The Ominous Omnibus [Hardcover]

THE BAD BEGINNING: BOOK 1 - The three Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, never complained about their life. Their parents loved them dearly, and the three children loved them back. They were allowed to attend adult parties given by their parents, read all the books that they wanted, invent whatever scientific item that came into their mind, and spend time walking and playing along the shores of Briny Beach. That is, until the good bankteller, Mr. Poe, comes to speak to them one day, and announces the death of their parents in a tragic accident. The three Baudelaire children, now the three Baudelaire orphans, are immediately swept away from their lives of love and luxury, and tossed into a gloomy old mansion with their "third cousin four times removed, or fourth cousin three times removed," known as Count Olaf. Count Olaf treats the three orphans horribly, forcing them to cook and clean for not only himself, but also for his friends, and soon the orphans are looking for a way to escape from their horrible new life. With no friends left except for Count Olaf's kind neighbor, Justice Strauss, the orphans feel lonely, and know that it's up to them to come up with a fantastic escape plan to leave their treacherous life with Count Olaf behind.

THE REPTILE ROOM: BOOK 2 - Since being forced to live with their crazy, money-hungry uncle, Count Olaf in the last book, THE BAD BEGINNING, the three Baudelaire Orphans, Violet (14), Klaus (12), and Sunny (an infant), are horrified to think about what could happen now, as they are being brought to live with another relative, Uncle Monty. After all, they have been through so much as it is, and deserve only happiness. Luckily, that is what they find with Uncle Monty, as he is giddy, and fun, and treats the three Baudelaire Orphans quite well. He even allows them to assist him in his office, known as THE REPTILE ROOM. Everything is going along great, until a money-hungry relative from the Baudelaire Orphans' past comes back to destroy everything that they have earned, including Uncle Monty.

THE WIDE WINDOW: BOOK 3 - It's hard enough being an orphan, and even harder to be an orphan that is shuffled from home to home every few weeks, due to the evil Count Olaf, a man who spends his days trying to get custody of the three Baudelaire orphans - Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. Mr. Poe, the kind, yet clueless bank manager, is on his way to deliver the Baudelaire orphans to their dear Aunt Josephine, who happens to be afraid of everything, phones, the stove, the radiator, pretty much anything that deals with electricity. Yet her home is perched high above the waters of Lake Lachrymose. The one thing Aunt Josephine is unafraid of, is the proper grammar of the English language, which she forces upon the orphans day in and day out. That is, until she meets Count Olaf, who is posing as Captain Sham, and mysteriously disappears, leaving the children to Captain Sham. Now the three orphans must find Aunt Josephine before it is too late, and they are once again forced to live with the evil Count Olaf.

J.K. Rowling brought the "orphan" dilemma back to children's literature, with her HARRY POTTER series, and, since then, numerous children's series revolve around orphans. But many do not reach the enjoyment potential that Lemony Snicket has created with his A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS collection, and the first three books in the series showcase that enjoyment the best. Snicket has created a marvelous series that uses reverse psychology to capture the attention of readers young and old, and follows up by mixing two factors: happiness and ludicrousness together, to complete the series. Accompanied by marvelous illustrations by Brett Helquist, Snicket's A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS is the perfect stepping-stone for readers who have graduated from Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES. A miserable time will be had by all.

Erika Sorocco

Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

I have just started reading this book, and it is a collection of

the first three books: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window. I love this book from what I've read. It's got

pages that look like napkins and says to buy the movie instead

so you won't buy this, but buy it! It's really good! The book contains the first three books, in which the movie was inspired

by. Why is it better to buy the book instead of the movie? Because it has some parts that weren't in the movie. The books are about the misery of the Baudeliere orphans: Sunny, Klaus, and Violet. Their misery just gets worse when they have to stay

with their "third cousin removed four times," Count Olaf. He has

the children tortured, and lets them be in his play. But is his

play a trick to get the Baudelaire's fortune? To find out, you

either have to see the movie or read the book. I hope this was

heplful to you. I hope I helped you choose this book over the movie.

I've read all of the books in the series and i'm hoping this one will be the best. I just couldn't stop reading the Grim Grotto (book the 11th) because it was to good to stop and I'm thinking the Ominous Omnibus will be the same. This will probably be the best one I think.

Nick H.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 12 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars