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Why 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' Is Worth a Read

'A Series of Unfortunate Events' is a dark book series documenting the perils that the three Baudelaire children face.

By ~ PoisonedPancakes ~Published 6 years ago 3 min read
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The books follow the tumultuous lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After their parents perish in a suspicious fire, the children are placed in the custody of a criminal relative, Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance and, later, orchestrates numerous disasters with the help of his associates as the children attempt to flee. As the plot proceeds, the Baudelaires gradually dare further enigmas surrounding their family and deep conspiracies involving a secret society known as VFD, with associations to both Olaf and their parents.

The book was authored by Daniel Handler, who is the character Lemony Snicket throughout the series. The series is narrated by Snicket as he documents the Baudelaire children's accounts with Count Olaf on his typewriter. It was published by ‎Harper Collins and illustrated by ‎Brett Helquist. The first book was published on September 30, 1999, and the last book on October 14, 2006. There are 13 books in total called "The Complete Wreck:"

  1. The Bad Beginning
  2. The Reptile Room
  3. The Wide Window
  4. The Miserable Mill
  5. The Austere Academy
  6. The Ersatz Elevator
  7. The Vile Village
  8. The Hostile Hospital
  9. The Carnivorous Carnival
  10. The Slippery Slope
  11. The Grim Grotto
  12. The Penultimate Peril
  13. The End

To buy the full series is very expensive and can amount to £30 to £40 as the average price. I would recommend either buying each book individually—it will amount to approximately £26—or borrow the books from a library. You can also look in charity shops, though they may not have the full set or have the book in the series you need.

The books were such a great hit that they inspired the production of both a movie and Netflix TV series. The movie, A Series Of Unfortunate Events, sums up the first three books. However, the books are definitely better than the movie as the movie is slightly different plot-wise. The movie also doesn't include all the details as they tried to cram three books into one film. The film lacked macabre and darkness, which was why the books were so thrilling and a great success. I also think they should've included more parts about Lemony Snicket as his eerie humour. The way he communicated with his readers whilst being the author was unique and intriguing.

However, a Netflix TV series has been released about the books, too. They've released season one with eight episodes, but it has only told the stories of the first four books, as each book has two episodes. This means no detail is left out. Neil Patrick Harris also stars in the series and portrays the character, Count Olaf.

Like any ominous story, A Series of Unfortunate Events has plenty of recurring themes and figures in the story. One of those is the significance of the No. 13—one that plays a large role without it being totally obvious at the same time. Consider the following: there are 13 books in the series, with each book having 13 chapters. The series was released on the 13th of January. The series was also released in 2017, 13 years after the 2004 movie release. The title "A Series of Unfortunate Events" is 26 letters long, which is 13 doubled. We find these all too similar to be a coincidence, so the number 13 is definitively a trend in the story. It plays with the misfortune that occurs in the story as 13 is superstitiously said to be an unlucky number.

I would recommend this series to anybody ages 12 to 18, though there are many readers over 18 who would enjoy it. Younger readers may not understand it as it does have a weird writing style and a vast vocabulary. However, younger readers can enjoy the TV series on Netflix, or watch the film.

Check out my other posts:

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All Things 'Stranger Things'

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About the Creator

~ PoisonedPancakes ~

I like Stranger Things and watching Vine compilations.

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