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A review by notwellread
The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket
4.0
This instalment takes place on a submarine called the Queequeg (explicitly in reference to [b:Moby Dick|153747|Moby-Dick or, the Whale|Herman Melville|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327940656l/153747._SY75_.jpg|2409320] by Herman Melville, whose portrait also features on the crew’s uniforms). The quest for the sugar bowl, the contents of which remain unknown, continues. We start to see the first hints of the plot threads coming together, as we are reunited with Phil from the fourth book, The Miserable Mill, and finally meet and interact at greater length with a VFD member in the form of Captain Widdershins, who unfortunately has a tendency to give contradicting instructions and is too distractible to offer much useful information. Another hint of this lies in the name of the submarine’s ultimate destination, the Hotel Denouement.
Again there wasn’t a huge amount of plot progression here (since they ultimately don’t get ahold of the sugar bowl, nor do we get any significant revelations for the broader mysteries), so the stronger aspects lay in the element of mycology (the study of mushrooms), in which the Captain’s daughter, Fiona, specialises. This also incorporated a greater sense of dread, since the deadly fungus they find — the medusoid mycelium — has the potential for a broader scope of destruction than any previous weapons in the series, and allowed for Sunny’s cooking knowledge to factor into the plot and give her character more agency.
I also liked the Fernald plot twist, the complexity added to his character, and the way the moral ambiguities of the series are further illustrated through the explanation for his turn to evil and the potential for conflict between family loyalty and broader morality. We also see the Baudelaires’ surprising naïvety in their treatment of her character, despite the betrayals they’ve already experienced (in giving her the medusoid mycelium, only for her to give it to Olaf), perhaps because they are too trusting of an intellectual peer their own age.
At this point, the series seems to be running out of time to answer the questions it has raised and bring everything to a satisfying conclusion: I am therefore somewhat apprehensive about the ending now, but hope to get at least some answers and a sense of closure.
Again there wasn’t a huge amount of plot progression here (since they ultimately don’t get ahold of the sugar bowl, nor do we get any significant revelations for the broader mysteries), so the stronger aspects lay in the element of mycology (the study of mushrooms), in which the Captain’s daughter, Fiona, specialises. This also incorporated a greater sense of dread, since the deadly fungus they find — the medusoid mycelium — has the potential for a broader scope of destruction than any previous weapons in the series, and allowed for Sunny’s cooking knowledge to factor into the plot and give her character more agency.
I also liked the Fernald plot twist, the complexity added to his character, and the way the moral ambiguities of the series are further illustrated through the explanation for his turn to evil and the potential for conflict between family loyalty and broader morality. We also see the Baudelaires’ surprising naïvety in their treatment of her character, despite the betrayals they’ve already experienced (in giving her the medusoid mycelium, only for her to give it to Olaf), perhaps because they are too trusting of an intellectual peer their own age.
At this point, the series seems to be running out of time to answer the questions it has raised and bring everything to a satisfying conclusion: I am therefore somewhat apprehensive about the ending now, but hope to get at least some answers and a sense of closure.