<p>Violet Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming and resourceful and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately they are exceptionally unlucky.</p><p>In the first two books alone the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain itchy clothing a disastrous fire a plot to steal their fortune a lumpy bed a deadly serpent a large brass reading lamp a long knife and a terrible odour.</p><p>In the tradition of great storytellers from Dickens to Dahl comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting or quite so uproariously unhappy.</p>