Anyone else buy "Carnivorous Carnival" today?

Cafe Society
1

Possible SPOILERS, I guess.

I’ve been a huge fan of the series all along, and this one didn’t disappoint at all.

I think what I’m becoming most impressed with is the increasing dark tone of the Series. Admittedly, it wasn’t all sweetness and light ever. But there was a sort of humor in the first couple of books that’s been draining away gradually – not that the intrinsic humor of the writing has gone away, in fact it has even improved – but the children no longer get any rest. There isn’t a time to just sit back, invent, read, talk, bite, whatever.

I’m also astounded at the depth of the moral angle of the books. This one deals with how we treat those differently from ourselves, media extremism, and how sometimes people participate in their own victimization without ever once playing the after school special.

And the children are having to face up to the moral implications of their actions. In order to beat Olaf, they’ve stolen, lied, committed arson, and perhaps caused death through inaction. I don’t think the author is going to allow the children to completely walk away from this, and it makes me even more excited to know where the ending is really going to lead.

2

Ah! The new one is out? I need to pay better attention. I’ll pick it up this weekend. Thanks for the inadvertant reminder.

I, too, love the Series, and was trying to explain it to someone at work. They weren’t biting, though. Missing out, as both Sunny and I (and Mighty Maximo) will tell you. The Series of Unfortunate Events is super-cool.

More after reading the new one.

3

I know the feeling. Somehow it can’t be explained very well: “In the first chapter of the first book, the children’s house burns down and their parents die. But don’t worry, it’s humorous.”

4

I agree.

I thought TCC was a huge slap at reality tv especially jackass and survivor.

The drawings in this book didn’t seem to me to be up to the same standard of the previous books. In TEE the drawing of Sunny coming up out of the elevator shaft is the best illustration in the series.