The Reptile Room

In The Reptile Room we begin to settle into what will be the pattern of the series. The Baudelaire orphans are sent to live with a distant and eccentric relative. Everything is wonderful for a few days. But then Count Olaf finds them, insinuates himself into their life, and kills the new guardian. The orphans find themselves needing to thwart yet another of his plots. This one involves poisonous snakes and a trip to Peru.

This series could easily get repetitive, but given that it's written for 10-year-olds, that's probably part of the point. Kids like things to be repeated over and over. I still find comfort in the familiarity of a story where I know what's going to happen in broad strokes. The real pleasure always comes in the details, and the details here are pretty great.

Snicket has a better grasp of his language and humor. His wordplay is more specific to the story at hand, and he has fun with some tongue twisters that need to be logicked out. The plot is a bit more complicated than the previous one, and thus takes a few more step to thwart. I can only imagine that this trend will continue, as the books get steadily larger.

I also know, despite the lack of clues so far, that there is a larger conspiracy at play here. The death of the Baudelaire parents and the fire in their house was not an accident, and everything happening to the children, especially Olaf's obsession with them, is connected somehow. I've got my eyes open for clues, and I'm excited to start putting things together. Even though I think it will be a few books before this really emerges. In the meantime, it's fun to watch the orphans work together to outsmart the adults around them and keep each other safe. It's especially fun when Sunny gets in on the action, distracting everyone through the cunning use of a friendly snake.

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