After a singularly bad beginning, the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, have finally reached the end.
The question is, will Book the Thirteenth in A Series of Unfortunate Events meet the expectations of the series' myriad fans? Snicket might put it a somewhat different way: if
end simply means
to cease, the answer is yes. If, however,
end means
to complete, the answer is most assuredly no--because though Snicket neatly clips numerous threads in the tragic saga, he leaves others literally fluttering in the breeze. As with the previous books, this one begins where its predecessor left off, with the orphans and the villainous Count Olaf afloat on dangerous open seas. When a storm blows their craft ashore, kindly islanders welcome the orphans, but Olaf is an outcast. Have the children finally found the longed-for "last safe place on earth?" Not so fast . . . before long, they are once again scrambling to avert disaster and death ("Kikbucit," as Sunny puts it when a couple of characters are terminated). If possible, this title is even more preposterous than others in the series (the children help an old friend give birth), as well as considerably longer than some. But frequent references to the other adventures will send Snicket fans back to previous books to delight once again in the idiosyncratic characters, the wry humor, and the wordplay, which has surely increased their vocabulary tenfold.
Stephanie ZvirinCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an alternate
kindle_edition edition.
Picking up from the final pages of the
Pentultimate Peril, this farewell installment to the ridiculously (and deservedly!) popular
A Series of Unfortunate Events places our protagonists right where we last left them: on a large, wooden boat in the middle of the ocean, trapped with their nemesis Count Olaf, who has armed himself with a helmet-full of deadly Medusoid Mycelium.
The situation quickly and--this being the Baudelaires--predictably deteriorates. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny find themselves tossed in a storm so terrible that our beloved narrator spends four pages describing how he cannot describe it. From this point on, fans of the series' smarty-pants wordplay and acrobatic narrative can rest assured that they're in for more of the same (and how) in this 368-page finale, and Daniel Handler's deadpan Snicket continues to tutor a generation in self-referential humor (including one particularly funny bit regarding three very short men carrying a large, flat piece of wood, painted to look like a living room). Snicket notes, of course, that if you read the entire series, "your only reward will be 170 chapters of misery in your library and countless tears in your eyes."
There's one big question, though, for anyone who's made it through "the thirteenth chapter of the thirteenth volume in this sad history": is the final book a fitting end? That question is probably best-answered by one of The End's most oft-repeated phrases: It depends on how you look at it. Those looking for conclusive resolution to the series' many, many mysteries may be disappointed, although some big questions do get explicit answers. Not surprisingly for a work so deliberately labyrinthine, though, even the absence of an answer can be sort of an answer--and reaction to The End can be something of a Rorschach test for readers. Or, as Lemony Snicket says, "Perhaps you don’t know yet what the end really means." --Paul Hughes
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
Praise for A Series of Unfortunate Events:
“Wicked Good Fun.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Vivid. Designed to alight on the best-seller lists.” – The New York Times Book Review
“Hilarious. Luckily for fans, the woes of the Baudelaires are far from over.” – Publishers Weekly
--This text refers to an alternate
kindle_edition edition.
From the Back Cover
Dear Listener,
You are presumably looking at the back of this audiobook, or the end of the end. The end of the end is the best place to begin the end, because if you listen to the end from the beginning of the beginning of the end to the end of the end of the end, you will arrive at the end of the end of your rope. This audiobook is the last in A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even if you braved the previous twelve volumes, you probably can't stand such unpleasantries as a fearsome storm, a suspicious beverage, a herd of wild sheep, an enormous bird cage, and a truly haunting secret about the Baudelaire parents.
I also shouldn't mention the features of the interactive CD, which include:
- Perplexing word games
- Photos from The Lemony Snicket Archives
- Art from The Brett Helquist gallery
It has been my solemn occupation to complete the history of the Baudelaire orphans, and at last I am finished. You likely have some other occupation, so if I were you I would drop this audiobook at once, so the end does not finish you.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
--This text refers to an alternate
kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Lemony Snicket had an unusual education which may or may not explain his ability to evade capture. He is the author of the 13 volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, several picture books including The Dark, and the books collectively titled All The Wrong Questions.
Tim Curry has portrayed many memorable characters, most notably the role of the scientist in the Broadway and film versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Arthur in the Broadway production of SPAMalot.
--This text refers to an alternate
kindle_edition edition.
From THE BAD BEGINNING to The End, Lemony Snicket has consistently suggested that we avoid the saga of the unbelievably unhappy and unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire children. His deliciously downbeat introduction is full of dire warnings that ensure that children, attracted to things they are warned against, will tune in. The incomparable Tim Curry resumes his role as narrator of this gothic serial. His matter-of-fact delivery lends credibility to the unbelievable assortment of disasters that befall the Baudelaires. His transition from narrator to character is seamless, breathing life into each person. Musical interludes, provided by the Gothic Archies, enhance the atmosphere. But don't expect answers to all your questions, for The End of the Baudelaires' story is simply the beginning of another's! N.E.M. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an alternate
kindle_edition edition.
![A Series of Unfortunate Events #13: The End by [Lemony Snicket, Brett Helquist, Michael Kupperman]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51-N9jjbuHL._SY346_.jpg)
