It's the night before The End

[flexagon]

As some of you probably know, the 13th Lemony Snicket book (The End) comes out tomorrow, on Friday the 13th. I have some morning meetings and then I'm going to run across to the mall and buy/devour it.

I just reread book 12 (The Penultimate Peril) last weekend to get myself on track. While doing a bit more online research today, I came across a pretty complete list of literary allusions in the series that left me feeling like a completely uneducated Cro-Magnon. I mean, I recognized quite a few things. I know what short story Esme Squalor's name comes from, I recognize Mr. Poe, I laughed at the name of the Silent Spring, I smiled when Sunny says "akrofil" to mean "they certainly are fond of high places"... and yet!

From the back of The End:

Dear Reader,

You are presumably looking at the back of this book, or the end of the end. The end of the end is the best place to begin the end, because if you read 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 book 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.

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 book at once, so the end does not finish you.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Comments

[flexagon]

Oh wow... don't know how to break it to you but you stopped right before the series gets really interesting. Up until 7 or so it's kind of episodic, but after that every book is clearly advancing a larger plot arc (i.e. the kids aren't transitioning between guardians at the end of each book anymore.) You should read the rest! :)

Oh -- I haven't read Letters but might very well pick that up today along with The End... we'll see how strong my willpower in the bookstore is.