I loved the book series when it came out (even if the ending was underwhelming in some ways) and I still rearead it at times. I think that series really kickstarted my love for whimsical macabre, quirky narrative tone, and neo-Victorian/steampunk aesthetic, all of which I've incorporated into my own work in different ways.

I'm catching up on the Netflix series now and I feel like they really captured the books a lot, while also making it more cohesive by introducing the VFD plot earlier (if I recall Handler started introducing them only in the 5th book because that was when he got the go-ahead to do the full 13 books he wanted, so the first 4 were pretty standalone).