Vicomte de Bragelonne

Many people don't realize that Dumas wrote (or, to be more specific, co-wrote with Auguste Maquet) an entire series of "Three Musketeers" novels; "The Man in the Iron Mask" is the last of them, and based on a genuine historical mystery. It's a great story, with a riveting plot, but it concludes the careers of D'Artagnan and the other Musketeers, and some elements may sadden some readers. There are a few novels in between the original Three Musketeers and this one, of varying quality. _Three Musketeers_ and _Ten Years After_ are worth reading but you may want to skip _The Vicomte de Bragelonne_ and _Louise de la Vallière_ -- the writing isn't up to snuff, and the main reason to read them is so you won't be lost when you pick up _Iron Mask_.

If you read the entire d'Artagnan Romances(THE THREE MUSKETEERS, TWENTY YEARS AFTER, THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE, LOUISE DE LA VALLIER, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK), you'll probably feel you've had one of the great reading experiences of your life. If you only read THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, you'll probably think you've wasted your time. That's because THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK is the third part of THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE, which itself is the third part of the d'Artagnan Romances. DON'T START AT THE END!!! The title "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" is so popular that even scholarly publishers like Oxford cash in by selling it WITHOUT TELLING YOU IT'S THE END OF A STORY. To read it by itself is like reading THE RETURN OF THE KING without THE HOBBIT, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING and THE TWO TOWERS, or only book 7 of HARRY POTTER(I'm just trying to think of popular examples). Start with THE THREE MUSKETEERS, and if you like it, work through the series, whose richness always depends on what came before. The story of the man in the iron mask is one of many subplots in a much larger story, so coming into it from scratch, you might be upset if there are few pages devoted to him. So here's how it goes: THE THREE MUSKETEERS is part 1, TWENTY YEARS AFTER is part 2, and THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE is part 3, but it's a massive part 3, divided into 3 books(in the original French, it's one mega-book, but it got divided in English translation): THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE, LOUISE DE LA VALLIER, and THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK. I repeat my first sentance: If you read the entire d'Artagnan Romances, you'll probably feel you've had one of the great reading experiences of your life.

At times my favorite Dumas. World weary cynicism, mixed with heroism. A band of aging heroes must right a terrible wrong, and deal with upcoming youth at the same time. They have been betrayed and pensioned off by those they have bled and almost died for, and so set out to see what they can do to rectify the situation and the darkness surrounding the throne of France.

Having just spent the last few months reading all five books in the Three Musketeer series, the following are my suggestions. 1. Read all five books in order. The Man in the Iron Mask is probably enjoyable on its own but reading the four books that proceed it help place the story in its proper context. Think of the Man in the Iron Mask as the dessert in a five course meal. Dessert is great but the four proceeding course are also enjoyable. Getting to the end of the book was especially enjoyable knowing that I was finishing a 3,500 page experience. 2. Read the Oxford University editions. There are wonderful end notes that help the reader keep track of the characters and events. When you read 3,500 pages you need that type of assistance to keep things straight. The Introductions are also very well written and help the reader get back into focus before beginning the next chapter. 3. If you really like any one book in particular, go to the internet and purchase a well illustrated used hardback edition for your collection. I purchased a used Three Musketeers with illustrations by Maurice Leloir. The three hundred plus illustrations make that edition especially enjoyable. Along with Sir Walter Scott, Alexandre Dumas created the genre of the historical adventure novel. I have been reading these types of novels my entire life. Beyond a doubt, Alexandre Dumas is the master virtuoso of this genre.

Let met start by saying that I've read this at least four times, so obviously I love it. But the title is deceptive. If you are looking for a story about a falsely imprisoned man bravely escaping and getting revenge on those who did him wrong, you should think twice about buying this book. Hollywood has for years tried to turn this novel into such an "escape" story, based mainly on its title, so that's the impression people have of the book.If you're looking for such a story, I'd highly recommend The Count of Monte Cristo (Oxford has an edition that runs upward of 1,000 pages - which is daunting - but Bantam has an abridgement that is 450 pages and is quite entertaining. That may be the exact book you're looking for!).The Man in the Iron Mask tells a different story, one based on historic facts. In 1661, King Louis XIV of France had his minister of finances - Nicolas Fouquet - arrested for embezzlement. Also in that year, Louis successfully wooed a young handmaiden named Louise, which caused some stir. In this novel, Dumas gives us the secret history behind these facts, and it is no surprise that the story involves his famous Four Musketeers.More specifically, Aramis becomes privy to the fact that Louis has a twin brother languishing in the Bastille, and he attempts to switch the two. The novel details his fascinating and rather intricate plot to pull this off, as well as how the other Musketeers fit into the plan.However, the first couple of hundred pages concern mainly the aforementioned historic events, and its a bit of reading before you get to the meat of the action.I can't recommend this book highly enough - it seems to have become part of my life, the way some good books can - but don't let the title create a false expectation. You'll be dissappointed - instead, read The Count of Monte Cristo.But if you love literature, if you love stories of complex intrigue, and especially if you love the Four Musketeers, you HAVE to read this book at least once in your life!