[.ca] Dreadful Acts (ISBN 0439537606)

From Amazon.com:
Oh, fans of Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, are you ready for British author Philip Ardagh's Eddie Dickens Trilogy? Snicket-ites will find it impossible to ignore the similarities to their beloved series about three orphans who undergo much hardship with little hope of relief. For one thing, Ardagh, like Snicket, enjoys spinning an over-the-top Gothic tale. Also, he assumes the voice of a personable, mostly omniscient, sometimes pedantic narrator who is eager to explain the origins of the terms he uses, such as "pitch-black," "unbridled joy," and "nailing" as well as offering a running commentary on the development of his story as he is telling it. One big difference is that this trilogy is set "in England sometime during the reign of Queen Victoria (who sat on the throne for more than sixty-three years so let's hope she had a cushion…)." And of course, Ardagh has a sense of humor all his own and an overriding cheerfulness that Snicket likes to snuff the moment it might surface. As readers learn in the first book, A House Called Awful End, Eddie Dickens lives in a house called Awful End with his parents, his great-uncle, and Mad Aunt Maud. This second novel, Dreadful Acts, begins one fateful night when Uncle Jack wakes Eddie up to show him that a driverless hearse (drawn by horses) is parked in their driveway. Imagine their surprise to discover that the hearse's coffin contains a living man, the Great Zucchini, a famous escapologist (but definitely not an Egyptologist). Add to the mix the sudden crash-landing via hot-air balloon by the camel-faced, petticoated Daniella who makes Eddie dribble and act like a simpleton, a bunch of "peelers" (police), and a few escaped convicts, and the plot thickens. Oddball characters, compassionately sketched, distinguish this funny, endearingly quirky read. David Roberts's spidery illustrations of pointy-faced people, generously sprinkled throughout the book, are quite wonderful in a rather Quentin Blake-y way. A four-page glossary at the close of the book explains terms such as box hedge, cream tea, and creosote. Stay tuned for the dramatic trilogy conclusion Terrible Times. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson

Wonderfully Entertaining:
I first discovered the Eddie Dickens' Trilogy by sheer good fortune while Christmas shopping two years ago. (I was perhaps a little struck by the comparison to Monty Python.) I promptly bought "A House Called Awful End" for my niece, and spent the night ploughing through the book, laughing the entire way. What a brilliant and witty narrative Philip Ardagh spins. Needless to say, I was eagerly awaiting a chance to read more about the mishaps and misadventures of the young Eddie Dickens. "Dreadful Acts" introduces us once again to the hilariously weird world that Eddie inhabits. He lives in a house called Awful End with his Mad Uncle Jack (who lives in a treehouse, well, a dried-fish house), his even Madder Aunt Maud (who lives in a hollow cow named Marjorie - don't ask if you haven't read the first book), his parents and various other servants who have little sense among the lot of them. Eddie is awoken one morning to find a driverless hearse in the driveway and must contend with the coffin that is left behind and the escapologist inside that coffin, The Great Zucchinni. Eddie's escapades with Zucchinni and his helper Daniella, land Eddie in a variety of troubling positions - jail, helping escaped convicts, and a chase on the misty moors that surround the town. Set in Victorian England, Ardagh peppers his narration with whimsical asides to the readers, definitions of possible little-known words and comments about how our hero might feel if he were in a book. Ardagh's pithy narration is sprinkled with sketches (by David Roberts) that enhance the crazy characters that fill Eddie's life. While the series does read a little like Lemony Snicket, Ardagh has his own style and humor that bring Eddie and his insane relatives to life. And while this may be classified as a children's book, it's intelligence and humor are suited for any adult who appreciates good literature.

Dreadful Story:
I liked this book okay. I am a little too old for it, but I got it for free, so I read it. I would not recommend it to someone above the age of 12, unless you like to read shorter stories. This book made little sense and lacked a strong plot. I didn't really like it.