Upcoming Books, Rumored and Confirmed

[lauren]

What do you mean the ONLY way to go? All stories must come to an end sooner or later, and a series of unfortunate events definately calls for one at the number 13.

[cwm3]

Unless they couldn't explain everything in the last book...

[Dante]

Handler once said that he might not directly explain Beatrice, but might give the readers enough clues to work it out for himself. That increasingly seems to be what he's doing with most of the mysteries (as evidenced by the scrapping of most of the characters at the end of TPP). Besides, we're getting The Beatrice Letters in September, and it seems that that will clear up a lot of backstory (the fact that it's coming out before B13 implies that B13 really will be The End).

[cwm3]

Assuming all the letters are to/from Beatrice, it's unlikely they will explain everything...I mean, Beatrice is presumably dead when ASOUE is happening, and it's unlikely that a corpse can recieve letters, much less send them.

[Dante]

Most of the mysteries are in the backstory, though. But you're quite right; Handler's left open the possibility of other add-ons, and if he wants to explain more - or if there's sufficient demand for absolute answers on everything - he could certainly do another. "The Epilogue," if you like. Assuming that he has concrete answers in his head for everything he's ever written (e.g. Esmé's maiden name, troupe backstory etc.).

[jman]

Lauren, I meant that in Handler's mind it's the only way to go, considering how much money he's making off of this series. And he only has to make ONE book a year! Pretty sweet deal. And I didn't mean continuing the Baudelaire's story, I meant writing stories about DIFFERENT members and stories VFD.

[Dante]

jman said:

I meant writing stories about DIFFERENT members and stories VFD.

Personally, I'm a believer in there being too much of a good thing. However, one book, perhaps, of short stories about volunteers and certain characters and a handful of mysteries and backstory - just one book of short stories that amount to an epilogue, I think, would perhaps be welcome. But if he writes too much, that's just taking it too far, to the point of selling out. Which is perhaps precisely your point, but as I said: I believe too much of a good thing, taking things past their conclusion to the point of irrelevance, would ruin it.

That's just me setting out my stall... Lemony Snicket could go on writing other things, though, unrelated to the Baudelaires' world, but retaining Snicket's unique style. I've found a few hints, while scouring the past, but nothing concrete. But I think that's the direction he might well go in.

[twistedbrain]

Hmm. I think an unrelated, yet decidedly Snicket-esque series could be welcomed, as long as it keeps to the standards set by ASOUE.

[jman]

You know, Dante, that exactly is my point. I think it would be pathetic if he sold out. But, as you say, one such story wouls be great!

[Antenora]

I agree with Dante, too. If Handler wrote a whole new series about the backstory of VFD, it'd seem way too much like selling out. Perhaps a compilation of VFD commonplace notebook material would be better--in fact, I'm rather hoping/considering that we'll have some such fragments in both The End and The Beatrice Letters.

On the subject of things Snicket might write under that name post-series, there were some vague rumors once about a "pirate novel", but no concrete information.

[Hanae]

Ya, he can't just go and tell us everything, that would be so boring.And so Non-Snickety

[Alfred is Present]

I would like a story regarding the four children playing at Briny Beach. Hehehe.

Anyway, an epilogue seems great, but it has to be quite short. Maybe the epilogue can be added after Chapter 13 in B13.

[Dante]

alfredbenedict said:

I would like a story regarding the four children playing at Briny Beach. Hehehe.

Pedantic: If you mean the four children referred to in Chapter Six of TPP, then that wasn't Briny Beach, it was a beach in another city miles and miles from the Baudelaires. And to go annoyingly over-the-top in analysing your flippant request, since it's clearly meant to be some parallel to the Baudelaires' story to show how series of events happen everywhere, then it would probably be very similar as well.

And an epilogue, now that I think about it, probably would be quite short - shorter than a normal book in the series, anyway - as there aren't that many characters left after TPP. Unless Handler confirmed whether some of them survived or not, but I think that would spoil the closing scenes of TPP rather.

[cwm3]

Maybe he'll publish "The Pony Party", Carmelita Spats' book, "The Happiest Elf" and all the other books that exist solely in the ASOUEverse!

[Alfred is Present]

Yay! I both love Carmelita Spat's book and the Pony Party!
What are the names of the Lotsaluck Kids again?