Why did you decide to start your book that way?ĭANIEL HANDLER: Well, it seemed only fair to warn anyone who was seeking cheerfulness. Now, your book, as we heard, starts with a warning that readers might be better off with a more cheerful book. Terry Gross interviewed Daniel Handler in 2001. They tell the tales of three unlucky orphans who live lives filled with misery and woe. It's based on a series of satirical gothic novels for children by Lemony Snicket, the pen name of Daniel Handler. Look away.Ī new TV version of 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events' premieres today on Netflix. It's hard to fathom how the orphans managed to live through it, but how a decent person like yourself would even want to view it - just look away. He tries to steal their fortune with a plot that's not quite lawful. Three children lose their home and go to live with someone awful. Every single episode is nothing but dismay so look away. The show will wreck your evening, your home life and your day.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: (As Count Olaf, singing) Look away. Unfortunately, as stated before, the original recording is not available to purchase on Audible but if you are able to seek it out you should definitely listen to it.(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, 'A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS') When I'm listening to an audiobook I don't need to hear a wailing baby in the background. If they had done it sparingly it might have been a nice addition but they are frequently used and become distracting. In addition I found the sound effects are unnecessary. Unfortunately, not only was Olaf 'recast' but whoever replaced him was not nearly as good. I might have forgiven this if they had kept Curry's Count Olaf his performance as the sinister villain is in my opinion the definitive take on the character (it's a shame he was never able to portray the Count in live-action). Much of Curry's charm is lost in the omission. There are some audiobooks that benefit from full-cast recordings but this is not one of them. Tim Curry was a perfect narrator in the original book. The second, which is the only version available on Audible, retains Curry's narration but replaces the dialogue with different actors as well as adding sound effects throughout. The first was done in its entirety by Tim Curry.

There are two versions of 'The Bad Beginning'.

The bad beginning by lemony snicket