When the beloved (and wealthy) parents of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire die in a sudden and very tragic fire, the three children become orphans. Little do they realize that this is but the first of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Like Job in the Bible, the Baudelaire siblings are beset upon by misery, catastrophe, misfortune, and unhappiness. From the very first moment, their lives become wretched and full of bad things. They go to live with Mr. Poe, the executor of their parents’ estate, whereupon they suffer ugly clothes and poor lodgings. Then they’re shuttled off to live with the odious and horrible Count Olaf, a distant relative, who by virtue of their parents’ will, is to be their new guardian.

To call Olaf uncaring would be a kindness. Rather, he’s a scheming scoundrel, with no more love for the children than it takes to get his hands on the enormous fortune waiting for them until the day Violet comes of age. He’ll do whatever it takes, abusing and threatening them, even looking for ways to circumvent the law. It’s up to the Baudelaire siblings – inventive Violet, knowledgeable Klaus, and baby Sunny – to solicit the aid of the kindly Justice Strauss, and foil Olaf’s evil plot.

This book has no happy ending. In fact, it’s quite proud to leave things on an unhappy cliffhanger, promising more misfortune and mistreatment for our three young heroes in the installments to come. What it does have is a temporary resolution, that allows us to close the book and move on.

Essentially, A Series of Unfortunate Events is a tongue-in-cheek, whimsical set of books following the Baudelaire siblings as they’re embroiled in one disaster after another, with a whole host of Victorian and Dickensian plagues cast upon them. From kidnappings to evil plots, ugly clothes to cold porridge, they struggle to maintain an optimistic air and look to the future. The Bad Beginning, being the book that sets up the whole premise of the series and introduces us to the main characters and their dire enemy, Count Olaf, as well as his own menagerie of assistants, makes it quite clear that it’s not taking anything seriously, least of all itself. It’s a smart conceit, the books so over-the-top in their manners that one can actually enjoy the bizarre misfortunes of the heroes.
Additionally, the narrator frequently digresses to define the bigger or more difficult words as they relate to the situation, so that younger readers might accidentally learn something new. (Incentive, for example, means “an offered reward to persuade you to do something you don’t want to do.)

While this series is certainly no substitute for Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, it will likely appeal to those readers wanting light reading bordering on farcical. It’s like the saying, ‘it’s so bad, it’s good.’ In this case, the series as presented is so miserable, it’s entertaining. The accompanying drawings, stylistic and whimsical in a manner oddly reminiscent of the Gashleycrumb Tinies, are the perfect complement to the story. If The Bad Beginning appeals, note that there are eight books in the series thus far, with more to come.