Twenty Years After

One of the best books I have ever read. It is wonderful. Makes you feel as though you lived there at that time. You get to know the muskateers as intimately as part of your family. I love their sense of loyalty and honor. It is humorous, entertaining, moving, adventurous, one does not want it to end. Each one comes to life and you feel part of them as a group and individually as you follow in their footsteps. You will have your favorite muskateer and as their life develops, so will the closeness you feel with him. I truly cannot say enough about it. Enjoy! M. Chastain

Dumas is one of the best novelists of his time. This one is definitely worth a look if you enjoyed "The Three Musketeers."

This highly-pleasing sequel to The Three Musketeers should please any fan of Dumas. While including most of the same characters as that first book of the series, this one presents a significantly different reading experience. With a more complex plot, somewhat less 'action', and a greater degree of political intrigue, TWENTY YEARS AFTER is really a more mature book than its predecessor. Two decades after the close of THE THREE MUSKETEERS, we find our heroes living individual (and somehow unfulfilling) lives apart from one another. As d'Artagnan decides that he's had enough of living in the shadows of his old exploits, and decides to take a more active role in present day politics, the current adventure begins. After reintroducing us to each of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis as d'Artagnan tries to recruit them for new adventures, Dumas sets in motion events that see our heroes intricately involved in world events that will shape the future of Europe. One of the most interesting aspects of TWENTY YEARS AFTER is the growth of d'Artagnan. From the wide-eyed and inexperienced young man of THE THREE MUSKETEERS, d'Artagnan has become a seasoned and extremely confident soldier by the start of this one. While maintaining his rascaliness, he has developed a sharp wit and a rather devious imagination. Indeed, you will see that it is d'Artagnan's strong mind that enables him to succeed more than his strong arm in this book (as opposed to THE THREE MUSKETEERS). Here d'Artagnan is actually looked to as the de facto leader of the intrepid foursome that before he only wanted to follow. This more developed d'Artagnan now rivals the Count of Monte Cristo as my favorite Dumas character. As a piece of historical fiction, TWENTY YEARS AFTER is much more demanding than THE THREE MUSKETEERS. Those without a fairly strong foundation in mid 17th century French and English history might find themselves somewhat lost as Dumas expects a certain amount of knowledge of the setting in his readers. In this aspect, the Oxford World's Classic edition will help immensely (see below). While the reader is still treated to a grand adventure, with all of the aspects that readers of Dumas expect, the enjoyment of this book will only be enhanced by a good understanding of the history behind this work and the implications it has on the future. Throughout TWENTY YEARS AFTER, d'Artagnan and company find themselves intimately involved in major historical events and typically influencing their outcome. As usual, this Oxford World's Classics edition is excellent. With valuable explanatory notes and a detailed list of characters in the back of the book, you'll be able to navigate this complex story with a greater level of understanding than would be likely with the text only. The explanatory notes are denoted with a simple "*", and remain inconspicuous while reading the story, not distracting the reader like same-page notes have a tendency to do. You'll find that depending on y

This is the second book in Dumas' Musketeers trilogy and the sequel to The Three Musketeers. Since this is not a trilogy which can be read out of order, the best way of describing the book is probably to compare it to the first one. The basis is quite simple: it is twenty years since the adventures of the Four, and they have gone their separate ways. After Cardinal Richeleu's death, the new de-facto ruler of France is Mazarin, who is less ruthless yet less honourable. Rather than feared and hated as Richeleu was, Mazarin is unpopular, despised and scorned - and has a reputation for enormous avarice. As d'Artagnan's brilliance has gone largely unrewarded in his 20 years as lieutenant of the Musketeers, he embraces the chance to serve Mazarin directly. However, in trying to gather his three friends, he finds out the extent to which time separates people. No longer a unit, the four are caught on opposite sides of the historical Fronde conflict. The book is essentially about their exploits with the added dimension of the attempts to maintain their friendship despite the outside world causing many a rift. I think this is the book's greatest strength, as the whole trilogy shows a kind of progression from pure swashbuckling at the start of the Three Musketeers to a more introspective attitude. In Twenty Years after, this applies not only to history, but to friendships and interpersonal relationships. This book contains many more detailed references to historical events (as many events in the first book weren't related to documented events) and hence will envelop you in a more concrete historical setting. On the other hand, this will mean more inaccuracies. Furthermore, Twenty Years after is longer than The Three Musketeers (so don't expect to get through it in one afternoon) but it's still classic drama-filled, scheming Dumas. Overall, a great book. I agree with people who say it's as good as the original, just don't expect more of EXACTLY the same - if it were it would be boring, but as Athos, Porthos, d'Artagnan and Aramis mature, so does our reading of their exploits.

It is twenty years after the first Musketeers saga and Athos, Aramis, Porthos and d'Artagnan have all gone their separate ways. Midlife has mellowed the musketeers and definitely complicated their perceptions. Porthos has been indulging himself with his widow's money and working himself up the caste ladder but is still not entirely accepted but the upper crust he wants to become. Aramis has gone into the church and, although he dreams wistfully of the days that he was a musketeer, his scheming has become more of a way of life than a troublesome quirk. Athos is the only one who still closely resembles the man he was in his youth. Even the hot tempered, rambunctious D'Artagnan has settled in to his career as a professional soldier. He is now a musketeer for the paycheck instead of the glory. Yet all deep down reminisce of `the good old days' - the only question is what will they do to recapture them. Mazarin has replaced Richelieu as Cardinal and the queen, once persecuted by the previous Cardinal, is now in league (or at least in bed) with the despised Italian Mazarin. Though Mazarin is popularly hated by the people, D'Artagnan jumps at the opportunity for advancement when Mazarin commissions him to reassemble the foursome ostensibly for the protection of the prince regent and queen. But the others have their own ideas about working for Mazarin and Dumas maintains a delicate balance as the four eventually do come to work together though not entirely on the same side. Twenty Years After is more grounded in history than the first and I highly recommend this particular book for the notes in the back. For all the criticism that Dumas plays fast and loose with history, it depends on where you place your yardstick. He moves events around a bit with people coming back from exile a year or two early and a battle being fought several years later but, over all, this is really grounded in history. The bulk of the plot is the siege of Paris by the Queen (and Mazarin) in the late 1640's. The death of Charles I and the peasant revolt are more substantial historical events than the retrieval of the Queen's diamonds in the first novel so expect a lot more complicated plot as far as people and events. Dumas knew his history (judging by the degree of deviation suggested by the notes) and though he might move or bend it, he still tried for plausibility. We also have a new arch enemy in this one - Lady DeWinter's son, Mordaunt, who has come to seek revenge on the men who executed his mother in the first book. While still a superb adventure story, this is a more adult tale with more emphasis on psychological motivations and the effect of time on a man's ideals and motivations. I enjoyed the first one more because of the less complicated plot and swift action but that is not to suggest that Twenty Years After is lacking in any way. When taken in conjunction with the first, the idea is brilliant and brings out many more elements that a simple `more of the same' seq