I LOVED this. Way to go, Snicket. The illustrations were beautifully crafted and unique - especially when only little bits of the scenes were visible. In this book, the dark is a presence that takes over in the evening, rather than the light being a presence that recedes. Laszlo is an awesome name, and I imagine this would be a great book for a child afraid of the dark.
"Hi," he would say. "Hi dark."