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Review title: not one of the greats
Product review: I've read reviews comparing the author to Edward Gorey and Roald Dahl (Gorey makes the most sense, especially since the gothic background and language seems at times an homage to, at times a a rip-off of, the past master's work). I found the books in the "unfortunate events" series to be, for the most part, like a day-old cookie or pre-opened soda. Looks promising, but ends up tasting stale and flat. There's just something missing that greats like Gorey and Dahl never lacked - let's call it warmth. What made Edward Gorey a classic author was not merely his use of the gothic or the grotesque, but the understated humor, the heart, with which he described his characters' pitfalls. One feels no such warmth within these books. Cynicism and sarcasm alone are fun, but they ultimately make for a thin read; the classics, the truly great books, have more substance than evidenced by this series so far.
