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Post by PJ on Mar 29, 2012 22:29:48 GMT -5
PJ! We already know it's about young Lemony growing up in a fading town as a V.F.D. neophyte! Doesn't mean that some of what you mention won't be included, though. Do we know the whole series is about this, or just the first book? That's what I was wondering. Damnit, I guess I was just really hoping for some short stories, but I guess that would have been too good to be true... And... it's good to see you back. Good to be back, old friend. It's about time I started re-reading the series, anyways. Although I might start from THH, since the first seven are pretty light in terms of mystery and VFD. That said, if his quote about the question mark is specific, rather than a metaphor, I'm betting we WILL see more of Anwhistle Aquatics. I always thought that there was a lot more backstory in TGG specifically that could do with some exploring. Dante, refresh my memory - did any of the Snickets help with the Voluntary Fish Domestication program? I remember someone saying they worked on it, but I think that may have been Fernald. Even so, the whole Snicket Snickersee thing might come back, depending on what timespan the series goes. Chances are it'll end with Beatrice's death, or at least, with her explaining to Lemony why they can't be together. Or him faking his death. Did we ever get any hints about what Lemony's first assignments were after he was trained? Was it the theatre critic gig? That must have been pretty early, because he was still engaged to Beatrice at that point...
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Post by Dante on Mar 30, 2012 2:28:52 GMT -5
Do we know the whole series is about this, or just the first book? That's what I was wondering. I think it's implied, but not unambiguously, in the press description that the whole series will be about this: "In a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, a young Lemony Snicket began his apprenticeship in an organization nobody knows about. He began asking questions that shouldn’t have been on his mind. Now he has written an account that should not have been published, in four volumes that shouldn’t be read." The synopsis seems to associate his whole four-volume account with the apprenticeship in the fading town. Not unambiguously, like I said, but you should be prepared for the whole series to be about this. At the very least, the first book is, and if that's the case then it's unlikely that any of the books will veer off into the format of a short story collection. We don't know that the Snickets were involved with the Voluntary Fish Domestication, but I think it is implied in the fact that they specifically fought so hard to recover them in the Snicket Snickersnee. According to The Beatrice Letters, Lemony's first assignment after his graduation was as the Punctilio's assistant obituary spell-checker, and he was promoted after R. had to take up her position as Duchess.
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Post by jman on Apr 6, 2012 20:09:01 GMT -5
But, Dante, it says that his story BEGAN in a fading town. I really don't see the whole series taking place there, especially with the way Snicket changed settings in every book in ASOUE. If anything, this series seems to indicate multiple setting changes per book.
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Post by Dante on Apr 7, 2012 2:52:32 GMT -5
As I said, it's not unambiguous, although the synopsis doesn't mention his story beginning, but his apprenticeship beginning. The sense I get from the press release is that all four books are looking at the fading town as a status quo, given the way they foreground it in an introduction to the series as a whole, but as you point out, it's entirely possible that that's not the case. If we do get setting switches between each book then that might be exciting, because it'll be something we can more or less predict; mountain headquarters, newspaper offices. But I don't think we can comfortably look at ASoUE as a standard to measure the new series by; there are a lot of ways in which it's giving itself an independent identity. I'm being quite careful to go into it with no expectations.
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Post by jman on Apr 7, 2012 13:02:59 GMT -5
Yeah, that's probably the best to go about it. Less chance of being disappointed that way.
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Post by B. on Apr 8, 2012 8:54:20 GMT -5
On the author description for WCTBATH on Amazon there is the following: About the Author "Author Lemony Snicket is a broken man, wracked with misery and despair as a result of writing A Series Of Unfortunate Events. He spends his days wandering the countryside weeping and moaning and his evenings eating hastily-prepared meals. But what was he like when he was thirteen years old? Find out in October 2012. Artist Seth is no stranger to a town that is fading. He is a multi-award-winning cartoonist, author, and artist, whose works include Palookaville, Clyde Fans, and The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists. He lives in Guelph, Canada. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover.edition." See here. EDIT: I'm not sure if this has been posted already. The part that stood out to me the most was "what was he like when he was thirteen years old." (of course we shouldn't take this as gospel, though.)
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Post by csc on Apr 8, 2012 9:59:55 GMT -5
Thirteen-year-old Snicket... This should be interesting. I bet he was one depressed young boy.
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Post by Dante on Apr 8, 2012 10:48:41 GMT -5
Yes, we hadn't had his age confirmed yet. It should come as no surprise that he's thirteen, of all ages, though. Not just because it's a famous number associated with him for its unluckiness, but also because it's the average of Violet and Klaus's ages, which is the sort of age Snicket's aiming his books at. But this is important as it means he's definitely already met Beatrice at the time of ATWQ and been at the V.F.D. training school.
Edit: That's interesting; that specific material was released by Egmont. They must've started promoting the book. Somewhere.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Apr 8, 2012 12:59:50 GMT -5
Egmont always seems to be releasing information one step ahead of Hachette. That Lemony's thirteen gives us an interesting frame of reference, though, as does the "but" in "but what was he like when he was thirteen?" implying he wasn't corrupted with misery and despair at that age. Also, this site has TFQ listed at 270 pages. I know those estimations are often unreliable (Amazon has it at 208), but take a look at the editions they have planned, all to be released the same day.
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Post by Dante on Apr 8, 2012 13:53:47 GMT -5
I don't think it's really the case that Egmont is one step ahead of Hachette; rather, what little information Egmont releases simply tends to be different. They're dancing to their own tune. With any luck they'll actually start openly marketing ATWQ soon; there's no sign of it on their website(s). That might get interesting.
270 pages sounds more like what I'd expect of Snicket at this point - font size differences aside, I think his style has developed into one where it would be difficult for him to go back to books as short as those in the early series. Naturally, we'll want the longest page count possible, in which case 270 is desirable, and might even be more than it appears if the font size is smaller than it is in ASoUE. But if it's around the same size, that's about as long as... yes, as I thought; TEE through TCC length. That's fairly respectable. But these page counts are rarely exactly reliable for any book I've seen, so dust your dinner with salt, I think. It'll be around the right area, probably, but not exactly the number of the final page in the book.
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Post by B. on Apr 8, 2012 14:02:24 GMT -5
Although interestingly the e-book edition on the site is listed as 208 pages. But of course these page counts are largely unreliable, though of course I hope it's more around the 270 mark. Are books intended for older children not normally given smaller font, though? And you might also have to take illustrations into account.
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Post by Dante on Apr 8, 2012 14:54:32 GMT -5
Every indication is that ATWQ will be for the same audience as ASoUE, though, so I don't think we can automatically assume a change in font size. Also, I think it was some of the earlier information updates that gave the 208 figure, and 270 would be a later revision, so I think that's probably nearer the truth, and it's just that the ebooks haven't received any status updates yet. Not that it matters, because to what extent can you even say ebooks have a page count, when you can change the amount of text displayed on each page?
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Post by Hermes on Apr 8, 2012 17:07:12 GMT -5
I must say I find the thought that Lemony is thirteen rather disconcerting: I had assumed this would happen before his arrival the VFD school, where he seems to have been when he was eleven. Is he just spending vacations in the fading town, do you think? Or is this series going to work yet further havoc with the continuity?
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Post by Christmas Chief on Apr 8, 2012 19:19:53 GMT -5
While there could be continuity problems, I doubt the premise of the whole series would be a continuity problem. If we're reading this separately from ASOUE, then of course there's no problem at all. The description tells us "Lemony Snicket began his apprenticeship in an organization ..." so presumably he's an apprentice after his time in training school, when he would be classified as a neophyte. Or possibly still in training school, but practicing "field" training.
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Post by JTB on Apr 8, 2012 22:06:13 GMT -5
I'm curious if this possible thirteen-year-old narrative style will be any different than Snicket's usual style. I really imagine it'd be quite humorous to see Snicket's depressing, wary description of, well, everything told from the typewriter of a school-bound teenager.
I can just hear the faint roar of fangirls screaming.
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