Nearly everyone knows of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Shortly after the first book, The Bad Beginning, was released in 1999, it shook America like a storm. It seemed as if everybody had read the first book, captivated by its originality and unique style of storytelling. However, it seems as if by the end, author Daniel Handler (under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket) attempted to introduce too many characters and plot twists, and ultimately, ruined his own legend. The End, the thirteenth and final novel in his Series of Unfortunate Events, is well written, and contains all of the characters we’ve come to know and love, yet is undermined by its lack of revelation. For the last book in a series, it is surprisingly underwhelming, using its well structured beginning and middle to lead to a lackluster end.

The End begins exactly where the 12th book, The Penultimate Peril, left off. The three siblings, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, are on a ship with their nemesis, Count Olaf. They leave the Hotel Denouement, guilty of the horrible things they had to do in order to escape. As they continue to sail onward, a storm passes over them and knocks them all unconscious. When they wake up, they find themselves stranded somewhere on an island, surrounded by mysterious items and people dressed entirely in white. The three siblings soon learn the island they’re stranded on is simply known as an island “where everything winds up sooner or later.” The leader of these people is known as Ishmael (one of Snicket’s numerous Moby Dick references), and while Ishmael seems to be their savior, many secrets surround him as well. The Baudelaires attempt to figure out a way to get off of the island without breaking any of Ishmael’s ridiculous rules.

For a book that’s supposed to end a series, its tone is very laid back. Normally, when the last book of a series is written, every word oozes with suspense, as the reader anticipates the moment when the book finally ends, and the series is done forever. However, as the story approaches the middle point, and finally, the end, we’re left feeling as if we’ve been duped. The End is perhaps Snicket’s most well written book, yet it’s his least enthralling.

However, as negative as I’ve been about it, the book certainly does have its highlights. The character Ishmael is another one of Snicket’s ingenious creations, as he provides an equal amount of humor and seriousness, and Count Olaf never fails to provide laughter as his tale is brought to a quite unfortunate end. I simply believe that Snicket could’ve written more, and answered more questions, in order to somewhat satisfy our insatiable appetite for his tale of the three siblings.

The End is by all means a great read. However, be warned that by the time you reach its conclusion, you’ll be left feeling unfortunate that after seven long years, the series is finally over.

Grade: B-