The Terrible History of A Series of Unfortunate Events

[@sergeifranson1636]

A lot of kids have experienced a ton of misery and pain by the age of 9. That's what I appreciate about these books. Kids are humans!

[@saraellwood630]

Exactly! No one took my depression seriously when I was little, because I was a kid and couldn't possibly be depressed, even with what I was living through. This series described my feelings perfectly at a time when I didn't have the words!

[@ozymandiasultor9480]

kids are humans??? wow, captain obvious, you discovered hot water...again.

[@sergeifranson1636]

@@ozymandiasultor9480 hope you can heal from whatever bothering you 😘

[@ozymandiasultor9480]

@@sergeifranson1636 hope you can grow a brain.

[@ozymandiasultor9480]

@@sergeifranson1636 The stupidity of such as you bother me, but there is no cure for that affliction.

[@GRIM0IREG00CH]

apparently when snicket was asked about what time period the books took place in during an interview, his answer was simply “the year of the rat”

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

That is so ominous 😂

[@JustTiffanyy]

I’m a rat from 1996 I also know my friends mum is a rat from 1960 and then 2020 was a rat year but that’s the future for the series lol Rat repeats every 12 years but those are three examples there

[@craftysteve176]

What that mean im not smart like themm helpp 😭😭😹🤣🤣

[@GRIM0IREG00CH]

@@craftysteve176 Haha no worries buddy. There is something called the Chinese New Year Calendar. There are twelve animals, and each year represents a different animal. The year you were born determines your animal. For example, if you were born this year, you could be a Dragon, and children born in 2025 will be Snakes, and so on and so forth. The Rat is one of the animals in the Calendar, meaning in the most literal sense that the story can take place in multiple different time periods, all of which are 12 years apart. However, if you interrupt this answer a little more poetically, it might just be a clever nod to the general tone and vibe of the story. If someone used a rat to describe my year, odds are it was a pretty shitty year lol it’s a very ambiguous line, but I think that’s a lot of the reason it’s fun

[@spice4life.64]

my year lol

[@jasontemlett]

Shout out to the cover illustrator. Those paintings are awesome

[@exitsexamined]

Yeah I mentioned him in the video, Brett Helquist, he's great!

[@dianarojo-jewell4070]

I loved Helquist's illustrations so much as a kid! He also illustrated a few scary stories books that I bought from a book fair, simply because he illustrated them haha

[@chenwingsee]

I used to try and draw the covers as a kid and now I’m an illustrator lol

[@sunakonakahara222]

Honestly I really love helquist's Style. I thought the illustration of The Bad Beginning was so beautiful that it literally drew me in. And when I pick that book up at the age of 11 or 12 I literally absorbed it in an afternoon! These books were the first time or at least the first part of the series was the first time besides the Harry Potter series that I literally sought after a book series and fell in love with book series. From then on I remember being an avid reader in middle school. I didn't have a lot of friends and was bullied a lot so I would sit in the library and just read or draw. It was my safe space growing up.

[@TryinaD]

Honestly, these books are so fundamental to how I grew up and operated in the world. In a place where I was being disrespected and not listened to as a neurodivergent preteen, I found that this series WAS the one place that convinced me I deserved to be listened to, to contribute to the world, and to go on despite all the sadness.

[@TMMMMMMMMMMMT]

I deeply related in the same way, I was only diagnosed at 25 but the series was one of those few things that made that feeling of difference and struggle seen.

[@katie7748]

Oh jeez

[@alexinitalics188]

@@TryinaD Now having a diagnosis, I look back at asoue and atwq and they are just so autistic coded, if that makes sense 😅 something about the writing and the themes absolutely hooked me. I was obsessed with words, the alliterative titles are very good vocal stim material. The main characters having key talents kinda mirrors special interests. And of course, the way they're constantly overlooked, underestimated or misunderstood. It drove me mad but so did the people in real life, ha!

[@kyttynkross1121]

Hard agree. These books helped me solidify the idea that despite being a child, I wasn't stupid. That sometimes adults ARE wrong and often disregard children for the sake of being children. It showed me that sometimes kids (and people in general) can know their own selves and situations better than others and deserve to be listened to about those situations. But also, as someone that experienced a less than stellar childhood, I related to them better. They were more real to me than all the happy ending books I was used to reading. To see these kids experience tragedy after tragedy and still carry on, helped me carry the weight of my own struggles. Especially during a time when I was severely depressed and struggling with mental health and home problems. (my personal motto was "life sucks and then you die") But also further, I was (cringe) one of those "not like other kids" kind of kids and "prided" myself on being interested in anything went against the grain. But also further again, I was an absolutely AVID reader; I devoured nearly the entire kids/teen/ya section at my school library and was steadily working through the local library too. And after awhile, you get tired of the samey old stories that follow all the same tropes and story arcs. This series was a refreshing change to the formula. and for all of these reasons, this series is still a favorite of mine to this day.

[@meganelise277]

Checking in as another late diagnosed AuDHDer, who also loved this series growing up. Existence was/is hard, so I found dark absurdism comforting. I also loved the shit out of Matilda.

[@ana_d_73]

Man this series meant so much to me as a child! I **devoured** these in full over one summer and continued to re-read them throughout my teen years. It's one of my "Big Three" comfort series, along with the Darren Shan books and the Bartimaeus series. And it still holds up! Lemony Snicket also ruined romance to an entire generation by dropping one of the most beautiful pieces of romantic prose in The Beatrice Letters. The Netflix adaptation is great, and really true to the original vibe of the books, but the OG movie holds a weird nostalgic place in my heart. The quirky gothic vibe was fabulous, and queen Emily Browning was a perfect Violet.

[@exitsexamined]

That’s incredible! Darren Shan and Bartimaeus have officially been added to my list now although I haven't checked them out too much! And yeah going back to The Beatrice Letters always is a treat, even if it is a bittersweet one! I totally agree about the movie actually, I think both adaptions are great but I wasn't expect to like the movie as much as I did, it 100% has this really unique surreal charm

[@ShoutoutToTrees]

Oh wow, thank you for reminding me of the bartimaeus trilogy! Also 100% agree with your take on both the adaptations

[@federerlkonig330]

Darren Shan... Such a awesome series, and to think the first book ended that way... Like A series of Unfortunate events, it showed the horrors of life to a audience of pre-teens, and it did it so well.

[@zeffraser7885]

I loved Lemony Snicket n Darren Shan tooo, amazing series, never heard about bartimaeus though

[@shakirashipslied9721]

Love the OG movie too. It's so good.

[@Illisil]

@3:40 no one says it specifically in the story but Count Olaf, by definition is a serial killer. The story is about three children being persued by a serial killer, who has killed their parents, burned their home down, and had murdered several people just to steal the children's fortune. When you think about it, this might be the only children's story to feature a serial killer as a prominant character!

[@exitsexamined]

Yeah that's what I missed about the show and movies, I wish he was shown to have a bit more of that terrifying side, because he actually terrifying

[@Illisil]

@exitsexamined Olaf is terrifying. He's a serial killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The character is very similar to the killer in the new movie "Trap" by m night Shyamalan. The killer is extremely resourceful, he has no end of tricks and disguises which he uses as all times. He's regularly able to fool everyone around him, even the authorities. Bottom line: an intelligent serial killer makes for a great villain!

[@pivotfever]

Olaf isn’t the confirmed arson to burn their house, it’s just highly theorized

[@Commenter839]

​@@pivotfeverEven if he didn't start the fire, the OP's point still stands that he's a serial killer by definition. He killed Uncle Monty, Josephine, and Jacques Snicket at *minimum*

[@pivotfever]

@@Commenter839 I mean murderer sure but not serial killer. He doesn’t kill the same way Hannibal lector would, more of how a Bond villain would. Not defending Olaf as innocent, just not as THE arsonist in question and still upset at how ambiguous the author left a lot the plots and MacGuffins in the series

[@hobbitkit4677]

My little brother, our younger sister, and I entered foster care right after I first heard about this series. Reading these together kept us from becoming too depressed about our situation and I actually ended up being gifted the final book when it released as a birthday gift by the people that ended up adopting us. We heavily identified with Violet, Klaus, and Sunny to the point that when we were discussing new names (we changed our names upon being adopted), we toyed with the idea of taking on their names for a little! XD I think these books just felt more real than anything else we’d read before. At the end of the day when you’re in a traumatic sort of situation, you don’t wanna hear about happy endings. You just wanna know that, in the end, you’ll be okay. Even if things don’t end with a Happy Ending, you and those you love can make the best of things. Things you lost are gone, but you can always move forward.

[@keineFackel]

Such a wholesome comment! Thanks! ❤

[@thechancan5254]

I have two daughters and came insanely close to naming them Violet and Sunny. They're beautiful names. You have great taste!

[@craftysteve176]

That is so cool and sad

[@katherinehartman2656]

I went to a book reading a signing as a kid with Lemony Snicket, who mysteriously ended up being sick and sent his ‘publicist’ Daniel Handler. I tried getting him to crack during my turn to get books signed, but he didn’t break character at all. I remember being so annoyed that I couldn’t get him to crack, but it did frankly feel like getting to meet my favorite author and favorite fictional character at the same time. I’m so thankful he wanted to that little bit of magic and suspension of disbelief that can make books feel so impossibly real as a kid.

[@emofurryboyfriendasmr]

this is so funny because I've heard people say he's come to their classrooms and did the opposite, he would pretend he was lemony after being told about daniel handler he's so fun i wish i got to experience that

[@exitsexamined]

Haha say what you will about Haandler but is dedicated to his role when he's in it

[@watermelon520b]

why were you even trying to do that in the first place?

[@bangbangyouredead7]

@@katherinehartman2656 that's so cool, I got chills.

[@iels8651]

I also find this cool, but sometimes is annoying because he just don't answer anything at all👀

[@robertgronewold3326]

I remember binge reading these in early high school, but I changed schools in my senior year, and I didn't have access to the last book because the new library was rather poorly stocked. A middle school aged girl on the bus learned that I hadn't read the last book, and she checked it out for me from the middle school library and let me read it before her.

[@exitsexamined]

Sounds like a good person! It's so cool to see series like this connect people, I 100% made some friends in school through YA series

[@kasvinimuniandy4178]

That is so sweet!!! Aww

[@dianarojo-jewell4070]

I literally had dreams about that last book in middle school because someone kept checking out the books at the same time as me and it took so long for them to finish and return that last one specifically

[@cityman2312]

That was nice of her.

[@knowwherefamous9067]

My Mom died from cancer when I was 8. My dad lost everything in the financial crisis shortly after her passing. We were homeless for awhile but I remember finding these books in my school library and loving them specifically because of the darker themes. They felt more real and relatable to me.

[@cookiecrumbles4269]

God bless you man. I’m really sorry you had to go through that and am so sorry for your loss. Jesus is with you and loves you. Praying for you.

[@curtiscraig1291]

Unfortunate Events was critical to my Elementary school, you had to be in third grade to check out the first 4. They were so popular you couldn't check out Unfortunate Events and Scary Stories at the time. The Librarian made a scavenger hunt to find the next book in the series she would give you the first clue when you checked the book back in, and one 5th grader of the previous year kept the final book so a bunch of us staged a hiest while he was on our first break to steal it back. Spoiling the Series came with a two day suspension at one point. Those books were fundamental in not only my own childhood but also several of my childhood friends

[@austygo3563]

I love the Netflix adaptation, really captured a lot of the books aura.

[@exitsexamined]

Totally agree, do you think the movie did as well or just in a different way?

[@laikapupkino1767]

Handler himself wrote that Netflix series, and the parts that WEREN'T in the books were all brilliant, deliberately messing with the heads of fans who thought they knew what was going to happen next.

[@youshallnotpass3937]

I think the movie captured the feel of the books better, the series have too many meta jokes like "I got ot off of ebay".

[@Gittykitty]

Honestly, I was hoping the show would be more 'miserable' the movie capture it just right but was rushed.

[@forestchurchill7348]

Neil Patric Harris is the best part of the Netflix series.

[@laikapupkino1767]

I was turning 50 when these books came out and I LOVED them! A Series of Unfortunate Events is like Thomas Pynchon for children. The dark guignol humor; the paranoia of wheels withing wheels of conspiracy; and even the fabricated who-is-Lemony-Snickett mystery mirrors Pynchon's famous reclusiveness. When "Snickett" dropped an easter egg reference to The Crying of Lot 49 in one of the books I just lost it!

[@exitsexamined]

There are so so so many fun little easter eggs in them, one of the reasons rereads are so good!

[@peoplewatching458]

I'm so glad to see this Fandom alive! ASOUE is truly one of a kind, and will always hold a special place in my heart

[@exitsexamined]

It's just so cool to find other people who are into the series, thanks for checking out the video!

[@peoplewatching458]

​@@exitsexamined My pleasure! Your channel is so underrated, love the top notch quality of this video, I'm sure your channel will soon blow up

[@JuriAmari]

My parents and I enjoyed the series. My dad rented the audiobooks by Tim Curry while we were on a road trip and we absolutely fell in love. The plots were rather cathartic too as it covered how incompetent and cruel people can be as how well-meaning people can get screwed over by the system, their own pain, or circumstance (I immediately think of the judge, Jerome, and Monty). But even through the awful circumstances, there is an underlying persistence of the desire to live and love even in the midst of all the misery and suffering. The things the Baudelaires went through would make anyone - adult or child - turn super cynical and jaded but they manage to keep some hope through it all!

[@exitsexamined]

The audiobooks with Tim Curry and Handler playing accordion are truly things of beauty and that sounds like a really magical way to spend a long car ride with the family

[@annegrey3780]

Tim Curry does the audiobooks! I'm sold!

[@mouhitorinoboku9655]

my mom agrees with his mindset, she also has always thought sheltering kids from the truth ultimately does more harm than good and prevents them from being able to cope with the world's harshness as adults. as an adult i agree with her whole heartedly, i've seen how much harm sheltering has done to classmates and people around me day to day; life sucks sometimes, it's harsh and grating and painful and tragic, but it's also beautiful, and joyful, inexplicable, miraculous and a gift. you have to have courage to live and learn to take the good and the bad together, because you wouldn't truly appreciate life's good things, without its tragedies. my mom never even bothered with picture books when i was little, the first book she read to me when i was 3 was the secret garden. you'd be surprised how much i still remember of that story (i remember the entire plot, i loved it). the next book was the adventures of robin hood (not the kid version mind you, the version geared towards adults where he gets sewn up into a fresh deer skin, and eventually dies by blood letting) as dark as it was, i loved it and i begged her to read it to me over and over again. this series and the spiderwick chronicles were series i read around 7th grade age, and i pretty much jumped to adult series afterwards and only started reading YA in high school.

[@buggalujuju]

Ahhh, my mom was very similar, very matter of fact. To be fair, she had a very harsh and cruel childhood. She did our best to provide us better than she had, but she definitely never sugar coated anything for my siblings and I. I never believed in Santa, she told us at a very young age that Santa was just a metaphor and that my dad and her were Santa. We also were read books like the brothers Grimm fairy tales and Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales, which are quite disturbing, but I loved them. My mom is also very religious, so we were read Bible stories and the chronicles of narnia and the lord of the rings were staples in our childhood. I feel that her being truthful to us kids about how hard and beautiful life can be was a blessing.

[@moongod5013]

This series irreversibly altered my brain chemistry, sense of humor, trust of authority and worldview. I treasure it.

[@bleedingroze]

Hands down the BEST children’s book series of all time. Calling it lightning in a bottle doesn’t do it enough justice. It scratches itches in my brain that I didn’t even know I had before this series became part of my life.

[@AraumC]

This and “The Name of this Book is Secret” were, to me, inseparable absolute classics that I’m so glad I grew up reading, and certainly defined a part of my personality growing up.

[@exitsexamined]

I haven't read The Name of this Book is Secret, how would you compare to ASOUE? Maybe I'll cover it at some point!

[@AraumC]

Anyone craving more ASOUE should read the Secret Series, because they are vastly similar. They have the same fascination with mysteries and riddles, dry sense of humor, and while Name isn’t gothic it otherwise has a very similar aesthetic of secret societies and hidden lore. Read the first few chapters of Name and you’ll instantly see it. I would say A Series of Unfortunate Events is better, I think the characters are much more interesting, but then again it’s been years since I did more than skim either books so…

[@skinni_the_P00hBear]

​@AraumC thank you so much for the recommendation 🙏🙏

[@Jessica-vh8ku]

For me, it was a trifecta: A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Secret Series, and The Mysterious Benedict Society

[@titanomachy2217]

Yeah these books were great reads. I loved the Redwall and Animorph novels too, and the Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter, of course. Man, children get all the best book series. I've read a lot of great books as an adult, but none of them were in a proper continuous narrative series.

[@NadwornyBlazen]

Please do the Iceberg, PLEASE!

[@exitsexamined]

I'm actually amazed people want to see one! It's different from other content I do on my channel but ASOUE deserves it, honestly surprised there hasn't been one before. Any secrets that you'd especially want covered?

[@NadwornyBlazen]

@@exitsexamined I read ASOUE when I was a kid, but haven't read 2 last books. I watched the show years later and it was great. I would simply like to know more about this world, whatever you do with the iceberg, I'm down for it.

[@Impactgracearts]

My husband and I loved these books so much we named our daughter Violet. 💜 Also the interviews with Daniel from the time these book were coming out are amazing, he committed to the big!

[@exitsexamined]

haha hopefully she likes the books too! Yeah the interviews were so so much to listen to, the commitment was definitely huge haha

[@blizzardgaming7070]

If you have a son make sure not to name him Klaus, especially if you have a relative named Oloff.

[@jkishhabi]

​@blizzardgaming7070 we named our adopted orange male cat Klaus both to honor this series and Umbrella Academy.

[@VampiraVonGhoulscout]

I have C-PSTD and I've had non-stop traumatic events for 30 years. I've suffered with depression since I was around five years old but it got really bad when I was nine. I find it difficult to watch the movie nowadays, especially the scene with Billy Connolly playing and singing to the children and they think everything is okay, right on the eve of more tragedy, because I was moved around constantly by my caregivers to someone else and the cycle kept repeating. But it still really spoke to me and I always felt a lot like Violet, because I'm always trying to find some way to get out of things when they go wrong.

[@keineFackel]

Thank you for sharing your story and keep your head up! ❤ I sincerely hope things will get better for you (if they arent already)!

[@LARKXHIN]

I was obsessed with these books as a child and for some reason, I completely forgot about them in adulthood. When someone made an offhand comment about the Netflix show, everything came rushing back to me. And I found my copies. And read them again. They are even better reading as I'm an adult now. The style of writing in the general tone influenced me so much, and I love the absurdity still, even though it's now horrifying to imagine all this happening to children. But it said something very important about the world: A lot of adults are dumb as hell.

[@brantjustilian3791]

Klaus wearing a blue tuxedo suit and red bow tie is just making me think of Conan. But hey there both pretty similar. Getting wrapped with incompetent adults, larger than life mysteries, and a hunger for books. Where death just follows them.

[@exitsexamined]

Haha wow that would be some crossover, to be fair there is a ton of similarities now you mention them. Thanks for reminding me of that series!!

[@oximoron613]

I think an important aspect of the series that gets overlooked is how it's very much a "Jewish story". The Baudelaires and the world around them are very culturally Jewish, and Daniel Handler has gone on record many times saying how much the series is inspired by Jewish history and literature. Sunny makes many Jewish history references in her babble , including "Yom Hashoah" (Holocaust Remembrance Day) in the last book to mean "Never Again."

[@LeeLee_LeeLee]

Didn't know this; interesting

[@rampagingshark]

Yeah I just realized he was Jewish when it was revealed his last name was Handler. I was curious as to how it was going to relate back to his writing

[@doctorwhorosetardis]

Would definitely enjoy an iceberg on the secrets in this series! I remember understanding that we would never get answers because one of the themes was about the ambiguity of mystery and acceptance that some mysteries are not solvable, and are more exciting that way. Nothing that could be in the sugar bowl is as interesting as not knowing what is in the sugar bowl. However, it still left me unsatisfied with that "answer."

[@exitsexamined]

Totally agree, I think from the ground up Handler knew he wanted secrets and mystery to be at the core here - but doesn't make it any less frustrating haha With the iceberg Any specific secrets you'd want covered?

[@doctorwhorosetardis]

@@exitsexamined It's honestly been like 15 years since I read any of them, I think I would have to reread them in order to answer that question, because I remember having a lot of questions after The End, and being frustrated that we would never get the answer to any of them. I think the quagmires definitely had some stuff that I wanted to know about, and anything with the vfd that was left unsaid. I didn't know about some of the spin-off books, the the book you were talking about with the letters between lemony Snicket and Beatrice, sounds absolutely enthralling, I might have to check that one out.

[@simpsonwizekid]

I remember when I finished the book, and feeling melancholic over the ending, but also incredibly frustrated with the "cop out" ending. I get what he was doing with the whole, "some mysteries you cant get an answer to" and "in order to solve 1 mystery, you have to solve another first", but you also gotta throw the audience a couple of bones when it comes to the mysteries. You don't have to spell it all out for the audience, but you can leave some clues as to what some of those answers are. I think what really frustrated me with the final book was that anytime a character was going to answer something, they had to go, "Well, in order to explain why X happened, I have to first tell you why Y happened!" No, no they didnt have to do that.

[@suziegon]

All my cousins and I were obsessed with this series growing up! I didn’t realize there were so many companion books! I think an iceberg video would be so cool!

[@exitsexamined]

Hey cool to find someone else out there who's into the series!! I was just waiting for an excuse to do an iceberg video so thank you for being that excuse!

[@suziegon]

@@exitsexamined I'm looking forward to it! 😁

[@JuriAmari]

@@exitsexamined please do it! 😊

[@starbell1566]

Loved these books as a kid, they were so formative. Also, the television show Arthur had an episode parodying these books, the Baudelaire kids became “the Brontë children” a fun reference I got years later.

[@ArissaHaque]

I read that as “they were so fortunate”

[@r-robertson-d]

This is the series that got me into reading for pleasure. It was exactly my type of dry neurodivergent humor and forever cemented my appreciation of alliteration! My school librarian even let me keep the whole series past the due date since I was the first kid to read it in years lol. Now, I have a Bachelors in English-Creative Writing and I still credit Series of Unfortunate Events as the books that made me fall in love with reading and writing.

[@LillyTheLonelySock]

This series meant so much to me as an adult! I had started experiencing a series of health issues since the summer I turned 19, and at 21 I was hospitalized a few times. I had to drop the fall 2006 semester of university to recover. I noticed the 13th book was coming out Friday, October 13th, 2006. Since I had my own series of unfortunate events it felt appropriate. I started checking the books out of the library to read them all by the time the last book came out. I'm thankful I did. Not only did I LOVE THEM, but I was hospitalized AGAIN by the time the 13th book came out. My mom bought it for me so that once I finished reading book 12, _The Penultimate Peril_ I could read book 13, _The End,_ right there in the hospital. I deeply want to be as talented as Daniel Handler. But right now I'll settle for finishing a piece of writing, having it published, and being paid.

[@AlextheHistorian]

I was almost 8 years old when the Bad Beginning came out. In school, teachers were struggling to get kids to read a novel (this was 3rd grade I believe), and nobody wanted to read anything except maybe Harry Potter...but many kids including myself couldn't stand any of the novels for kids my age...they were boring. My dad worked at Barnes & Noble Bookstore, and bought me "The Bad Beginning", it was fresh off the press, no one had seen anything like it. I cracked the book open, expecting to be bored as any other book...but then I saw the victorian wallpaper and the framed gothic illustration of the Baudelaires and Count Olaf right there on the other side of the cover. I read the first line, "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." -I was hooked and glued to the pages. With every release of a new book in the Series of Unfortunate Events, I couldn't wait till my Dad came home from work holding the newest edition. I would read the books and tell all my classmates about it, which got them to buy a copy and read it. Even my teacher said that my enthusiasm got her to buy the first book for her son (a kid who refused to read novels), and he became hooked too. Soon enough, you couldn't walk around the school without seeing a kid holding one of the books in this series. It was truly something to behold. EDIT: Even now as a man nearing his mid-thirties, I still have all the original first edition hard-back books in this series that my father had brought home to me all those years ago. I keep them on the top bookshelf, lined up. They are in excellent condition, which speaks a lot about how much I cared for the books as an 8 year old.

[@MooMooMoons]

ok now we need a full spoiler-filled analysis

[@rogue8059]

I read Lemony Snicket as an 18yr old, even I was no longer a kid it still had such a big effect on it. I love those books so much and I adore Daniel Handler as a writer

[@GabyLizzzz]

What I like the most about A Series Of Unfortunate Events is that it's full of mysteries. I watched the movie, the Netflix series and read all the books and I still don't have answers to a lot of questions. But even with so much mystery, I can still appreciate the story and love the characters. I had a lot of fun reading the books because of the ironic and intelligent writing, such a masterpiece

[@emelinec.]

Great video! Please do the Iceberg, as there is a criminal lack of ASOUE fan content out there, and I'd love to here your thoughts! Also, if you haven't already, I highly recommend giving the All the Wrong Questions series a closer read. The content and references in it may not directly explain all the questions that readers had at the end of ASOUE, but it adds so much more to the psyche of Lemony Snicket by giving us a glimpse of what he was like as a kid.

[@exitsexamined]

All the Wrong Questions is great, honestly every book I've read under the "snicket" name has been great and it's really interesting how every book and series is a totally different direction. haha I was looking for an excuse so I have to now haha. As far as the iceberg, any secrets that you'd especially want covered?

[@emelinec.]

@@exitsexamined 👏👏Agreed, the man is a brilliant author. As for secrets related to the books, I would love a theory connecting to where we see Lemony and the end of the book with the events that we know unfolded between him, Beatrice, and Olaf when he was a young man.

[@coastaf]

Never read these but they sound very much in line with the dark themes of Roald Dahl’s Matilda, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and even Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew

[@BroadwayBrittany]

They do share a lot of the same vibes! The only difference is that despite all of the dark elements of Dahl’s books, whimsy and magic sort of reign supreme. Here though, that element is out of the picture. Instead, you’re left with quirky humor and wit, and even the most outlandish scenarios feel plausible due to the delivery. The thing that ties it all together is the writing style, because the narrator truly is a character of his own. The writing reads like a modern Dickens story (if you’ve ever read any of his work, then you know precisely the tone I’m talking about), except it throws all notions of what rules “good writing” should strictly follow out the window and never feels dull for even a second, allowing for a sense of freedom for the writer to do whatever the hell he wants in a way I’ve never seen since (and I’ll note he does so in a MASTERFUL fashion).

[@sewcat6486]

Please do more deep dive in explaining the series mysterious events and items because I never really understood.

[@exitsexamined]

I'm working on it! Anything you'd want to see?

[@LordHorseTeeth]

I remember being OBSESSED with these books as a child! I think they planted the seed for my love of dark wit, secrets, and gothic tones

[@avayamm]

These books literally shaped me as a human being. This series taught that intelligence and creativity is so much more important than most anything else. As the oldest child of three, and at that being a girl, Violet felt personally written for me. I thank the author for making me feel less alone, and confident in what I'm good at.

[@magiczz]

About the blank book: While there were quotes and drawings, it was definitely more intended to be used as a journal. I don't have it anymore but I do remember at the beginning there was a passage from Lemony Snicket basically telling the owner to write their own story.

[@Palafico3]

I’m in the US and I got both the Blank Book and Notorious Notations when I was growing up. I also have a signed copy of the 13th book during the release event on Friday the 13th of October in New York City, I told him my Dad and I read the books together every night before bed so he wrote that I had “a wicked father” lol. Still one of my favorite memories, I literally could not stop myself from smiling I was so happy.

[@exitsexamined]

Wait! So WHAT is the difference between he Blank Book and Notorious Notations? I was stuck on that for hours haha

[@Palafico3]

@@exitsexamined Nothing really, they both had the standard format of lined pages and little illustrations decorating the top or faded in the background, the occasional quote on the bottom of the page. I think the Notorious Notations was released just before the 13th book with updated material vs. the Blank Book which was older and frankly a bit less stylish on the cover lol.

[@WishfulThinkingArt]

My fourth grade teacher read us the first two books in the series out loud and we all LOVED them! We actually went on a school field trip to see the movie when it came out in theaters and again, we all loved it! Personally, I liked the wordplay and the ironic remarks, as well as just that the three children were such sympathetic characters going through the most absurd, but also quite harrowing, situations. I remember we were all on the edge of our seats hoping that Violet would rescue Sunny! While we did think it was weird that Count Olaf tried to marry his own relative, it was just part of the absurdity and we accepted it.

[@exitsexamined]

Whoa that sounds like a really cool fourth grade teacher haha. Didn't know they could read them in class!

[@KH3VersusXIII]

I read the whole series before I was a teen, it’s themes never went over my head and I really learned to appreciate the good in the world despite all the darkness through the themes of these books

[@Sclasspsycho]

I absolutely love the series, especially the audiobooks! Some were read by Tim Curry and others by the author. There were songs by Snicket and Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields. I've listened to The Tragic Treasury many times.

[@exitsexamined]

The audiobooks were so great to back into! Tim Curry was great and loved the songs! Apparently Daniel Handler is an avid accordionist too!

[@JuriAmari]

@@exitsexamined I remember the accordion solos that started and bridged each book! I totally forgot those were by Handler

[@ShoutoutToTrees]

Please please do the iceberg video going over the secrets! I loved these books so much, growing up. I'd borrow them from a library that was a little far from my place. I'd tear through one and then eagerly wait for the next visit. The librarian and I were buddies at this point, and each time he'd so sweetly have the name of the next book ready for me. He would come with me to the children's section and we'd read the blurb on the back and discuss the books. Some of my fondest memories :)

[@exitsexamined]

Man libraries were pretty great as kid, it's so cool to be able to talk about a series you love with someone, that sounds like a great memory. As far as the icebergI was looking for an excuse so I have to now haha. Any secrets that you'd especially want covered?

[@OtterloopB]

Very much so, I would love for the series to continue given the nature of how the main series ended. Violet, Klaus and Sunny are obviously alive, as well as Kit's child. Not to mention Snicket himself. There are still unanswered questions and, given how vast and interconnected V.F.D is, there is still room for new mysteries and revelations. Further, given how much time has passed from the main series ending, a new set of books would feel fresh rather than forced had they arrived only a few short years after the initial series ended. Due to places like Reddit harboring posts from people who felt letdown by "The End," a new branch of books could reignite the hope within people of being given a second chance at some more distinct closure - even if done in Snicket's own bittersweet way.

[@jasperwisecarver]

a series of unfortunate events genuinely meant the world to me, especially as a kid growing up with an abusive parent. I'd already seen tragedy and trauma as a kid, and seeing other kids (albeit fictional ones) find their way through so much worse, made it feel like my siblings and I could handle everything that was thrown at us, too.

[@christianfarquis7790]

no hate but am I the only one who couldn't even finish the Netflix series? I actually thought Neil Patrick was terrible casting.. also thought the art direction was off.. But to each his own! Thanks for this comprehensive video!

[@QuestionableLifeChoices]

i LOVED the gamecube game! the music at monty's house, specifically in the garden, was the first time a video game score made me want to stop playing and just stay in an area so i could keep listening and feeling

[@SillyGoose...]

I loved this series as a kid and you are right there really was and still is nothing like it. Great video! And I would definitely watch an iceberg video if you made one.

[@exitsexamined]

Hey thanks so much! The only excuse I needed was literally one person to tell me they wanted it, so thank you for being that person haha

[@rs621-t5h]

I’d watch it too!

[@reeselansangan]

Begging for more ASOUE content from you! This series altered my brain and changed my life. And I absolutely agree with what you said about the adaptations. I’m thankful it got made in its entirety, and that it brought the entire story to life.

[@exitsexamined]

I'm on it! What type of secrets for the iceberg video would you want?

[@nicholasbarton3184]

Only halfway through but love how you described the writing and the story, it was spot on! I haven't read it in years but you're really giving me the urge to go back to it again, thanks as always!

[@Phant0mGirl]

Please give us an iceberg! Solving the mysteries in elementary school was so rewarding

[@exitsexamined]

I'm on it! Any particular secrets or lore you'd want explained?

[@Phant0mGirl]

@@exitsexamined I’d love to know more about The Beatrice Letters! I don’t think I read that one.. but Im really curious about her relationship with Lemony and how that brought him to tell us the story of her children (if that’s even the case) so many questions!

[@jacofalltrades7610]

i was such a huge fan of these books as a kid. randomly occurred to me this evening that I'd not read the last one or two books - so i went to youtube for a series recap. what are the odds you'd publish this today - first time ive thought of it in years

[@exitsexamined]

It's fate! Either that or giant VFD esqe conspiracy

[@PolishBigfootCircle11]

You should check out the Pendragon Series by D.j. MacHale, and the Maximum Ride series! Both are incredible!

[@exitsexamined]

Oh I haven't checked it out! Is it similar to ASOUE? I put it on the list!

[@ProfSir1]

@@exitsexamined If you don't check out Maximum Ride, I will.

[@PolishBigfootCircle11]

@exitsexamined Kind of. Pendragon has the main character traveling between worlds to stop an interdimensional shape shifting villian. The main character is always a step behind, having to learn from his mistakes. Even when you think the good guys have won, they haven't. It's an amazing story! Maximum Ride is basically X-Men, but all the characters were made in a lab and are trying to save the world.

[@neginesuke]

I actually tried to re-read the Pendragon books not long ago and man it was rough. I can tell Pendragon is a product of its time haha.

[@PolishBigfootCircle11]

@@neginesuke am I blinded by Nostalgia?

[@kayla_eevee]

I've been meaning to revisit this series for a while. My favorite was The Ersatz Elevator but I don't remember much from the last couple books at all. I know I read The Penultimate Peril but I can't actually remember if I ever read The End or not.

[@exitsexamined]

I was the same as you! The Slippery Slope kind of got lost in my memory banks for awhile but 100% worth a reread if for nothing else then to see everything come together in The Ened!

[@afunkymonke]

I also never got a chance to read the final book, finding this video after all these years makes me want to restart the series now.

[@mackmclaughlin5801]

I would eat up an iceberg so much I need it

[@jonathanrobinson8926]

Possibly the most influential series to me as a person. I loved and still love these masterpieces.

[@QUEERVEEART]

i loved the video game LOL it was so weird and fun. the series really helped me as a kid, i was obsessed with it. the reptile room was always my favorite book and the ending the most tragic to me. the books helped validate my feelings that adults were not always right or good, and rarely listened to kids. they showed me its okay to question authority and not trust in the courts and the system. that strength lies in connection, and sometimes we try our best and hardest but the world is against us, but we always have each other.

[@Akiiiza]

I saw the movie when I was maybe 6 years old, and later on I found the books at my school library in 4th grade. I was like, "Hey, that's the movie I saw years ago!" Then, I read the whole series of books! Since that day, I've LOVED this series so much. It holds such a special place in my heart. You have no idea how excited I was when they announced the Netflix series! I love how faithful to the books it is!

[@amandanye4087]

I would love the iceburg video. I remember as a kid being so fascinated by "the mystery" of these books and puzzles. I didn't realize there were as many companion books out, that I might have to find now as an adult to finish my collection (lol)

[@bangbangyouredead7]

Amazing. Please, please, PLEASE do a deep dive on the series and more specifically on all the secrets of VFD, there are so many people who would appreciate it. You're awesome!

[@exitsexamined]

Hey thank you so much! I plan to! What type of secrets would you want covered?

[@bangbangyouredead7]

@@exitsexamined of course, you did an amazing job covering everything, and your pacing/presence/delivery are all so easy and enjoyable to listen to. I'm super excited to see it come out! If you happen to find any parallels to real-world organizations, I'd be curious to learn about any analogous events in the series. It also seems significant that we only learn that V.F.D. stands for Volunteer Fire Dept after hearing all these red herring (see what i did there) acronyms, Very Fancy Doilies, Village of Fowl Devotees. It could just be Daniel Handler messing with his readers, but the sheer number of times we see or hear that acronym feels like we're being intentionally thrown off, and not just for storytelling purposes. I'm curious to know why.

[@terrawrites1900]

I'm STILL deeply obsessed with this series, reading them was a canon event for me. However, I wanted to answer a thing you said in this video - if I remember correctly, we DID find out what was in the sugar bowl. It was simply sugar - and horseradish, I think, the cure for MM.

[@exitsexamined]

Jury is still out on that one I'm pretty sure!

[@tehbige73]

The netflix series claimed it had a cure to MM but the books never revealed the contents of the bowl. I also really dislike the idea it has a cure for MM since we have another cure featured in The End.

[@LittleKittyMine69]

Lemony Snicket told me I was smart and capable when I was a tween, and he did it in a way nobody else had ever done for me, or has done since. He said "I will write big words but I won't assume you can't read them" and "these kids are smart too, just like you". I will never forget that, and I will never be like the useless adults in this series. I will never look down on kids and think they're stupid. Thank you, Mr. Handler.

[@fortello7219]

As someone who read the series when I was 10, it was just about perfect. The trauma in my own childhood made the book fun and relatable, in that charming fantasical way.

[@IshyASMR]

The way a flood of memories came rushing when you showed the Lunchables boxes! This series is probably why I'm so Melancholic 😅

[@momain5483]

Would love the iceberg video! This series meant so much to me as a kid. I went to a very small elementary school and one of my parents ended up passing away. All the teachers I had currently and previously learned about this event and I was gifted this book series as a way to learn that terrible things happen but there is always some hope out there. It didn't work (lol, therapy is helpful!) but the memories of my teachers rallying behind me to help me through the hardest time in my life will never leave me. My third grade teacher even had a meet up to go watch the movie in theaters when it came out!

[@ladydartz]

These books are so important to me. I first read them because my dad used to travel to Spain once a year, and there he used to visit this bookshop where the owner always recommended him something for me to read. One year he came back with "A bad beginning" and I devoured that book and cried so much reading it. It was the first book that wasn't afraid of saying that adults weren't perfect, and that they may allow awful things to happen to children, also presented me with such a fascinating literary and musical world that shaped my own taste. Back in the early 00's these series were only traduced to Spanish up to the 6th book, so I started taking more seriously my English lessons to be able to read the rest of the series. I was being bullied at school and the teachers weren't doing anything to stop it so reading books that stated that this behaviour wasn't right really helped me to go through all that.

[@mack.attack]

I liked these books as a kid. The word "liked" here means, "Loved and ravenously devoured each new installment as soon as it came out." ;) Seriously, the tone was so incredible. It was the first time I could hear an author rolling their eyes as I read.

[@Eddy002]

I miss those days where everyone was so excited about a new book in a series coming out. I remember my siblings and I bargaining with each other to see who would get their turn first to read. Then over the next week or so we would ask each other what chapter the other was in before talking about it so we wouldn’t spoil any surprises. We did this for Harry Potter, series of unfortunate events, divergent, and others. While I still read now, since we have all grown up and moved out, and we all read different books, the magic of it all isn’t quite there anymore. Thank you for this video, reminding me of simpler times and a great book series.

[@WasatchWind]

Glad to see someone enjoys the film commentary as much as I do lol "So are you seriously trying to convince me that this man is actually Count Olaf disguised as Jim Carrey disguised as Count Olaf??" 🤣

[@exitsexamined]

Oh my god, that was the first time I've researched something for this channel and I almost wasn't able to get through it because I was laughing so much, it's truly a thing of beauty

[@EggnogKL]

7:16, PLEASE for the love of God make an Iceberg video on this series! It deserves one and it would be very a entertaining/interesting watch. Thanks👍

[@exitsexamined]

I'm in the process of it and good lord it is a beast haha

[@alebrijedebiblioteca5367]

This is the series of books that got me into reading! I love them very much, have played the videogame and love the adaptations. It made me super happy to find youtube content of them, so hew yewww to the iceberg video, please. 🙌🏼✨

[@exitsexamined]

Oh cool! How did you like the game? It's so interesting it exists and I wonder what handler thought of it haha. Any specific secrets you'd want covered in the iceberg?

[@whiskerssonkittens]

These books built me & really influenced my world view. I’d never read a children’s book that wasn’t afraid to address the fact that many adults aren’t to be trusted.

[@eilisbyrne2650]

This video was amazing!! so much detail and so much nostalgia, Thank you so much!!

[@PICODEGAYYO]

I finished reading through this series as an adult last week, and its still impactful (arguably more so) today

[@spencerritchie1977]

Great video. I think the series is so great because it doesn't look down on its audience. It leaves it up to the kid reading to put facts together. It also doesn't pretend that the world is perfect for the kid. Also incredible characters and a fast paced story that is easy to understand at a base level and rewards the reader who digs deeper.

[@Iexapro]

i experienced quite a few heavy things in my childhood so finding this series made me feel less alone in my thoughts and worries growing up. was incredibly privileged to buy a few at school book fairs, children are capable of understanding/communicating tough emotions when we don’t minimize their worlds.

[@redrasegarden]

Never could get into this series. The kids never being able to convince others the danger that was right in front of them was frustrating.

[@TryinaD]

Honestly that just sounded like my childhood experience so I felt a sense of solidarity with the Baudelaires 😂 but yes it is frustrating sometimes!!

[@redrasegarden]

@@TryinaD glad it found a following tho

[@minngael]

That's the point, it's very much about how disempowered children are & aren't believed when they are abused, etc.

[@redrasegarden]

@@minngael I suppose

[@Nagasakevideo]

That's exactly what made me feel seen.

[@wwirelesswwizard]

I read these books in middle school, and I remember one of my teachers asked why I liked them. He was genuinely confused, since I guess I seemed like a fairly happy kid to him. I told him that I didn’t know. As an adult, I recounted this to a friend who’s known me since we were kids, and knows that I’ve always struggled with my mental health. She immediately clocked it by simply saying, “depression.” It finally clicked, then, all those years later. I suppose I was always sort of drawn to darker subject matter, and there wasn’t a whole lot of it at the time that was age appropriate.

[@neginesuke]

I just recently finished rewatching the netflix show. I first learned of this series from the 2004 film and back then I didn't really get into reading it, was too busy with school, but now I feel like I missed out and am likely going to look into reading this series. As I really have enjoyed it and I hope someday when I have kids of my own I can share this series with them. It's good to have stories that show the harsh side of life as it is necessary for personal growth to know that people can overcome tough things, even when they seem impossible to overcome.

[@exitsexamined]

What did you think of the show? I guess you must have liked it if it convinced you to pick up the books again?

[@neginesuke]

@@exitsexamined I have actually never read the books. I really enjoyed the movie back in the day, but I have always been a Jim Carry fan. As for the netflix show I really enjoyed it. There are some aspects of the storytelling that I find a little too exagerrated, but I take into account that this story is more like a twisted fairytale than a realistic story. As someone who never read the books I think the show does a much better job of inspiring viewers to look into the books. As so many questions are left unanswered and it makes me curious as to how it was communicated in the books. Especially when you take into consideration that this story seems focused on trying to inspire readers to read more. It's a show that inspires viewers to read books. Which I like.

[@quinngutman4089]

Make the iceberg video!!!!!!! I’ve been a huge fan of this series ever since I was a kid. I actually read the books while they were coming out. Yet, there’s still more I have yet to learn about this series and its universe. This video alone I’ve learned more than I have before. For example, I didn’t know there were video game adaptations. Therefore, yes make the iceberg video!

[@exitsexamined]

I'm on it! Any particular secrets or lore you'd want explained?

[@AJlooovesPocky]

This was my favorite book series growing up! I remember reading the books out of order and not reading all the books bc my school never had all the books available 😂 this series holds a special place in my heart for being my earliest memories of getting hooked on reading

[@kingdomhearts351]

It’s funny now looking back and seeing that I was so drawn to these books in elementary school because nothing else matched the life I had at the time. I was drawn to the misery and the misfortune, it was comforting.

[@GrubStLodger]

There's also the fact that Daniel Handler played accordion on the Magnetic Fields' brilliant '69 Love songs' and Stephen Merritt from that band wrote a song for each of the audiobooks later compiled in 'The Tragic Treasury'. I'm a big fan of Smile: No one cares how you feel.

[@exitsexamined]

I think it's super interesting how almost all of "snickets" works are all totally different formats and styles, from ASOUE, ATWQ, to the companion books and even his music it's all awesome though

[@hellebore_59]

This was and still is my favourite series of all time, so much so that I designed an eye tattoo so i could have my own VFD tatt on my left ankle. The books really made me feel safe and comforted.

[@hallowedtalon8106]

I'm so happy I found your channel! It's so cool looking back on films and franchises from my childhood. I would love to see you make a video essay on the Chronicles of Narnia, as it seems right up your alley.

[@alexinitalics188]

For those looking for any similar books, all i can recommend is The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch. It was my follow up read after i read asoue and I was so disappointed to find it seems to be a genre of two authors 😭 The secret series is much less gothic but has its own unique vibe, much more magic but in a story of carnival-y way. But if you want another children's series with secret societies, clever children facing danger and a mysterious author who is desperate for you to NOT READ THIS BOOK, there is at least a couple more series to be found

[@exitsexamined]

So interesting! I had never heard of it, I'll have to check it out, what are the other series?

[@alexinitalics188]

@@exitsexamined There's a sequel series by Pseudonymous Bosch called The Bad Books. I only ever read the first few actually, I'm not sure how many are in the series, but the first one I remember has a lot of good literary references

[@k-raemccormack1592]

I absolutely adored the secret series but couldn’t get into a series of unfortunate events. I found that The Mysterious Benedict Society fit into a similar genre

[@matthewhall3020]

i recently had to downsize and ended up donating my childhood copies of the entire series! my favourite as a child, i remember impatiently waiting for every release in the later half of the series. thank you for talking about it! been good to revisit a nostalgic series, and no one seems to talk about the books - only the movies and show.

[@exitsexamined]

It's my pleasure and thanks for checking it out, it's just so cool there's other people out there who still have the same fondness for them!

[@jordanbrown6889]

How do you only have 10k subs? This is extremely high quality both in terms of production and substance.

[@exitsexamined]

Thank you! I appreciate you saying that, there's a ton of amazing creators out there that deserve more views, huge shout out to newtubers reddit!

[@MuteMusicalMorgan]

I have this series to thank for so many words and phrases that now make up my vocabulary. I remember appreciating how Lemony never "talked down" to us as a reader. The way things were explained never felt like he patronized us. I doubt there will ever be another childrens author that so completely understood children as Lemony Snicket.

[@zinhlemakh]

I started reading these books after my dad died when I was 12. Life was really bad, my two sisters and I basically became like orphans because my mom went into a deep depression when he died (she's fine now ❤). These books helped me cope. Idk how but it did. I'll always always have the deepest Love for everything this series did for me ❤️

[@chronostoad3291]

16:10 it’s amazing when Handler literally performs a song rather than comment on the lachrymose leeches scene.

[@exitsexamined]

The man is dedicated lol

[@quotenpunk279]

Looking at the authors intentions, its ironic that This movie haunted me for years because our father just left the theather with us halfway through. He wanted to shield us from everything negative in general, even when we where 16 and older. It did not work at all, it just stressed me when he was alwys observing us watching TV or even what we read (sometimes i sweated in fear of his judgement and then he was like "this movie stresses you, i'll turn it off) and After eventually escaping the family with around 20, i became kind of obsessed with media/culture highlighting the negative, because i felt lied to, and there where so many things in this world to hate, fear or be careful about that i was not told about. And of course i rewatched the movie. Maybe i'll read the books someday, thanks to your video.

[@Octobris]

Mr Poe is the most infuriating character in the history of literature.

[@exitsexamined]

If I do the iceberg we will have alot to say about Mr Poe, believe that lol

[@BlackXSunlight]

It's strange to say it, but as unique as these books are, that specific tone and setting was more common than most remember. I know this because at the same time I was reading ASOUE as the books were still releasing, I was also reading The Curse of the Gloamgazer and The Field Guide. There were other books of that style, too, published around then or even earlier (I believe The Edge Chronicles were first published in '98), but many of them I can't even remember. A shame I didn't have something like Goodreads to track these books when I was in grade school. But if anyone does remember, please reply with a title or two.

[@Thundernugget]

Yeah, many people here seem to have forgotten that dead parents are like a classic Disney movie staple

[@BlackXSunlight]

@@Thundernugget This is true but I'm talking specifically about the vaguely-20th century steampunk-esque aesthetic of those books, from the cover art and illustrations to the actual settings.

[@nymeria941]

Oh wow, I had no idea there was a video game! I played the game boy advance version of the game that I think was a movie tie in, but I’m not sure. These books absolutely changed my life for the better, and I love them to this day.

[@coraliepalmer5778]

I remember as a child deeply disliking to 2004 movie adaption since it seemed to stray from the original plot, pacing and characterisation (and the littlest elf thing was weird), but when I watched the Netflix series I was amazed how it seemed to translate the books directly from page to screen. I loved how they included snicket's deep involvement in the narrative throughout.

[@bryannaramos2487]

I really loved the commentary, and dont be afriad to offer your side or critisim. Cant wait for the next video! Im happy I've found a new channel that is diving into book series/ their adaptations.

[@almaquinn7401]

I'll always be grateful to my childhood best friend who's introduced me to this wonderful series. I'm an adult now and I still read them from time to time. They're my comfort books 💕