The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

This is the last book in the series that starts with The Three Musketeers.  I haven't read any of the books in the middle, just the first and last in the series.

Even though it's titled "The Man in the Iron Mask", don't let that fool you.  Said man is only a minor character.  He isn't in half the book, and doesn't have an iron mask for most of the part of the book that he is in.  This book is about the four musketeers that we got to know in the original book.

I really don't have any beef with any part of this book.  Sure, it was confusing at times, especially when the characters talked about politics to no end.  I also didn't understand some of the character's motivations for doing the things they were.  Even so, it really felt like a quick read.  At the same time, I didn't feel involved or really that interested in the story at all.  It was sort of nice to get a window into the lives of these characters such a long time (35 years!) after the initial book.  For that reason, I can only somewhat recommend this book.

Click here to view this book on Amazon.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

This book has it all: sword duels, adultery, war, political intrigue, adultery, religious commentary, murder, adventure, camaraderie, adultery, romance, lies, royalty, lust, and, did I mention, adultery?  I don't think there's a single female character who is faithful to her husband in this book.  That being said, none of them are portrayed in a negative fashion for their infidelities.  It's not really even considered a character trait of note.  The Three Musketeers (and d'Artagnan) are courting these women, some of whom happen to be married.  The husbands are treated more as obstacles than a moral dilemma.

Here's what you need to know about this book:

The King of France counts two people as his most trusted advisers.  The Cardinal, and the captain of the Musketeers.

The Queen of France is in love with the Duke of Buckingham.  He loves her in return.

The Musketeers are loyal to the King and Queen.  They server as the King's bodyguards and are basically elite soldiers. They also frequently get into scuffles with the Cardinal's guards.  There's a bit of a not-quite-friendly rivalry between the two groups.

The Cardinal wants to discredit the Queen of France.  I don't actually remember why.  He's basically the villain of the book, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the King's, or France's, interests at heart.  His actions just go against the interests of the protagonists.

d'Artagnan, is a very impulsive young man who wants to become a Musketeer who frequently gets himself into trouble.  He serves as the main character of the story.  Somewhere along the way, he falls in love with one of the Queen's servants who is helping her and the Duke of Buckingham hook up.  This lady gets abducted by the Cardinal and d'Artagnan is highly motivated to find this woman and do some hooking up of his own.  He serves as the book's main protagonist.

The Three Musketeers are d'Artagnan's friends and help him get out of the trouble he gets himself into.  They also help him in his quest to help his lady-friend.

Now, I'm not a fan of the writing style.  It's written in the first person by a narrator who has no relationship to the characters or events.  It's also written in a conversational style that kinda gets on my nerves from time to time.  All in all, though,  I did find the book interesting throughout.

This is one book that I do recommend.

Click here to view this book on Amazon.