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Ranking A Series of Unfortunate Books

A Series of Unfortunate Events is one of the best children’s book series of all time and one of my childhood favorites. I had read only the first four novels as a kid, but now as an adult I did get to read all thirteen of its chapters, and most of them did not disappoint. All of these stories are fun, dark, genuinely intriguing and very well imagined as a whole. This is my ranking of the whole series judging solely on my own merits, such as enjoyment, importance and writing.

13. The Carnivorous Carnival

I do realize that I am in the minority as it regards this particular entry in this series, but to me The Carnivorous Carnival is easily the worst of them all, thus it gets this last spot. That entire middle section was very disappointing and honestly quite boring while the new characters were nothing to write home about. Olaf was also underutilized this time around. With all of this being said, the book still has some things going for it, including particularly that intriguing beginning, the amazing hook ending, the memorable Olivia character and a solid setting.

12. The Ersatz Elevator

The Ersatz Elevator is famous for introducing us to Esme. She is one of the best characters on this series and this novel perfectly establishes her obsession with things that are “in”, her fashion sense and her overall horribleness. The twist that she is a villain really worked while her husband is also a complex, very well written character. The setting of the elevator was also well incorporated into the suspenseful situations. Minus points go to overwritten tech details, some typical plot points and the frustrating lack of Olaf once again. The story overall is slim here.

11. The Grim Grotto

The iconic fungus, the cave and the submarine. All of these made for one truly lived-in, memorable world. However, The Grim Grotto was so uneven in writing, childish dialogue and storytelling that it ended up being quite disappointing. It needed to have been more eventful. There is one thing to admire here, though, and that is the treatment of the complex Fiona character and the twist revelation about Fernald. The message that most people lie squarely in the gray moral area was important for children and very well depicted.

10. The Miserable Mill

The final part of this book was quite silly that it tarnished its overall reputation. This would otherwise have been the darkest entry in the series due to the very creepy hypnotization storyline, but the decision to make that final action scene involving Sunny so ridiculous hurt the book in the long run. It’s an uneven entry for sure, but the elements that worked are splendid. Dr. Orwell was a terrific one-off villain, you really feel for Klaus here and the setting was well utilized overall. It’s the messiest entry of the former half of the series.

9. The End

I do realize that this placement is controversial and this final novel is growing on me continually to this day, but I’m still not ready to call it amazing myself. The decision to go extremely low-scale was problematic as it led to too few answers that we definitely needed at this point in the game. The island was also the weakest location of the series. With that being said, that ending was deep and very moving, the treatment of Olaf was wonderful, some imagery is striking and the book is among the most sophisticated of the series in some very strong themes.

8. The Slippery Slope

The Slippery Slope is one of my personal favorite novels, the one with which I’ve probably had the most fun reading it. It has its issues such as the whole Esme climax and the annoying scouting, but the icy mountain was gloriously depicted with the snow gnats being very memorable. Sunny is especially great here and it was important seeing her on her own for once. The introduction of two very dangerous, creepy villains that are much more competent than Olaf was iconic, but unfortunately they were quickly discarded later on.

7. The Hostile Hospital

The emphasis on all the medical instruments and how horrifying they are is one of the highlights of this particular book. The rusty knife, the operation room and especially the gurney are all wonderfully utilized into both the story and the action in particular. Some of the details are excessive and Violet was reduced to being in need of saving throughout, but still this is one of the darkest, most genuinely horror-like books in the series. The exploration of the children’s now manipulative tactics in comparison to Olaf’s was the thematic highlight on this occasion.

6. The Reptile Room

The problem with The Reptile Room is that it was the most uneventful, most low in stakes entry probably of them all. However, I still find it underrated and actually rather great despite what I have now said. The positive treatment of snakes was important for the children’s medium, the scientific elements are lovely and of course Uncle Monty is such a sweet soul that his death was sorely felt. It’s one of the most tragic books in the series as never before or after did I feel for a death as much as I felt for this one.

5. The Vile Village

There is so much to love in this highly underrated entry in A Series of Unfortunate Events. The crows, the tree and all the rules by its stupid inhabitants all made for an incredibly well realized titular village. The characterization is also excellent. Olaf is sidelined a bit, but Esme proved to be a competent villain. Hector is a wonderful man while all the drama and mystery with the Quagmires was so well established. But the change in narrative and structure made for a compelling turning point for the series as the protagonists are now on the run as fugitives.

4. The Wide Window

Though typically unsubtle in some themes and writing, The Wide Window is genuinely creepy and dangerous in its constant tone of dread and despair. The cave, the lake, the blood-sucking leeches, the house on the cliff – all of these made for one very menacing, unwelcoming world for the Baudelaires. Olaf has rarely been as brutally effective and villainous as he was here while Aunt Josephine remains one of the most complex among the children’s guardians as her good and bad qualities are both abundant.

3. The Penultimate Peril

Yes, I rank the penultimate entry in A Series of Unfortunate Events this high because it’s strikingly memorable and different from the rest of the series. Yes, the first half is slow, messy and filled with too many characters, but most of those issues dissipate in the latter half where the true dramatic core is. The many villains and good guys get to truly shine, the courtroom part is unforgettable and that ending is incredibly dark and unlike no other. As the children leave the burning hotel, we never know who survived and who died in a truly epic moment.

2. The Austere Academy

The Austere Academy gets this very high placement because of its importance to the rest of the series, but also its greatness in many of the newly added elements. Olaf is fantastic here, very smart and his Coach Genghis disguise is one of the most memorable in the entire series. The setting is well utilized, but the introduction of the great, bratty Carmelita Spats made for a very amusing read while the Quagmire Triplets made for wonderful friends for the Baudelaires. The mythology was also significantly expanded here and it all made for a very fascinating story.

1. The Bad Beginning

The best novel in this series is the first one. Many may disagree, but you can’t argue with The Bad Beginning’s perfectly set up tone from the start. This is the one book that gets you hooked for the rest of the series so successfully while the black humor has never been better than it was in the original. All of the characters are great, but Violet is especially competent and Olaf is probably the funniest and most amusing in this entry. The whole storyline was the most dramatic and realistic of the bunch while the writing by Handler is at his finest.