JK vs Lemony

[The Bot]

Best-sellers, obvious good-evil ideas. But which one is best. Please, only participate if you have read the books as this is NOT about the movies!

Ok, others can look as long as you've read a couple of each. But warning, spoilers may follow!

[The Bot]

Let's start with the writing style. One's brash, ones more subdued. Which tickles your fancies? Ha ha ha...

[Tink]

I think it's hard really to determine which one is better, per se. For one, they're aimed towards different age groups, in my opinion. Lemony seems to be for younger crowds, which is why the kids have to figure everything out themselves, rather than having adult help (although it seems they're getting at least a little help from adults as the series progresses). While although Harry Potter is for a young crowd, it's aimed towards a little older readers and more adults enjoy it than with Lemony.

Also, the writing styles are so different. Harry Potter is much more serious, while Lemony is constantly making fun of itself and the plot line. And of course having the author be a character as well changes the feel of the story. I think it's just too difficult to compare. I like both of them for different reasons. If I only could read one series, though, I'd pick Harry Potter. Partly just because it's longer and so I'd get more enjoyment from it. But I like them both.

[The Bot]

I think I agree, although I think that if I wanted cheering up, I would Lemony. Which is strange, considering the fact that they are supposed to be "woeful and depressing".

It would be nice to have more replies, so stop just looking and give me more opinions.

[Chimera]

It would be nice to have more replies, so stop just looking and give me more opinions.

Unfortunately for them, not many people on this board have read all of the Lemony Snicket books. Which is why it's mostly Tink and I posting on the spoilers thread. However, almost everyone has read Harry Potter. But it's hard to make a comparision, I think, unless you've read a significant amount of the LS series--especially since the storytelling takes on a different purpose after book 6.

People have complained of the LS books being redundant. They are--especially the first five or six. And even in the later books, he employs the same basic plotline and outcome: ie, orphans go to some odd place  with bizarre adults where they are treated badly, Olaf and croonies appears in disguise, nobody figures it out but the Baudelaires, they try to foil Olaf but he always seems to be one step ahead of them, and then they are off to a new location for the next book. Granted, there are clues and a sort of subplot story going on that you begin to identify in the later books--which is what really got me excited about them--but the basic plot is redundant. And, though the absurdism is funny, it is entirely different from the more traditional character growth through story that you see in the Harry Potter books.

However, I like the mystery-type plot that LS employs. The puzzle within a puzzle. It's a different form of story-telling than the more conventional style JK uses in Harry Potter. The fact that the LS books are so different--that they seem to break so many of the "rules" and still work so well--is another thing that draws me to them. And the humor is awesome--I also would read LS whenever I want a good laugh. He is the master of the absurd punchline. However, I also read HP when I want a good laugh. JK, in my opinion, is a master of funny situations between her well-drawn characters. Ron and Lavender's scenes in book 6 still give me the giggles.

So, they're both good, but different. Like you guys said.

Both series have been accused of being "too dark" for kids. What do you guys think?

[Tink]

I don't think that the Lemony books are too dark. One reason for this is that kids can see straight through the "dreariness" of the books and see what LS is doing (of course I don't really know this since I know no kids of that age, but I think it just the same). I think they enjoy the humor and they like seeing the adults being so oblivious.

As for Harry Potter, I think that you have to judge it according to the kid: how old they are and how mature. I have been wondering whether when I have kids, I'll wait to let them read the later HP books till they're older because of how sad they are. And the series kind of grew up with the readers, so to speak. At the same time, they could probably handle it (more so than the movies because I think visual violence is worse than written). Overall I think it'd be fine.

[The Bot]

I didn't mean to get grumpy about replies...Sorry!
I agree with both of you; the series are dark, but not too dark. Harry Potter seems to get darker and darker, but LS is always the same - more humorous than the author implies. And I also agree that the books in the LS series follow the same pattern, and seem to be aiming for a higher age range towards the end of the series.
Speaking of funny extracts, I like the part in LS where the author "gives Violet privacy" on the mountain with Quigley. Ha ha ha

[The Bot]

I didn't mean to get grumpy about replies...Sorry!
I agree with both of you; the series are dark, but not too dark. Harry Potter seems to get darker and darker, but LS is always the same - more humorous than the author implies. And I also agree that the books in the LS series follow the same pattern, and seem to be aiming for a higher age range towards the end of the series.
Speaking of funny extracts, I like the part in LS where the author "gives Violet privacy" on the mountain with Quigley. Ha ha ha

Book 10

[German_Hamburger]

I think JK has just lost her touch with the readers with Harry Potter. As the bot said Ls's depressing state of writing is better to read. Although those on the brink of suicide might just try after reading the books. There not boring there great, there just depressing.

Author German_Handburger

[German_Hamburger]

JK may be earning millions from book sales each year but I don't think the Harry Potter books willl sell as well now. Shes kind of ruined herself by getting rid of two of the most liked people. Yet LS has been getting rid of people for ages and no one cares. Thats why I think he's a better author. JK kills someone it goes all over the news ruining the book 4 everyone. LS kills 8 people and the books are still kept a secret from the media

[The Bot]

Only die-hard Dumbedore fans will honestly care, when it comes down to it. And Sirius was never a much-loved character. Also, if it gets all over the media when an HP character dies, that must mean that the books are more important to people. Not to mention that the LS books are all about misery, and when death happens so often, nobody thinks of it as front-page stuff.

[German_Hamburger]

I did think about that and it means more people like the HP books but personally I prefer Ls's books.

[The Bot]

JK isn't 'losing touch' in my opinion. She conveys comedy through characters rather than narrative (LS uses the latter), and she is trying to build up to the final book (e.g killing of characters). It has always been thought that it would be Voldemort vs Harry in the end, and therefore Dumbledore would have to die in order to make this possible. Dumbledore would have stood in the way of the inevitable one-on-one.

[German_Hamburger]

But does that not mean that ron and hermione would have to die for a one on one. JK has to many questions to answer. It won't make any sense

[The Bot]

But Voldemort isn't scared of Ron and Hermione. And most questions should be answered in the last book.

The Quagmires are more fortunate because they escaped and they found one of the people they had lost. I am sticking to my guns!