Alexandre Dumas Books

Much better than the movie. Great info on forgeries, book making,engraving and of course the history of books dealing with the "devil."

I read this in English first and was so impressed I had to read the original. I found the original as easy to read as any English novel.

An interesting framework that combines elements of Dumas, Sherlock Holmes, Phillip Marlowe, and The Da Vinci Code that, at least for me, didn't quite work.

I actually thought The Club Dumas started out quite well - I flew through the first 100 pages thoroughly engrossed in the story as the mystery was established, but unfortunately it fell flat as it unfolded, in my opinion. Quite simply, I found the resolution of the various questions/mysteries raised anticlimactic.

I will admit I did appreciate finding as many references to Dumas, Conan Doyle, and other works as I could (I'm sure there are a lot I missed, I'm not all that well-read), but for me that didn't make up for a relatively flat story. I did not, on the other hand, appreciate the frequently awkward attempts at Chandlerian similes.

At the risk of stating the obvious, if you're thinking of reading this I would, at the very least, be sure to read The Three Musketeers first.

After reading all of the above reviews, you may not need to read THE CLUB DUMAS after all since so much of the book's plot has been revealed by those who still feel that a book review is just an assignment to be turned in to teacher in English IV just to prove that you read the book. It's as if someone tells you what the movie was all about before you've seen it. Just you don't hate it when that happens?

That said, I would like to say that if you enjoyed reading John Durnning's BOOKED TO DIE or THE BOOKMAN'S WAKE (the Cliff Janeaway novels) I would highly recommend The Club Dumas. A bizarre labyrinth of mystery, murder and the book arts. Mr. Perez-Reverte must be praised for his research and if you are not well versed in Alexandere Dumas' literary career (the author of 257 novels, histories and memoirs), take heart, you will become very enlightened.

If you are interested in a limited history of the book and its role in the mystery genre... and the occult, this book will keep your fingers flipping pages. It's just an added layer in the creative complexity of a novel with many layers.... Although, to be honest, I did think the ending was a bit over the top.

Hope you will enjoy it as well. I've just finished the FLANDERS PANEL and have started THE FENCING MASTER. I had to place a hold on THE SEVILLE COMMUNION. I think you get the idea.

This book came to my attention only after I saw the movie The Ninth Gate, and I was immediately interested. The movie seemed to leave several questions unanswered, and I believed that a book would be a better medium for a mystery about books than film. Well, it was, but I was still left with unanswered questions.

The book follows the expolits of Lucas Corso, an alcoholic anti-hero, as he tracks down the source of exceedingly rare occult literature as a mercenary book trader. The best parts of the book center around his relationship with a strange girl with green eyes, who joins him for unexplained reasons on his quest. However, loosely connected to this intriguing investigation is a manuscript chapter from The Three Musketeers, which takes on strange dimensions as character parallels from the Musketeers oppose him on his journey. The background is peopled with unique characters, and various asides are devoted to describing the murky world of the rare book black market, the biography of Alexandre Dumas, or the nature of the devil and medieval occult practices.

These excerpts answered many of the questions posed by the film, fleshing out my understanding of plenty of side-issues. Several illustrations in the book also made these chapters more enjoyable. It was only at the end that I despaired of an explanation that united the two detective stories of Dumas and the devil. Instead of everything "coming together" as in a Sherlock Holmes story, the motivation for the entire quest comes unravelled into two distinct threads which are only coincidentally united. I admit that the movie had spoiled the final twist for me, which is perhaps the reason I found it unsatisfying. However, the author seems to have made some effort to assert the unity of the two strands of plot via Corso himself, who reflects to himself that he is caught in a literary twilight zone and refuses to be surprised by events which refer to literature. During the pursuit, I was pleased by all of this, but only on the condition of an eventual rationale. The rationale, once revealed, left me unimpressed.

Not that the book is without its charm; in fact, much in the style of Umberto Eco, the answer to the mystery is not the fanciful one the main character supposes- or rather, not the whole answer. The Club Dumas reminded me of Eco's book Foucault's Pendulum in particular, although this one is much more digestable to a leisurely fan. I will continue to suspect that the movie for The Ninth Gate spoiled the book for me; therefore, I would recommend anyone interested in this subject to read the book prior to the movie. The aftertaste may be more palatable.

The Club Dumas is a what many call a high-brow mystery book, where the pages turn fast but the subject matter is a few steps above the standard smoking gun "whodunit?". The book cover claims it as a "beach book for intellectuals." While this might be a bit overwrought, it's also fairly accurate, as The Club Dumas doesn't pander to a low-brow audience. Instead, it maintains a high level of sophistication while remaining a standard thrilling mystery. In the end, it may try to mix 2 moods that don't necessarily blend well together. But it does such a good job that you can't help but be entertained.

Having prefaced with that, there's more to the story than a vapid tale such as The DaVinci Code. The story has layers which make it more intricate than any run of the mill American thriller, translating into a mystery almost impossible to figure out. I don't read books trying to figure out what might happen, so take that for what it's worth. I suppose seasoned mystery might not be so stumped. Or maybe they will. I digress.

The Club Dumas is about one chapter from Dumas' original manuscript of The Three Musketeers, and the search to find out if the chapter is authentic or not. On top of this, the main character Luca Corso is saddled with the burden of finding out if another, apparently unrelated, book is also authentic. This second book is an ancient text purported to be able to instruct the reader how to summon the devil. Much of the narrative centers around the hobby - passion perhaps is a better word - of collecting original manuscripts of books through the centuries. The working knowledge Perez-Reverte exhibits about book collecting is what really sets this apart from your standard thriller. Corso finds himself taken through the ringer as he tries to figure out how these 2 mysteries are interwoven. Through several near misses he finds himself playing a role in a real life version of Dumas' grand work.

How it all plays out is left as an exercise to the reader. Despite claims that Perez-Reverte tied up the book brilliantly, I can't agree with that. There are parts of the wrap-up that go outside the believable bounds of the narrative. Because of this I can't say the book does well in bringing the story to a proper close. To elucidate that thought, imagine having read a story only to find a talking dog at the end of a book where dogs never talked. It would be problematic, to suggest such an ending.

Perhaps Perez-Reverte uses the talking dog widget, perhaps he doesn't. I have to admit parts of the ending are left extremely vague. In my online searches I have not found anyone who has taken a stab at summarizing what exactly happens to all involved. Instead, we are left with an amorphous ooze of uncertainty. Perhaps this is the literary hangover the beach intellectual feels when they've drank more intellectual words than they can handle?

Regardless, the bulk of the book is nearly brilliant. I have already bought 2 more works by the same author, as I found this book nearly impossible to put down for the 3-4 days it took me to read. Even if the end wasn't as well done as the rest of the book, it still stands as an excellent work and I fully understand how this ranks as an international best seller. This isn't 5 star material for the reasons cited above. But this is a solid 4 star book that will keep you riveted, at least until the end, where you might find yourself blown away, or a little confused. Either way it's worth the trip getting there.

The Man in the Iron Mask is not actually a book -- it is the last volume of a very large book entitled Le Vicomte du Bragalonne or Ten Years After. Le Vicomte is divided into three parts, typically called "Le Vicomte du Bragalonne," "Louise de la Valliere", and of course, "The Man in the Iron Mask."

Thus, if you read only this book, don't be surprised that it sometimes seems you are catching only the end of a conversation.

The larger work, Le Vicomte, is named after Athos's son, and it follows the young vicomte through his life and love -- taking large detours to a young Louis the XIV's court. Our heroic musketeers, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan make only small appearances throughout, but these scenes are the most memorable of the musketeers series.

The Man in the Iron Mask brings our four fast friends together again, for one last adventure. This time, though, they are at odds with one another, divided by their own key character traits.

I have personally seen several movie versions of the Man in the Iron Mask, and I have never seen one I liked. Skip the movies -- read the book. And if you find yourself entranced, go get the first two volumes, and enjoy!

Before you start this book you should know that any resemblance between the book and the movies that Hollywood has turned out is completely accidental. The names of the main characters are about the only similarity that I could find and as is the norm, the book was much better.

This, the last installment in the Musketeer series, gives us the story of the final acts of our heroes, Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan. Unlike many literary characters our Musketeer friends have aged as the story progresses and have all retired but D'Artagnan who is still the Captain of the King's Musketeers. Athos and Porthos are quite wealthy and Aramis has attained the rank of Bishop. Aramis is not content with his station however and knows a secret that he thinks he can use to become Pope. This secret is the knowledge that Louis XIV has a twin brother who is hidden away in the Bastille and Aramis is quite sure that this brother would make a better King than the current monarch. Aramis is also pretty sure that the new King in gratitude will nominate his liberator for the office of Cardinal and then will scheme to make the new Cardinal Pope.

In this plot Aramis acts alone except for some help from Porthos who has no idea what he is involved in. The twins are successfully switched for a short while but then the plot falls apart and Aramis and Porthos flee for their lives although Porthos is still not sure what is going on. The "pretender" to the throne is left to his own devices by Aramis and is imprisoned in a new location with the iron mask added to his discomfiture. Aramis does not come across in this book as much of a hero and in many respects this story is much darker than it's predecessors.

Given the advanced age of the Musketeers, there are not nearly as many swashbuckling adventures as one is accustomed to but on occasion Porthos in particular will rise to the challenge. The political intrigues of the Court of Louis XIV and the decline of the Musketeers are in fact the main plot lines of this story. In the end, only one of the four is left and to find out which one you will just have to read the book. Athos, by the way, only seems to play a side role in this story and is neither involved in the plot against the King or in his rescue.

As is always the case, Dumas' writing style is superb and is filled with historical fact. He does tend to be a bit wordy and his books are often much longer than necessary but even with this slight drawback he ranks as one of my all-time favorite authors. In this book Dumas closes out the careers of his most popular characters and he does it with style.

The entire Musketeer series is a great read mixing adventure, comedy, and history. It tells the story of the lifetime friendship of four heroes and how that friendship is tested by ambition and conflicting loyalties. The Man in the Iron Mask is the book in this series. In this book the four musketeers have aged considerably and engage in their last adventure.
The story takes place in 1661 in France, and as usual Dumas creates an intricate plot. Aramis is not content with his position of bishop and knows a hidden secret of the Royal family of France, which he tries to use to become Cardinal. Aramis knows that King Louis has a twin brother suffering in the Bastille or prison, and he attempts to switch the two. The novel details his fascinating and rather intriguing plan to try to pull this off. In this plot Aramis acts alone except for some help from Porthos, who has no idea what he is involved in. The twins are successfully switched for a short period of time, but then the plan falls apart as the real King is rescued. Aramis and Porthos flee for their lives, although Porthos is still not sure what is going on. The `fake king' to the throne is left to fend for himself by Aramis and is imprisoned in a new location with the iron mask added to his figure.
Aramis does not come across in this book as a hero but rather an enemy to the crown of France and in many respects this story is darker than its predecessors. Another conflict occurs King Louis XIV of France has his minister of finances, Nicolas Fouquet, arrested for misappropriations. Also, Louis successfully falls in love with a young handmaiden named Louise, which causes a stir, as she is not royalty. One of d'Artagnan's friends also loves this handmaiden.
As is always the case, Dumas' writing style is superb and is filled with historical fact. He can be quite wordy, drawn out, and his books are often much longer than necessary. However even with this slight drawback, he is one of my favorite historical fiction writers. In this book Dumas closes out the careers of his most popular characters, and he does it well. If you love literature, if you love stories with a complex plot, and especially if you love the Four Musketeers, you have to read this book!

- Garrett Rodrigue
Age: 15

Oh wow, what a great end to an incredible ride, the story of the Musketeers. I haven't been so engrossed in a series of books since I picked up Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. Athos, Raoul, Porthos, Aramis and of course D'Artagnan are going to be in my thoughts and dreams for some time, I hate to let them go.

If you are expecting the story as told by Hollywood, forget it. While I haven't seen the latest version with Leonardo DiCaprio (forgive me if I spell it wrong), I looked at the reader reviews and was quite surprised at how different the book is from Hollywood's version. I also recall a movie done in the late 70's/80's that is nothing like the book as well. I would pick it apart point by point, but that would include spoilers. The Man in the Iron Mask is actually the last third of a huge novel by Dumas originally titled The Vicomte de Bragelonne. Because of the size of the book, English publishers have divided into three books, The Vicomte de Bragelonne (Oxford World's Classics), Louise de la Vallière (Oxford World's Classics), and The Man in the Iron Mask.

Suffice it to say that TMITIM is the final chapter of our heroic Musketeers, as well as Raoul, the son of Athos. While we all know the story of Louis XIV's twin and the plot to substitute him, that is a minor part of the whole story, as the action then becomes centered on the aftermath of that plot and Louis' revenge. It has been a grand, glorious ride reading this series, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valliere and The Man In the Iron Mask. And do have your box of tissue handy for the last 20-30 pages. You'll need it.

One side note, some people are purchasing this as a stand-alone book, which it is not. You could probably get away with that, but you'll spend so much time looking back at the footnotes trying to figure who is who I doubt you will enjoy the story as much. Also, this version didn't have the list of characters that the VDB and LDLV did. Go for broke and read the whole thing, it's well worth it.

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.

The problem is that this is an incredibly bad abridged version. There are a number of problems for instance the fact that it does not make it clear on the front cover that it is abridged. Admittedly I examined my copy and it does say so on the back cover but I do not normally expect people to abridge classics without making it on the front. I avoid reading the back.
Admittedly its not a horrible idea to abridge books. I noticed that most of the positive reviews of this edition are listed as kid's reviews. Perhaps without this simpler version they would have never tackled the 1200 pages especially with the adult content that got cut out.
That's one of the primary problems with this book. While the definition of abridging involves cutting, this version decided to attempt to cut out essential plot points. In this they failed incredibly, jamming the work together in ways that lead not only to bad writing but strong confusion.
Though honestly I can't think of a good abridged version of this book (I really haven't researched this). If you want as close to as possible to the original in English I would recommend the Penguin translation from 1996 The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics)

This book clearly states that it is abridged on the back cover. I realize it would be helpful if it was stated on this pages title but that just goes to show you that you always need to do your research folks. I can't vouch for this edition specifically but the first version I read was abridged very enjoyable. I do however prefer the unabridged. Also whenever purchasing a book originally written in another language you should always check for reviews about the translation, there are usually multiple translations of various quality from different publishers.

While it doesn't indicate it, this is a heavily abridged version of the story, and pretty much just deals with the elements contained in the 2002 film. It's still a good story, but gets 2 stars for not indicating that it's abridged, and because even at 1400 pages, the full unedited story by Dumas is MUCH richer and makes for a much more satisfying story. Do not cheat yourself of that satisfaction by settling for 1/3 of the story.

The count of monte cristo is not a ordinary book to read.
Its a very understanding, basic book to read to me and
hopefully for you to. The main things that i like about
this book is in the book their is a character called Edmond
that go's to jail for 16 years becasue he was offerd a job
from a agent that gave him a letter to deleiver to a friend of his that was not to be told to any one and Edmond's freind over heaird the confersation about the letter and turned Edmond in.
After I read that I wanted to find out what happend next in the story and it got better and better as I read. It also has a nice body to the story. It talks you know what will happen next and then it happens and has pictures to explain what is going on in the scene of the story. Another thing that kept me reading this book is their is a part in the story where Edmond and his carrier look for treasure on this island called THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. I would deffinitly reccomand to purchase this book because it's a very adventure's book to read for us kids and you.

The Count of Monte Cristo was a Superhero long before Superheros were cool.

A 19th-century cross between James Bond, Batman, Zoro, and Dirty Harry, the title character is a seemingly all powerful and all knowing master of all trades, whether languages, art, chemistry, disguise, psychology, philosophy, theology, international relations, literature, protocol, diplomacy, or combat. But he is also deeply conflicted and brooding man who builds his life around a dramatic quest for revenge against the men who ruined him early in his life, but who along the way darkly questions his decisions and motives.

As a young man, Edmond Dante had the perfect life: a beautiful fiance, a promising career, and dedicated friends. But the jealously of a few people around him combined with some unfortunate circumstances, ruined him, and he ended up jailed for life on the harrowing island prison Château d'lf. After an apprenticeship with learned co-prisoner Abbé Faria, Dantès makes a daring escape from Château d'lf, finds millions the then-dead Faria had hidden away, and then changes his name -- Monte Cristo is the name of the fictional island where Faria's treasure was hidden -- and begins his epic quest for vengeance.

It is not inaccurate to look at The Count of Monte Cristo as a novel about revenge, but it is much more than that. It is a story about love and anguish, about sin and redemption, and about light and darkness. It is also an extraordinarily captivating read, the rare example of important historical literature that is also a good fit for reading on the beach or during airport layovers, and an appropriate read for anyone in his or her early teens and onward into old age.

The book is also a great conversation piece: while I was reading it, at least half a dozen people stopped me to ask what I thought of the story, often with nostalgic and wistful looks in their eyes.

There are some flaws to The Count of Monte Cristo that are common with 19th-century literature: a complicated cast of characters, for example, means the reader must keep up with many names and relationships. And the reader must also employ a willing suspension of disbelief, not only to accept that the protagonist can rise from such humble origins to become so good at everything he does (this is the case with almost all Superhero stories), but also in order to believe that the cast of nefarious enemies in mostly modest circumstances who wronged him at the start somehow rose to become the wealthiest and most powerful group in early 19th century Paris. The neat ending in which no evil-doer is left unpunished and almost no worthwhile personage is not left standing seems too neat and pat, even by today's Hollywood standards. But are these really flaws in the book or of the times?

I choose to think it's the latter, which is why I believe this dark and fascinating story is so important and worthwhile, a real thriller that puts modern representatives of the genre to shame.

Joel Rosenberg really blew it by developing the changes in the alternative fantasy world far too quickly.

The great fun and interest of the original three books was the interplay between characters with contemporary/technology and the alternative world people.

I don't blame Joel Rosenberg for trying to expand on the theme and draw out the original trilogy, but the whole Home Valley concept seems as laughably unrealistic as like Ayn Rand's hidden valley in "Atlas Shrugged." There were too many changes in too short of a time.

Unfortunately, this only leaves a rather snoozy theme of feudal political intrigue peppered with the ageing original characters...Who have been relegated to the equivilent of a rather clownish upper middle-class medieval gated suburb.

As far as the broken trio of Pirojil, Durine and Kethol from the previous book...Enjoy reading about the character Kethol had become a magically disguised lovelorn milksop. Feh.

Erenor, the low level wizard scoundrel with a penchant for magical glamour disguises is almost completely ignored except for the tail end of the story, where his threat seems completely out-of-character.

The worst part was with the character Pirijol, the only possible half saving grace of this entire "next generation" series, completely underdeveloped and underused except when Rosenberg reminds the readers for the 100th time about how ugly he is.

This book is a sad and worthless waste of a great fantasy franchise.

I am a Rosenberg fan. I really like the Guardian of the Flame novels even if they are getting a bit (okay a LOT) repetitive. I am also a fan of series, and I like that this one is starting to branch off from the original characters and explore more of the world through the eyes of what were only secondary players in the beginning novels. All of the Guardian books have been solid enjoyable reads, and I recommend them highly to those who enjoy fantasy.



Right before Christmas, out of new books and searching for something to read I came across the first book in the Guardian series and I reread it. Which led me to reread ALL the Rosenberg books again and I take it back. They really aren't repetitive. I am surprised I thought so. They were a very, very enjoyable read even though it was my second time through the entire series. Maybe the first time I read them too fast, who knows? All I can say is that I was wrong. I recomend them even more.

I actually started the series by reading this book (thank you, Andy, for the gift. Good call) and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Summary: Three soldiers are dragged into a political argument and ordered to investigate a minor dispute in the outreaches of the realm, which leads to more than anyone had bargained for.

Pretty good opening concept, although I never read the backs of the books (it ruins the surprise for me). What interested me more than anything else was the pure grittiness of the world that Joel, whom I'm sure doesn't mind being on a first-name basis from me, captured and dropped into my hands. In a land of magic, legends and dragons, one wouldn't expect there to be hardship in simply travelling or even danger in getting a simple drink.
If life were so simple, there wouldn't be much of a story. So the attention to detail, the dangers of everyday life in a world without constant police presence, was impressive.

The characters are hardened veterans, having fought, bled and watched those they've known fall in battle, or even in a street fight. They're honorable without being fanatical about it, exceptionally practical and utterly dedicated to their lord. Joel captures and keeps the societal differences between our world and theirs, and the consistency of it was well done indeed.

The characters are Pirojil, ugly as can be and never is he portrayed otherwise, Durine, large and dangerous and distant, and Kethol, heroic and not too bright but humble. Despite their weaknesses, they are engaging and make for some plausible interaction. It seems obvious that people who have worked together for a long time would know each other, but Joel makes it a point to note some of their conversational short-cuts, and includes some failings among friends that are understandable.

Summary: Great characterizations, a good story and some creative solutions to tricky problems. If you liked Glory Road, Outlaws of Sherwood and/or the Deed of Paksenarrion series, you'll like Not Exactly the Three Musketeers.

This book is a fun read. I started reading the guardians of the Flame series a few years ago and have enjoyed them all.

The book starts off a little slow but has great character developement and by the end you won't want to put it down. In fact you'll be sad that it's over.

This the first time that the leads of the story are neither Othersiders or the son of an Oothersider and it is fun to see things from a different point of view.

I keep hoping the Guardians of the Flame series will improve, but after the first two, it was all down hill. The author has a habit of reusing favorite phrases and descriptions. Particularly disgusting is the frequently mentioned "loosing of the bowels with a horrible flatulence" upon someone's death. Although many of the other stories in the series follow an interesting idea (modern-day folks transported into a wizards-and-warriors world), this story fails to have anything interesting to explore. He keeps you in the dark about the 'real' part of the plot until at least page 288, and even then it's over so quickly that I almost missed it. This book doesn't really have anything to recommend it; it has poor writing, poor character development, and a poor plot. I'd take Terry Brooks over this any day.

If you like realistic fiction you will love this book; it is full of misfortune and how one man goes from having nothing to being one of the richest men in all of Europe. The Count of Monte Cristo, will leave you wondering what hill happen next, it will take you through every emotion, from joyous to depressed. Right from the moment you open the cover you will be sucked in not wanting to put the book down! Alexandre Dumas uses great word choice, like the prison. Even more advanced readers will be surprised by the great word choice. There are some difficulties with the book thought some parts of the book are hard to follow. Sometimes you might have to read a line again to really understand what it means.
This book is great; I liked the book because it went through the hardships of life and how an alias can go a long way.

I chose to read the abridged version of this novel first even though I also own the unabridged version. I know that other reviewers have posted that this version is missing many scenes, but it really didn't seem to matter. The story is wonderful and so action-packed that I couldn't put the book down. If you've seen the movie, you don't know the whole story. There is so much more to it and a movie just can't encapsulate the essence of these characters. Whatever version you choose to read, just read it and live it and enjoy it.

The Count of Monte Cristo tells an amazing tale of a young man's journey through his life. The story is full of joy, love, hatred, anguish, and most importantly revenge. Edmond Dantès at the age of 19 is full of promise as a sailor and is on the verge of finding everlasting happiness and love in a girl by the name of Mercédès. He has a perfect life, almost everyone likes him, he is about to become to captain of a ship, and is engaged to the woman of his dreams. When it seemed to him that his life was perfect and secure, he is framed by one of the few who dislike him and thrown into prison indefinitely.
From there it seems all is lost, but Dantès succeeds in a miraculous escape, finds a fortune on the Isle of Monte Cristo with the help of a friend, and embarks on a journey of revenge. In the midst of all this, his true identity is lost to all but himself and he takes the name of the Count of Monte Cristo to fulfill his desire for vengeance.
One of the best books I have read in a long time, The Count of Monte Cristo is an amazing adventure of wealth, revenge, and forgiveness. Alexandre Dumas has created a masterpiece of perfectly developed characters with changing plots and subplots to keep anyone excited about reading. The range of emotions from happiness, to despair, to revenge and anger, to sorrow gave me all that I needed to enjoy the book.

There's enough of The Count of Monte Cristo in this abridged version to hold your interest and make for a good read, but after reading this I feel cheated. The most evil of the conspirators, Baron Danglers, who is the primary author of Edmond Dantes misery, is given a relatively minor role in this version. All through the revenge chapters (which make up the majority of the story)I kept waiting to read how the baron would get his comeuppance, but was dispointed to find that's its left out and mentioned only in the end notes.

Very upset to purchase this and then find out it is an abridged version. It mentions this nowhere on the cover of the book and it wasn't until I saw the title page that I realized it. Of course, it is too old for me to take back so I am stuck with it.

If you WANT abridged, that is fine, but I find it irresponsible of Barnes and NOble not to mention this.

I started reading this book in the unabridged, not cliffnotes, version. Needless to say, the 1095 page book takes along time to read. About 500 pages into I decided to read the cliffnotes. From what i have read, this is a great book full of daring, adventure, and revenge. As you read, you see the main character outwit and manipulate everyone to his own vengeful scheme. Its a great book and I would recomend it to anyone that loves the classics.

The Cliff Notes guide to "The Count of Monte Cristo" is a superficial, error-riddled guide to a superb yarn of Machiavellian revenge gone astray. Although Dantés first embarks on complete revenge against his enemies, he ultimately realizes that course would also punish the ones he loves, so he leaves revenge in God's hands. That point is utterly ignored by the Cliff Notes.

It is also not clear which version the Cliff Notes reviews. I am familiar with Grosset & Dunlap's 1,365-page edition, copyright 1946 by McGraw-Hill Book Company. This edition has 118 chapters, ranging from "1. Marseilles-- The Arrival" through "118. The Fifth of October". The Cliff Notes only mentions 73 chapters. If they are reviewing an abridged version, they should say so.

The Cliff Notes also has many lesser mistakes, including misspelling "Maximillian Morrel" and "Coclès". If they are that careless with simple things, think what they do with complex issues!

Although Edmond Dantes was wrongfully accused and imprisoned this book is more a story about how hope is better than hatred. Through Edmond's life you will see how jealousy and revenge can ruin a life, even if it is what one thought they wanted.

The Count of Monte Cristo is an amusing but pointless novel that distracts the reader using an elaborate plot while making the weakest of attempts at a themeatic statement- revenge is good. This is a novel in which the "bravest" characters are commended for their desire to commit suicide in order preserve their honor and prove their "bravery". (Unfortunately, none of these characters are required kill themselves- instead, in each instance, they are saved by a miraculous event.) This is a novel in which more than four characters assume multiple identities in order to satisfy the whims of a plot which ultimately serves an inferior theme. It is because of authors like Dumas that early novels were often regarded as such low brow entertainment and not as literary works worthy of esteem.

The story of one man's journey for revenge. Learn from Edmond as he calculates his plot for revenge over several years. Let his patience be a lesson to you, for revenge can help guide you through the most hopeless situations. Try "The Stars my Destination" for another tale of revenge.

I haven't read Alexandre Dumas since I was a teen (a long time ago), but I remember "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" quite well. Then again, what I remember best may be the movie versions I watched again and again as a kid. When I saw that a "lost" novel had been published for the first time, I thought it was time to revisit Dumas' work. I'm glad that I did.

As a finished unfinished novel, "The Last Cavalier" is fair and worth three "stars." It was originally published as a newspaper serial and Dumas never had the chance to re-edit/rewrite it for book publication as he did his other works. Dumas was paid by the word, and there are thousands here that would surely have been cut. The titular hero, Hector (René, Comte Leo) de Sainte-Hermine, is over the top invincible and incomparable. He has no flaws (in a Doc Savage, pulp fiction, sort of way), so it's hard to identify with him; and Dumas interrupts Hector's story too often with what's happening elsewhere in history. Did I mention he was paid by the word? Still, Hector's panache and romp through Napoleonic history is a tour de force worth reading. Characters like George Cadoudal, the corsair (privateer) Surcouf, Napoleon, Nelson at Trafalgar, and Minister of Police Fouché come alive with idiosyncrasies and feats of personal codes of honor to delight any swashbuckling fan.

For me, as a writer, what was even more fascinating was the book's preface by Claude Schopp, who found and reconstructed the novel. In it, Dumas is quoted as saying that he is "more a novelizing historian than a historical novelist." In this light, I look at the book as more of a history than a novel and am interested in re-exploring Dumas' other books from that perspective. Also, in the preface is a letter from Dumas outlining his complete plan for the novel. It is as complete a synopsis of the whole story as any editor could wish for. So it was great to be able to refer to that and see where and how Dumas added and changed the story line (Hector's entire time as a seaman and in India are not in the outline). This alone was worth the extra "star."

I highly recommend this book to any reader, Dumas fan or not.

First, let me say that Dumas is one of my favorite writers of all time. Among others, I've read unabridged versions of The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, and Twenty Years After. I also read one of his shorter novels, Georges. I thorougly enjoyed all of them, and would include the first 3 listed among the best works of fiction I have ever read (Georges is also good but not quite as good as the first 3 I listed). When I saw The Last Cavalier on Amazon, touted as a "lost work" (which it in fact is), I immediately pre-ordered it, and patiently endured delay after delay before the book was finally released. It was something like 8 months after I pre-ordered it before I actually recieved the book, and the wait only served to increase how much I looked forward to reading it - I very much wanted to enjoy this book. Alas, I was disappointed!

The Last Cavalier reads almost like 2 separate works that have been pasted together. The first half focuses on Napoleon and on George Cadoudal. This half of the book is peppered with a number of very interesting historical facts (many of which I was ignorant of), but it is a bit slow at times. The first half also introduces our hero, Hector de Saint-Hermine and his family, but the focus is not yet on him. The second half is the story of Hector (aka Rene), and reads more like a novel.

To me, the most glaring flaw of The Last Cavalier is that the various plotlines are not tied together into a cohesive story. It is a long book, and unlike Dumas' other works it reads like a LONG book! The Count of Monte Cristo was itself over 1,200 pages long, but it was such a page-turner that it didn't at any point feel cumbersome or too wordy. Not the case with The Last Cavalier - a number of the wordy digressions are, in fact, nothing more than wordy digressions that don't add to the story. You really do get the feeling that Dumas is being paid by the word (which he often was). It took me a long time (about 2 months!) to finish the thing simply because it just didn't have the draw to keep me reading for very long periods at any one time, I kept putting it down and even contemplated giving up on it a few times.

The character of Rene is not particularly believable and despite the fact that he has faced great hardship, he's not that easy to sympathize with. He's invincible and is able to perform feats of daring, strength, skill, and even gluttony to the point that it's absurd. He also lacks a worthy antagonist - early on (and in fact it's stated in the book jacket) Napoleon is the long-time nemesis of Hector's family, but ultimately nothing ever comes of that. Hector does face a number of minor antagonists throughout the book, but none stick around long enough for their characters to get fully flushed out.

While this is a flawed work in my opinion, there are a few redeeming qualities. For one, the writing is excellent. For another, while the overall story isn't tied together very well, there certainly are brief periods of brilliance (when George Cadoudal reveals himself in a farmhouse; the wedding scene; some of the tales regarding the Companions of Jehu). These periodic flashes of greatness kept me from giving up on the story, as I would tell myself "ah, this is where the story really starts to get good!" ... alas, that never really happened. Finally, as I mentioned before the novel is peppered with a number of very interesting historical tidbits, particularly relating to George Cadoudal, Napoleon, and Lord Nelson. I'm not 100% certain to the general historical accurary, but some of the things I quickly checked on Wikipedia (which I realize isn't the most reliable source itself, but hey it's quick and generally is accurate) indicate that the history is pretty accurate.

In summary - if you are a huge fan of Alexandre Dumas and want to read everything he's ever written (or get as close as you can), then you certainly should read this. If, however, that is not the case or you are new to Dumas, do yourself a favor and read an unabridged copy of either The Count of Monte Cristo or The Three Musketeers, as his genius really shines through in both of those works.

If Dumas had time to actually finish The Last Cavalier (and by complete it I don't just mean write the ending, I mean go back through it and edit and delete or change things, as he often did before publishing a novel), it's entirely possible that this could ultimately have been a great work as well. But as it stands, it reads as a flawed and incomplete story.

As I read The Last Cavalier by Alexander Dumas I couldn't help but think I was reading a story intended for people in the nineteenth century. Certainly, Alexander Dumas himself never thought as he penned this story that it would premier in the 21st century.

Let me admit right up front that I am not a Dumas scholar and I haven't read all of his works. Like many I've restricted myself to The Three Muskateers and The Count of Monte Cristo, probably to my misfortune. But now I can chalk up another Dumas novel, and a fair one at that. Who knows, maybe I'll read them all.

The Last Cavalier is the story of Compte Hector de Sainte Hermine, a royalist who is put off by the young blade Napoleon. Imprisoned and then released, Hector heads to sea where the real drama of this story rests. However, in the end I never felt that sympathetic to the main character or his plight, and I'm not really sure he's that likable. I also had a hard time getting through the book. I stopped on several occasions to read other books. I always knew I'd return, but it did take a commitment to finish. It's not the page turner The Three Muskateers is, nor does it have the drama of The Count of Monte Cristo. In the end it is probably unfair to compare The Last Cavalier to these earlier works since The Last Cavalier wasn't finished. I suspect Dumas might have edited and perhaps rewritten parts of this work.

If you're a Dumas fan then I recommend The Last Cavalier.

Peace to all

As a fan of the action packed novels of Dumas, especially The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, and as a Napoleonic Europe buff, I couldn't wait to read this newly discovered novel. While the book has many highlights, overall I found it to be a bit of a disappointment.

The hero, Hector de Sainte-Hermine, had a bit too much of the Comte da Monte Cristo in him. Both men are fabulously wealthy, both use time in prison to become highly skilled in a number of areas, and both have a excursions among the banditti of Southern Italia.

While the two heroes also have many differences, these simularities remind the reader too much of a vastly superior Dumas novel. And perhaps this is the downfall of The Last Cavalier.

For the devoted Dumas fan or someone looking to enjoy an action packed saga set in the glory days of Bonaparte, I would recommend this novel. Otherwise, read Monte-Cristo, twice, you'll enjoy it more.

P.S. Don't let the unfinished aspect of the novel disuade you from reading it. The editor has included a letter written by Dumas that basically outlines the entire plot, including the parts that the author never had a chance to finish writing.

If you're a Dumas fanatic like me, you'll probably want to read this book just for closure, regardless of what I say! But I'll write a review anyway. The problem with a novel like this is that I don't know what flaws are attributable to Dumas and the possibility that he was slipping, or cutting corners, as he got older, and what's attributable to the person who finished writing the novel.

It could have been much better if it were written as two separate volumes: one, the general history of the Napoleonic era which is presented in the book, and the other, the history of the Comte de Sainte-Hermine. So much of this very large book has nothing at all to do with the titular character. In fact we are well into the book before the man ever shows up. Then in a chaperoned tete-a-tete with the woman he loves, he divulges the entire history of the Sainte-Hermine family to date. (So we don't learn about his previous history as it's happening, as with Edmond Dantes in "The Count of Monte Cristo"; we're simply given several pages of Sainte-Hermine hitting the highlights for his intended. They become engaged, and at the betrothal dinner he mysteriously vanishes before signing the wedding contract.

Then we have another huge section about Napoleon, the Royalist rebels, etc. A very long section! It was a very GOOD section but I'd totally forgotten about Sainte-Hermine when suddenly we learn he is in prison and begging Fouche to execute him rather than keep him a prisoner. This brief scene takes a few pages...then it's back to a whole big, big section about Napoleon and his troubles. It made me wonder why this book was titled after Sainte-Hermine, since up to about the midpoint of the book, he's a completely minor character...almost a glorified extra.

At the approximate middle of the book, however, the Comte gets out of prison (legally) and the narrative switches to actually being about his life as he is living it. From here to the end it's mostly a very entertaining story of Sainte-Hermine and what's happening in his life, with a few sprinkles of the regular history in the background. This is how I expected the book to be from the start. So it sort of evened out in the middle and got better as it went along.

This also suffers from comparisons to the similar Monte Cristo. In the latter, we know that Edmond has spent his jail time learning from the Abbe Faria and then that he spent the next X years undercover, learning things to create his Monte Cristo persona. Sainte-Hermine, by comparison, spends three years in prison, during which we are told that his hobby is reading. Afterwards, though, he comes directly out of prison and into the narrative, where he shows himself to be an expert at just about everything, including (!) chugging three bottles of champagne that have been poured into a big bowl, and showing no ill effects. Don't you thimk a man just out of a 3-year prison stint would have some difficulty holding his liquor?

So, as a Dumas fanatic I'm glad I read this, but I'd have to rank it absolute last on the Dumas list. If he had stuck to a plain historical novel of the time of Napoleon, then, well, it would probably still be last on the list, but not by as wide a margin.

THis is a book that is from my past. I have a collection of Alexandre Dumas books from my Dad. This is a little known book of his. We all read THE THREE MUSKETEERS, COUNTE OF MONTE CRISTO. This is a fun story about twin brothers, separated at birth and brought up in very different circumstances in revolutionary times in France and Italy. This copy is new and was received in timely fashion. it is hard to come by. Thanks again Amazon.

Separated conjoined twins are mutually empathic and engage in full on obsessive vendettas.

I read this book when I was very young, a child. The story is still interesting and entertaining.
Would love to see the story transformed into a movie.
Good story.

This short novel By Alexander Dumas is nice and quite interesting in spite of the fact that the plot is not particualrly elaborated.
The plot goes more or less as follows. Dumas is a famous writer undertaking a journey in Corsica, meets one the two Corsican brothers, goes back to Paris, meets and befriends the other brother who enjoying the life Parisian high society. This second brother falls in love, has to fight in a duel and dies. The other brother who had sworn never to leave his mother and his (father)land goes to Paris and avenges the death of his beloved brother.
What is interesting is that Dumas demonstrates a phenomenal understanding of the customs and the institutions of the Corsican society. His treatment of the 'revenge' as a social institution is simply masterful.
Even more interesting is the fact that both the setting (a Mediterranean Island, Paris) and the themes (the journey, the revenge) of the Corsican Brothers are the same that Dumas adopts in the Count of Montecristo.
The reader has the impression that the Corsican Brothers is a study that Dumas made to prepare himself to write The Count of Montecristo. I think they should be read in exactly this order.

As The Corsican Brothers is one of Dumas' less popular works (I'm not sure if I should call it a novella or a short story), I expected it to be fairly dry: either very historical or very travel-oriented. It IS travel-oriented, and one CAN see the travel writer incarnation of Dumas, but it is far from boring and does not lack for interesting characters. The brothers may not have the relentless adventures of D'Artagnan, but they leap off the page and make themselves unforgettable nonetheless. There are some beautifully humorous moments as well (Dumas walks into one brother's library and checks to see if the man has any Dumas books!). If I had to compare this work to a more famous Dumas work, though, I would compare it to "A Masked Ball." Short, quick to read, using Dumas himself as narrator, and brilliant. I very much reccomend this one.

Dumas rates five stars; the story rates five stars, but the formatting makes reading it on the Kindle a nightmare! The lines of text are fixed-length, and they are longer than the width of the Kindle page, even at the smallest character-set size. Thus each line displays as one full line, followed by a short overflow (or word-wrap) line. Ugh! I asked for, and received, my money back, and I deleted the item from my Kindle. I am VERY disappointed, as I wanted to read it in the original French, but I couldn't cope with the jerkiness that the ridiculous text formatting imposes on the reading process. (OK, I see others didn't seem to notice . . . so, I guess I'm picky. But there you are: my opinion, for what it's worth.)

I read this book with my class in high school, and I enjoyed it then and still do now. I found it an easy read, and it has helped me to read the 'texte integral' version as well, which contains the full story in regular French, not in 'simple French' as it is in this version.
The only reason I dislike this version is that the vocabulary in the margins is not usually the more difficult vocabulary of the passage, but it is something bearable.
For someone learning French or wanting to brush up on their skills, Les Trois Mousquetaires is excellent, and it also provides the reader with one of Alexandre Dumas' fascinating tales.

It seems that two of the three other people who have written reviews rated the wrong edition. As the other reviewer pointed out, this is the "texte integral." This is not an edition to be read by somebody who is beginning to learn French. I consider myself very fluent in French and still have difficulties with some parts of the text.

For a more advanced reader such as myself, this book is an excellent read. Dumas is an excellent author and I have enjoyed every story of his that I have ever read. The plot is well developed and engages the reader through to the end of the novel.

This is not Les Trois Mousquetaires of Alexandre Dumas; it is "adapted in simple French by R. de Roussy de Sales." It includes marginal notes, usually not on the most challenging vocabulary in the paragraph, and a set of writing exercises in English in the back.

However, this is a good adaptation, if you are looking for something to challenge rusty French skills.

Dumas' characters and action are exciting and compellingly drawn, and the boundary between history and fiction is blurred enough to make Dumas' version the more persuasive.

This is still a terrific story.

This edition of the book, ISBN 2266087594, is not an adaptation, has no vocabulary, no writing excercises, and no English anywhere. The review below is of a different edition.

This book does have footnotes that explain historical references, maps showing the travels of D'Artagnan, and sections talking about historical context and structure of the text. To be honest, I did not find all this extra information useful, but it was there if I wanted to look at it. This edition is "texte integral", meaning that it includes the entire text, even a preface and appendix written by Dumas that are not part of the main story.

Dumas is an inventive and entertaining story teller, and Les Trois Mousquetaires is on of his better books. Recommended.

My buddy lent me this book and warned me it was abridged. I read it again for the third time (I read this once in 8th grade, and once in high school) because I felt that the first two times I read it, I didn't pay good enough attention. This time I hunkered down and gave it a thorough read. Three cheers for revenge, I say! You can definetly see its origins (printed in installments in the newspaper) shine through with every chapter ending in a cliffhanger (not nailbiting necessarily, but enough to compel you to read on). It was enough to keep me coming back, but the novel has its drawbacks. I can see where I got confused with my first two readings of this book because this revenge novel is quite the spiderweb of characters. If you don't have a good memory or are not good with names, you'll likely get confused and toss this book aside. The other drawback is specifically aimed at the novel being abridged. Editing this novel doesn't do it justice. This is a complex revenge story to be meant to tantalize and be savoured, and to just summarize the side plots takes away from it. If you love seeing the bad guys get their "just deserts," this book is for you. But take the time out and read it in its entirety. I wish I did.

Alexandre Dumas is a pure genius! He ties you up in the plot so well and his thrilling tale will not let you down. I only wish that the translator had not left out the certain parts he had. (Fortunately, there's an explanation of the events that are left out). I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE!

I loved the beginning of this book... Dumas sets the whole thing up perfectly. It was entertaining, entrawling and a great story. I loved the end of the book, how Dumas but the whole plot together and what happened to the main characters, Edmond, Mercedes, Versalies, Ferdenand, Danglers etc. it was very fitting. The middle however was very hard to get through. I don't know if it's just the abridgement or what but I kept getting lost trying to figure out who everyone was. I find it annoying that a lot of the main characters have two or three different/names/titles etc. this makes it very confusing trying to figure out if it's a new character or a new title. So I had that issue of trying to keep everyone straight and the other issue I had is boredom. The middle of the books is rather boring, excruciatingly at points. Very slow methodical plot buildup that is mostly uninteresting. I wonder if the book should have been abriged a little more.

Anyway, I am greatful for the abridged version. I never would have made it all the way through the full 1,200 page version.

Disclaimer: I gave this book 4 stars because it is an abridged version.

With that being said, this is a quintessential story of bondage, then deliverance; of Perdition, then Providence. Dumas takes the reader through a calculated journey of emotions along with the ultimately tragic figure (in my opinion) of Edmond Dantes.

This book is very easy to read and only has a few French words in the running text. There are numerous footnotes that explain various real-life characters and demarcate different timeframes.

While not giving anything away, the ending was only 75% percent climactic (there are four antagonists: Danglars, Mercedes, Fernand Mondego, aka Monsieur de Morcerf, and de Villefort) since the final confrontation between Dantes and Danglars was excised (this also warrants only 4 stars).

This book is great for someone with less time to devote to reading but wants to consume the "meat and potatoes" of this tale. If you want the appetizer and dessert, and seemingly infinite descriptions and characterizations, get the unabridged version. Happy reading!