The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #12)

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The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events #12)

by Lemony Snicket, Brett Helquist (Illustrator), Michael Kupperman (Illustrations)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 33,709 ratings · 663 reviews

Lemony Snicket returns with the last book before the last book of his bestselling Series of Unfortunate Events. Scream and run away before the secrets of the series are revealed!

Very little is known about Lemony Snicket and A Series of Unfortunate Events. What we do know is contained in the following brief list:

-The books have inexplicably sold millions and millions of cop...more

Hardcover, 353 pages

Published October 18th 2005 by HarperCollinsPublishers

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Apr 25, 2008 Carissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile

same formula as all the others, but the plot thickens! favorite snicketism from this volume? “the three adults smiled at the children, and the children smiled back, but of course the baudelaires were not born yesterday, an expression which means “young or innocent enough to believe things certain people say about the world.” …violet was born more than fifteen years before this particular wednesday, and klaus was born approximately two years after that, and even sunny, who had just passed out of...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Larissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is clearly the book Daniel was aching to write. The best, most complex, most complete, most well-constructed and most enlightening installment in the series. This is the book with the denouement of the series, indeed, and the main theme of the novels shines darkly through to the end. Kit's early insistence that the children will be able to observe nobility in others, to the final pages where nothing at all about nobility could be foggier, the moral ambiguity of adulthood and the wickedness...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Jamieson rated it 5 of 5 stars

When we last left the Baudelaire Orphans, they were fleeing from Count Olaf and entering a car with a woman in the back seat who they had never seen before. That woman was Kit Snicket. Kit Snicket, one of the many on the right side of the schism, takes them to The Hotel Dénouement. There, they hope to learn the answers to some of the questions that plague them.

There, treachery is a foot. No one is who they seem to be and lies are a plenty. Kit informs the Orphans that they must rescue the sugar...more When we last left the Baudelaire Orphans, they were fleeing from Count Olaf and entering a car with a woman in the back seat who they had never seen before. That woman was Kit Snicket. Kit Snicket, one of the many on the right side of the schism, takes them to The Hotel Dénouement. There, they hope to learn the answers to some of the questions that plague them.

There, treachery is a foot. No one is who they seem to be and lies are a plenty. Kit informs the Orphans that they must rescue the sugar bowl and it’s precious contents before Count Olaf finds it. If he finds the sugar bowl, they are all doomed. How are they to infiltrate the Hotel Denouement, however? Surely they will be recognized? Their picture is in the Daily Punctilio every day, with details of false crimes they have committed.

Kit solves this problem by providing the Orphans with clever disguises. They will dress as concierges so that they can infiltrate the hotel unnoticed. There is a catch, though. They will also be Flaneurs. “Flaneurs,” explains Kit, “are people who quietly observe their surroundings, intruding only when absolutely necessary. Children make excellent flaneurs, as so few people notice them.” In doing this, the Beaudelaire Orphans hope to lend a hand to the V. F. D (The Volunteer Fire Department) and find what treachery may be under their feet.

It will not be easy however; they will have to split up to find out as much information as they can. Every volunteer, good and evil, are meeting at the Hotel Dénouement for that all-important Thursday meeting. And things in the hotel are more than what they seem. Klaus knows not to judge a book by its cover; as well, he knows that every book holds secrets. And The Hotel Dénouement is quite the book.

For instance, why is Esme Squalor on the roof looking into the skies with reverse binoculars? What does she hope to see? Why are Sir and his partner Charles there from the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill? Who is the mysterious person with the initials J. S. that they are hoping to meet? Why is Principal Nero from Prufrock Prepatory School there to meet this same J. S? And what is her fascination with measuring things? Why does she hate Indian food?

All these questions and more are raised as the orphans try to infiltrate the hotel and find out what they can. But whether or not they succeed depends on one man, Frank or Earnest, who may be a friend or foe. Not knowing which side he is working for, the Baudelaire’s put into action plans that may spell their doom, or their freedom….

As with any book in the Series of Unfortunate Events, “The Penultimate Peril” is rollicking great fun. I’ve loved the series since the first book, “The Bad Beginning”, and it’s just gotten better with each installment. New questions are raised at every turn, in every book, and one wonders if the Baudelaire’s will ever find an answer to the questions that plague them.

If you are hoping that the second to last book (Penultimate means “Next to last”) has any answers be warned: Few questions are answered here. We see several, if not all, the supporting characters from all the past books and the plans are treacherous indeed, but few questions are answered. The rest, I’m afraid, are left for the last, and final book, of A Series of Unfortunate Events that came out in October 2006.

That’s not to say that “The Penultimate Peril” is not worth reading. Far from it, in fact. The book adds much to the series’ mystery and gives us enough answers to keep reading and keep guessing. The strength of the series lies in Lemony Snicket’s way of spinning a tale and keep us guessing. The orphans are growing up and are learning some grim things in this installment. To fully appreciate how far they have come, how much they have grown, “The Penultimate Peril” is a must. It may, in fact, hold more answers than we know
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Jan 09, 2008 k.wing rated it 5 of 5 stars

"... One can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways." page 180

"I'm not sure we ARE noble," Klaus said quietly, flipping the pages of his commonplace book. "We caused those accidents at the lumbermill. We're responsible for the destruction of the hospital. We helped start the fire that destroyed Madame Lulu's archival library. We-"
"Enough," Dewey interrupted gen...more

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Oct 03, 2007 Ruben rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone who's read the first 11.

Shelves: snicket

Here's the point: The Penultimate Peril continues to tie it all together, and the return on your investment is shockingly huge. Lemony Snicket manages to tease out a few underlying themes, like what to think when good people let you down, and whether doing evil things makes you an evil person. There are incredible images here of reflections, fire and justice. The illustrations are also picture perfect. And even though the series grows dimmer and darker, it still manages to be one of the funnies...more

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Jun 11, 2008 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-lit-and-i-love-it

My generic review for A Series of Unfortunate Events.

I really love this series. I love the wit and humor. I love the way the author 'explains' and 'defines' things to the reader. I was constantly laughing out loud while reading these.

The series does get progressively darker or more confusing as to who is good and who is bad. But it never reaches Harry Potter level. I would feel comfortable with my tweens reading these.

Very good twists and turns and outright ridiculous in parts.

Lemony Snicket i...more

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Jan 27, 2009 Chris added it

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Penultimate Peril
By Lemony Snicket
353pp. New York, New York
Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN 0 06 441015 3

Often, as a writer continues a series, the quality of his writing begins to diminish...that is not the case with Lemony Snicket. Actually, the books keep getting better and better, and better. The twelfth book in the unfortunate series is the "next to last" danger the Baudelaire children will face. The Baudelaires have been on a roller coaster ride, being boun...more A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Penultimate Peril
By Lemony Snicket
353pp. New York, New York
Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN 0 06 441015 3

Often, as a writer continues a series, the quality of his writing begins to diminish...that is not the case with Lemony Snicket. Actually, the books keep getting better and better, and better. The twelfth book in the unfortunate series is the "next to last" danger the Baudelaire children will face. The Baudelaires have been on a roller coaster ride, being bounced from home to home, throughout this whole series. In their last adventure, the children just managed to escape the clutches of a deadly fungi. Now, they have traveled to a hotel that has twin managers, but it isn't clear which one to trust. This time around, the Baudelaires are disguised as concierges who have to be at everyone's beck and call whenever they need assistance, including some very familiar faces...
The way Lemony Snicket manages to slip in details from previous books is amazing. His style of writing is suspenseful enough that you'll never put this book down, but not so suspenseful that you'll get annoyed and want to find out what happens already. Snicket keeps this book balanced with suspense, drama, and even the tight bond between family members. Snicket will have you on the edge of your seat with this novel.
The theme of drama in this book is explosive because it has built up drama from the other eleven books. We especially see drama as the children are at the beck and call of people that they used to know and hate. We see drama as the children continually try to decipher the mystery of which manager is which, which one is the good one and which one is evil??? We see drama as, once again, Count Olaf enters the seen and as always, is up to no good. But most of all, we see drama as the Baudelaires come to terms with a treacherous act they clearly committed.
The "theme" of suspense id very unique here. You see, Snicket has a way of building up suspense to nothing at all. You'll think that something is going to happen...then it doesn't and you say, "what happened?" But know this...all that suspense DOES lead to something bigger, much bigger.
Basically, read this book. Read the whole series and definately get your hands on book 13, it's even better! With drama, suspense, and family mixed with adventure, this book is unbelievable. I recommend this book to all grades sixth and up and anyone who loves an adventure. If you have read the other books in the series then there is no doubt that you will read this book. If you haven't read the others, you probably should work your way up but dont worry, the whole series is great...if I didn't mention that before.
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Mar 12, 2013 04MckennaJ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-reviews

The Penultimate Peril
By Lemony Snicket
Year 2005
Pages 353

The intended audience of this book is teens who like mystery. The main issue or problem in the book is that the Baudelaire children parents died and count Olaf wants there money for his own. The settings of this book are. The main setting would have to be the Hotel Denouement. This is the place where the Baudelaire children were employed to work undercover. This is also the hotel that is owned by the three identical triplets, Frank, Ernest,...more The Penultimate Peril
By Lemony Snicket
Year 2005
Pages 353

The intended audience of this book is teens who like mystery. The main issue or problem in the book is that the Baudelaire children parents died and count Olaf wants there money for his own. The settings of this book are. The main setting would have to be the Hotel Denouement. This is the place where the Baudelaire children were employed to work undercover. This is also the hotel that is owned by the three identical triplets, Frank, Ernest, and Dewey Denouement. The hotel is also organize by the Dewey Decimal system. If the story was not taken place in these setting then it would be a whole different story it is very crucial for this story. The main characters in this story are violet-protagonist she is the oldest Baudelaire and she always ties her hair back when there is something to invent to get them out of there situation,Klaus- protagonist middle Baudelaire he loves reading and knows everything,sunny- protagonist youngest Baudelaire she bits everything and is not a baby in this book not like the other books, count Olaf- antagonist villain who wants the Baudelaire money and is constantly killing people who gets in his way he fights to be there care taker. The Penultimate Peril is a book that says that you might have to do bad things sometimes to save yourself from a problem. The Baudelaire are Sunny, Klaus, and Violet that had to live somewhere following them name Count Olaf. After the Baudelaire adventure undersea, the Baudelaire meet with someone pregnant named Kit Snicket that rode the children to the Hotel Denouement. The children disguise themselves as concierge, and met two twin managers. (One bad and one good) The Baudelaire went to floor when the children met people that the children seen before in the others book. Dewey Denouement (the triplet of the twins Managers) told the Baudelaire a lot of secret the children didn’t know, but later Count Olaf came to shoot Dewey Denouement. The judge started court, (blind folded) but then the three notice that the judge was taken by Count Olaf. The Baudelaire burned the hotel to warn people to come, and escape with Count Olaf in a ship to the sea. I loved this book because kit snicket is in it and they have to go in disguises to find out the villains you must have thusands of questions Baudelaire said kit snicket page 4 In the few minutes we've known her, violet said, kit snicket has driven a taxicab into a mass of shrubbery . Normally I would be unwilling to trust such a person,but.. page 14 Theme: you might Have to do bad things sometimes to save yourself from a problem. I recommend this book to anyone who like mystery books because it is so intense when they get into disguises and they find out all of the mysteries. In this book there are orphans and there is count Olaf trying to take there money and he does not really care for the children that is how it sets it apart from the other books. I gave the book 5 stars I love the series of unfortunate events the Penultimate Peril cause it was so intense.

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Jan 27, 2013 Kacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

The word "unfathomable" usually means "puzzling" or "unknown". In this latest installment of the Baudelaires' history, the word here means "most events that occur in the story". If you opened this book hoping at last for some answers, it's best to turn back now. If, however, you are dedicated to following the Baudelaires then you will not be deterred no matter how puzzling their circumstances.

In this volume it's never certain who is a villain and who is a volunteer. Even the orphans struggle wit...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

** There are no spoilers of Book 12, but this review assumes you’ve read the first 11 books in the series.

The word Penultimate is defined as “The second to last in a series or sequence.” What a fantastic word to use in the title of this, the second to last book in the Series of Unfortunate Events.

Kit Snicket (fictional author, Lemony’s sister) takes the Baudelaire orphans, Sunny, Violet and Klaus, to the Hotel Denouement, where the mysterious VFD will be meeting in a few days. The siblings must...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Nicholas Karpuk rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this book would have genuinely upset me as a child. As a kid who found the Berenstein Bear book stranger danger disturbing, a book that suggests that it's always difficult to truly know whether someone is good or evil, or whether that even helps at times, would have put dark thoughts in my little head for weeks.

The formula is all but in ruins this time around, and most of the book is a kafkaesque trip through a strange hotel structured around the Dewey Decimal system. And yes, I actually...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Brooke Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Penultimate Peril, the 12th of 13-book series titled “A Series of Unfortunate Events” is one of Lemony Snicket’s best books yet! In this second to last book you get excited because you know your almost done the series but you don’t want the book to be over just yet because its such a great read. Following the lives of three orphans Violet, Sunny, and Klause; Lemony Sniket gives you a taste of horror, sorrow, and mystery as the three Orphans fight for there innocence, freedom, and what they’v...more The Penultimate Peril, the 12th of 13-book series titled “A Series of Unfortunate Events” is one of Lemony Snicket’s best books yet! In this second to last book you get excited because you know your almost done the series but you don’t want the book to be over just yet because its such a great read. Following the lives of three orphans Violet, Sunny, and Klause; Lemony Sniket gives you a taste of horror, sorrow, and mystery as the three Orphans fight for there innocence, freedom, and what they’ve been looking for from the very fist book the mystery behind their parents death.
The three orphans, Violet, Klaus and Sunny are once again caught up in a series of unfortunate events. Kit Snicket comes to pick them up at the beach and take them to Hotel Denoument where V.F.D. is going to have their meeting on Thursday at the last safe place. While they are there, they have to disguise themselves as concierges to try to find out if the guests are volunteers or villains. While they are working at the hotel, they come across other people, good and bad, from previous books. They see Carmelita Spats, Esme Squalor, Sir and others they have stayed with. Then during the night, Dewey Denoument comes out of his hiding place to try to answer their many questions, which unfortunately quite a few of them are still unanswered.
I’m going to stop there with the plot summary because I don’t want to give the whole story away but I must say when reading the book it keeps you wanting more. The most intriguing character in the book I would have to say is the eldest Baudelaire Violet because she’s intelligent and never doubts that she can take care of her younger brother and sister. Also I feel as though the target audience for the book which is children will become more intrigued when reading because the books litttarly make you want to open it up and never close it. In the first few pages of the book it says “ If this is the first book you found while searching for a book to read next, then the first thing you should know is that this next-to-last book is what you should put down first”. This first quote grabs you in and makes you want to read more because everyone wants to do the opposite of what they’re told. This opening gave the book a mystery factor, which I felt was perfect.
I didn’t really have a favorite part of the book because I liked so many parts of the book. But my least favorite part of the book was the ending picture on the last page. I felt as thought the ending picture on the last page gave the suspense of the book away and they it shouldn’t have been included. But over all I felt the book was a great read and I would recommend it to any one interested in mystery and bad fortunes.
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Mar 01, 2011 Kat Clapham rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids

As a series these books are incredible. The formulaic plot that is repeated in every book satisfies the child who is being read to's expectation of what's going on, right and wrong and the band of simple characters.

Where the books become really clever is the additional bits of plot woven into the anecdotes, dedications and acknowledgments, written for the older reader, whether parents reading aloud or older children.

The humour is clever, beautifully insightful and infinitely quotable. Type Lem...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Graykrickette rated it 5 of 5 stars

These stories are interesting, and with the ever present, impending doom, they are extremely difficult to put down. The stories are very unique, bleak, yet silly,or a delightful blend of them both. In the later books, I came to embrace, and enjoy the silliness, and the over explanation of words, as Daniel's own unique sense of humor. I can not believe that he actually believed his readers to be that ignorant. I believe that it was more of a tease_ dark, spiteful, humor, which I thoroughly enjoye...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Christy is currently reading it

Books categorized under mystery are often about detectives investigating mysteries or horror stories, but the Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket is different. Though out The Series of Unfortunate Events characters have been murdered, but that has rarely been the focus of any books in the series. The story is about three orphans who have been struck with tragedy wherever they go after their death of their parents in a fire. The children have been running from a man called Count Olaf for years no...more

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Oct 13, 2009 Teresa B rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-9-12-yrs, kids-4-9-yrs

This "woe-filled" collection of thirteen books about the tribulations of three unusually talented orphans will keep adults entertained as well as children. When I first saw the series I thought, "That looks too depressing," but soon I discovered the hilarity in overabundant alliteration, contemptible villains, and idiotic bystanders.

As the series progresses and the mysteries deepen, the children's characters grow and develop in surprising ways as togehter they face obstacles and a growing numbe...more

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Oct 12, 2009 Sun rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookaweek2009

This is the second last installment in the hugely enjoyable Series of Unfortunate Events, which is very much more unfortunate and tragic than all that came before. Violet, Klaus and Sunny arrive at the Hotel Denouement and pose as concierges in order to try and figure out which among the guests and employees are friends and which are foes. An approaching VFD convention promises to explain all, if they can only help prevent it becoming a victory party for the villains instead.

The Baudelaires fin...more

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Sep 14, 2009 Drebbles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2005

In this, the next to last book in Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events" books, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are taken by Kit Snicket to the Hotel Denouement where they are to work as concierges and spy on the guests to find out who is a volunteer for the mysterious VFD and who is a villain. While there, they run into many friends and enemies they have encountered in the previous 11 books in the series. They are all there in anticipation of a meeting of all VFD volunteers which is...more In this, the next to last book in Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events" books, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are taken by Kit Snicket to the Hotel Denouement where they are to work as concierges and spy on the guests to find out who is a volunteer for the mysterious VFD and who is a villain. While there, they run into many friends and enemies they have encountered in the previous 11 books in the series. They are all there in anticipation of a meeting of all VFD volunteers which is to take place in the next few days. But, as always, things do not go smoothly for the Baudelaire orphans and they end up accidentally murdering someone, purposely setting the hotel on fire, and in the crutches of the evil Count Olaf.

Lemony Snicket fills this book with his trademark sense of humor, there are always 13 chapters, plenty of alliterative names, explanations of meanings of words, warnings that the reader shouldn't finish the book, and absurd situations (the roof top tanning scene is hilarious). The young Baudelaires are still far more intelligent than the adults are who never seem to recognize the children in their various disguises. Snicket gives a sly nod to critics who hated Olaf's laugh in "The Grim Grotto". While it's inevitable that the children grow up during the course of the books, the fact that Sunny speaks coherent sentences is a bit disappointing and takes away the fun of trying to decipher what she is saying.

I appreciate the humor of having 13 books in the series, but I can't help wonder if that was ultimately too ambitious for Snicket. "The Penultimate Peril" feels like filler at times, with two many questions left unanswered. Why is the sugar bowl so important? Where are the Quagmire triplets? What do the initials "VFD" stand for? Are the Baudelaire's truly orphans or is one of their parents still alive? Where the Baudelaire parents involved in wrongdoing? Can Snicket answer all these questions in the last book?

Finally, parents should be aware that there is a rather violent death toward the end of the book that is accidentally caused by the Baudelaire children. While this may open up an interesting discussion of what makes a person good or evil and can a person be both, the death may frighten young children.
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Sep 08, 2009 Da rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-books

Disguises reveal one's conspiracies, or should one say concealment? The V.F.D. organizations were the most mysterious parts of this series. Once again beneath disguises for survival, the tension grows as the meet old enemies. Reading this can stun one's nerves!- not. Still, it is very tense and frightening at times.

Recognizing foes as they work stealthily in the hotel, the trio overhear- or perhaps eavesdrop and hear the secrets of their nemesis'. Not realizing they were there, these villainous...more

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Apr 23, 2009 David P. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finally! I finally got to read The Pentulimate Peril! I've read all of the Series of Unfortunate Events books... except the last two. All of the Series of Unfortunate Events books were unbelievable, and I've wanted to read the last two - this one, and The End. Now, I've read The Pentulimate Peril, and it does a great job keeping up with the exceptionally high standards set by the other Series of Unfortunate Events books.

A Series of Unfortunate Events follows the Baudelaire family - Violet (the o...more

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May 23, 2011 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children, english

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This next-to-last book makes a remarkable synopsis about the Baudelaires' miserable lives since the terrible fire.

I liked the literally remark about that justice is blind, it has become so obvious that people who are not well-read, observant, looking beyond their noses nor very aware of the real situation can be easily manipulated by people who are so selfish, arrogant, greedy, cruel and knows a little more than the average(unfortunately). And those terrible people might be in a high position i...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Germano Dalcielo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Anche questo penultimo episodio nel complesso mi è piaciuto. Ho apprezzato in particolare la scena del processo ai Baudelaire, molto visiva, e la resa psicologica del loro stato d'animo dopo la morte di un personaggio che non posso svelare.
L'ambientazione dell'albergo e il travestimento da concierge sono funzionali a una trama lineare ma sempre incalzante, visto che anche in questo episodio poche, pochissime matasse vengono sbrogliate da quel birbante di Lemony Snicket.
Menzione di merito per la...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lemony Snicket returns with the last book before the last book of his bestselling Series of Unfortunate Events. Scream and run away before the secrets of the series are revealed! Very little is known about Lemony Snicket and A Series of Unfortunate Events. What we do know is contained in the following brief list: o The books have inexplicably sold millions and millions of copies worldwide o People in more than 40 countries are consumed by consuming Snicket o The movie was as sad as the books, if

...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Lemony Snicket is a genious of the best kind. This series cannot simply be categorized as children's books, because the complexity and utter darkness of the themes in them resonate with audiences of all ages. As a child, I didn't realize what deep messages he was hiding in his words and characters, but now that I am older I do see them, and they amaze me.
Unlike most series, the books get consecutively better as they go on, culminating in this second-to-last novel that cannot be described as any...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Maureen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is possibly my favourite ASOUE novel, alongside The Slippery Slope. A lot of questions were answered, the Snicket's role became clearer, and more interestingly, the line between good and bad were blurred further. Just how noble is VFD really? Just what role did the Baudelaire parents play in Olaf's own tragedy? And finally, is the last safe place still safe from treachery?

This series has never spelt things out for the reader- a trope I like, and Handler never lost sight of his original the...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Penultimate Peril, is another sad unfortunate story of the Baudelaire orphans life’s. It also feels a little like a mystery book because even though it answers a few questions it still leaves many more to think about. Another thing that’s good about the book is it has a high level vocabulary that the writer helps the reader understand within the story.
I would recommend this book because it was fun to read.
In this story Violet, Klaus and Sunny were given a mis...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Tripp added it

Shelves: first-person, middle-grade, past-tense

Disguised as concierges at the "last safe place" for members of V.F.D.--the Hotel Denouement--the Baudelaires try to tell friend from foe as they attempt to secure the mysterious sugar bowl--containing vital secrets--before it falls into the hands of Olaf or one of the other villains. The identities of the mysterious man and woman from Grotto, villains who made even Olaf nervous, are shown to be judges, associates of friendly Justice Strauss. There is an impromptu, absurd trial--everyone but the...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Bridgette Redman rated it 3 of 5 stars

The End is near for The Series of Unfortunate Events. Book the Twelth uses one of my favorite words to announce that the book is the next to last in Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler’s) delightful series. This not-quite-the-end book is titled The Penultimate Peril.

Other than the delightful use of penultimate, I found myself disappointed in this convoluted story. It lacked the clean plotting of the other novels. Instead, Lemony Snicket indulged in obfuscation, a word which here means bringing i...more The End is near for The Series of Unfortunate Events. Book the Twelth uses one of my favorite words to announce that the book is the next to last in Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler’s) delightful series. This not-quite-the-end book is titled The Penultimate Peril.

Other than the delightful use of penultimate, I found myself disappointed in this convoluted story. It lacked the clean plotting of the other novels. Instead, Lemony Snicket indulged in obfuscation, a word which here means bringing in nearly every surviving character in a morass of subplots that kept any one storyline from dominating.

Yes, of course Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire took center stage. However, now they seemed pulled along in a string of events and for most of the book were merely spectators. Everything is happening around them in a final swirling leading up to the end.

They arrive at the Hotel Denouement, escorted there by Kit Snicket, Lemony and Jacques’ sister. She tells them to disguise themselves as concierges at the hotel and to gather some crucial information for VFD. The hotel is supposed to be the final safe meeting place for volunteers, though it rarely feels or looks safe.

Once at the hotel, the siblings must try to discern between the kind-hearted Frank and his identical evil twin Ernest. They’re sent in three different directions, performing errands in a hotel based on the Dewey Decimal system.

Guests in the hotel include a veritable roster of all previous books: Esme Squalor, Carmelita Spats, Geraldine Julienne (the reporter from the Daily Punctilio), Sir, Charles, Vice Principal Nero, Mrs. Bass, Mr. Remora, Hal, Justice Strauss, Jerome Squalor, Count Olaf, Hugo, Collette, Kevin, Mr. Poe, man with a beard but no hair, and the woman with hair but no beard.

Then there are those people who do not appear in the book, but we learn from others what they’re up to: the hook-handed man, Fiona, the Quagmire triplets, and Hector.

Needless to say, that’s a lot of people to keep track of, especially if it’s been years since you’ve read the early novels. However, the children run errands for almost all these people before Count Olaf manages to get them into yet another jam.

While the siblings seemed to be on pretty strong moral ground throughout most of the novels, this installment leaves things a little more ambiguous. They are framed for one crime, but they then go on to perform other actions that are far more difficult to justify. Indeed, it’s no longer clear whether their actions can be considered admirable or merely the best of all possible horrible choices.

In many ways, The Penultimate Peril is a wrap-up book and one hopes that Daniel Handler got all the sub-plots out of the way so that the final book can tie everything up cleanly and with the precision and humor that the earlier books in the series contained.

Regardless, it’s been a wonderful ride with this series and I look forward to next week’s release of The End.

Review originally posted at Epinions.com http://www.epinions.com/review/Series...(less)

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Sep 13, 2011 Drew Graham rated it 4 of 5 stars

And here we are at Book the Twelfth. After being picked up at Briny Beach by mysterious volunteer Kit Snicket, the Baudelaires find themselves being flaneurs and concierges at the famous, glamorous and bizarre Hotel Denouement. The hotel is filled with guests, some volunteers, some villains, and it's up to the new concierges to figure out who is who and let V.F.D. know if their last safe place is just that. A lot of familiar faces appear in this penultimate volume, and the Baudelaires have furth...more And here we are at Book the Twelfth. After being picked up at Briny Beach by mysterious volunteer Kit Snicket, the Baudelaires find themselves being flaneurs and concierges at the famous, glamorous and bizarre Hotel Denouement. The hotel is filled with guests, some volunteers, some villains, and it's up to the new concierges to figure out who is who and let V.F.D. know if their last safe place is just that. A lot of familiar faces appear in this penultimate volume, and the Baudelaires have further reason to wonder if their path is leading them to a life of nobility, or a life of unintended villainy.

I remember being SOOO excited when this one came out. I was thinking, this series is winding down, surely there are going to be some answers! I guess I still didn't really understand this Lemony Snicket person, because while this book does address some of the more pressing mysteries of the Baudelaires' tale, it raises as many questions as it (sort of) answers. There's some discussion of the sugar bowl, but no real explanation. There's some talk about the Snickets and their history relative to the Baudelaires, but nothing concrete. But that didn't really bother me this time around, I understand the overall style better now, and I was able to just enjoy it and realize that they just aren't going to catch a break, and they just aren't going to discover any hard facts. Still, there WERE some tantalizing hints and secrets you're able to gather from reading between the lines, which makes this book pretty intriguing. I love the hotel and its organization according to the Dewey Decimal System, and the many secrets that its reflective pool hide. Carmelita and Esmé Squalor are in fine form (oh my word, that lettuce bikini), as is Count Olaf--I love his speeches at the trial. The take on justice being "blind" is pretty amusing, as well as the idea of infiltration of the High Court, but it seems like there are a few stretches regarding the Baudelaires' volunteer/villain identity crisis (I just don't think Sunny had to go to such lengths with her ultimate suggestion in the laundry room). There's a nice mystery involving some curious initials that I actually completely forgot about, which was nice to rediscover. The identical twin (twin?) managers on opposite sides of the schism are kind of interesting, but as time goes by their unfathomable comments get kind of maddening (though the Baudelaires' responses are always amusing), but their secret is quite exciting indeed. I like seeing all the old characters appear, a sort of SoUE reunion here toward the end (except for the unfortunate reappearance of Mr. Poe, which, I'm not ashamed to say, caused me to literally groan in annoyance), but there are some... implications regarding a couple of them that I think have no place in this series, though at least those are subtle and easily explained away. I think it's also a really nice touch how it ends in some ways how it begins, with the Baudelaires, Count Olaf and Justice Strauss.

Book the Twelfth has a lot of charm and gives you a lot to think about regarding these unfortunate orphans. The reunion of old characters gives it a nice sort of curtain call feeling before the grand finale. For some reason these later books are taking their time for me to get through, but I'm still very much enjoying the final volumes in the Baudelaires' tragic and hilarious saga.(less)

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Sep 15, 2012 Von Sowards rated it 4 of 5 stars

How do you decide what opinion to have when you enjoy a book for the mounting expectation it gives you for the conclusion of a story but when you get to the conclusion, the conclusion is dumb? I am not saying that the conclusion simply did not "meet exceptions", or that it was not "what I would have done", but that it was just DUMB. You know it must be hard as a writer to right a good, satisfying, answer all questions ending that makes every one happy, but at least he can try!

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About Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler. Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events (his best-known work) and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional character and a real person. This article deals primarily with the character.

As a...more Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler. Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events (his best-known work) and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional character and a real person. This article deals primarily with the character.

As a character, Snicket is a harried, troubled writer and researcher falsely accused of felonies and continuously hunted by the police and his enemies, the fire-starting side of the secret organization Volunteer Fire Department (V.F.D.). As a child he was kidnapped and inducted as a "neophyte" into V.F.D., where he was trained in rhetoric and sent on seemingly pointless missions while all connections to his former life, apart from his siblings Jacques and Kit (who were also kidnapped and inducted), were severed. In the organization he met and fell in love with a peer named Beatrice, to whom he eventually became engaged. After a series of unfortunate events (after which the real-world series is in some ways named), he became falsely accused of murder and arson. Eventually the fallacies grew so much that The Daily Punctilio reported his death. Beatrice eventually moved on and married Bertrand Baudelaire, becoming the mother of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, the protagonists of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Fourteen years thereafter Beatrice and Bertrand were murdered in a house fire, leaving the Baudelaires orphans. Feeling indebted to his former fiancée, Snicket embarks on a quest to chronicle the lives of the Baudelaire children until they become old enough to face the troubles of the world on their own.

Snicket is the subject of a fictional autobiography, Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (which contains an introduction from a fictionalized version of Daniel Handler). A pamphlet, 13 Shocking Secrets You'll Wish You Never Knew About Lemony Snicket, was released in promotion of The End. Other works by Snicket include The Baby in the Manger, The Composer Is Dead, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, The Lump of Coal, and "13 Words". Snicket is currently writing a new children's series that is due out sometime in 2012.(less)

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Books by Lemony Snicket

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1)

The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #2)

The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #3)

The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #5)

The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #4)

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“I suppose I'll have to add the force of gravity to my list of enemies.” — 3,401 people liked it

“As I am sure you know, when people say 'It's my pleasure,' they usually mean something along the lines of, 'There's nothing on Earth I would rather do less.' [...]” — 531 people liked it

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The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events #12)

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