of woe and misery.
The Hostile Hospital: Violet, Klaus and Sunny escape from the Village of Fowl Devotees and end up in Heimlich Hospital with the Volunteers Fighting Disease. On arrival, Babs, who works in HR, assigns them to work in the Library of Records where they hope to find out more about their parents and the fire. Next thing you know, Olaf and Esmé arrive in disguise, and before you know it, there is yet another devastating fire.
The Carniverous Carnival: Olaf's car arrives at a carnival run by Madame Lulu, a fortune teller. Here, Klaus and Violet disguise themselves as Siamese twins and a Sunny as a wolf-boy. They apply for a job as freaks in the freakshow and work with Hugo the hunchback, Collette the contortionist, and Kevin who is ambidextrous. With plenty of the deceit and fraud we have become accustomed to, and a couple of ferocious man-eating lions thrown in, the Carniverous Carnival promises to be every bit as miserable as the previous nine books. Prepare to cry!
A note from the author appears on the back cover of each title warning of the misery held within. The following comes from The Miserable Mill:
Dear Reader,
I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down instantaneously, because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log.
The pages of this book, I'm sorry to inform you, contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons.
I have promised to write down the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven't, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket