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A review by peter_finch
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas
5.0
This five-star rating is for The D'Artagnan Romances as a whole, including 'The Three Musketeers,' 'Twenty Years After,' 'The Vicomte de Bragelonne,' 'Louise de la Valliere,' and 'The Man in the Iron Mask.' I have happily given my time in following the trials of this adventurous foursome.
By far, 'The Three Musketeers' is my personal favorite. The initial introduction to D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos and their multi-country exploits is well-crafted and exciting; and the antagonist, Milady, puts many other villains to shame.
'Twenty Years After' is a strong follow-up, if for no other reason than the antagonist, Mordaunt, descends from Milady and continues that storyline of intrigue.
'The Vicomte de Bragelonne' and 'Louise de la Valliere' were struggles to get through. Most of these two novels focused on the intrigues of the court of Louis XIV; our friends the Musketeers make very few appearances in these pages (though when they do show up, s**t goes down). Having finished 'The Man in the Iron Mask,' I now understand why the relationships of the court were so important to understand, however I don't know that Dumas needed such painstaking detail in getting the point across. I also think there was enough going on historically in that time to allow him to give D'Artagnan and his friends some more screen time to pick up the pace a bit.
'The Man in the Iron Mask' is a grand finale, though it does leave a couple of questions lingering. For one, the title's namesake makes a very short (albeit important) appearance in the story without much of a resolution; I was hoping for a bit more political intrigue in the playing out of Dumas' theory of the real man in the iron mask of the Bastille. Second, Aramis' fate is left to the unknown; this is in stark contrast to the detail Dumas provides to the destinies of D'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos, and even Rauol. However, in the end, I respect Dumas' decision to put a final ending to the storyline.
I will miss hanging out with these characters, especially Aramis and Athos (and least of all Raoul), but I've most definitely enjoyed the ride.
By far, 'The Three Musketeers' is my personal favorite. The initial introduction to D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos and their multi-country exploits is well-crafted and exciting; and the antagonist, Milady, puts many other villains to shame.
'Twenty Years After' is a strong follow-up, if for no other reason than the antagonist, Mordaunt, descends from Milady and continues that storyline of intrigue.
'The Vicomte de Bragelonne' and 'Louise de la Valliere' were struggles to get through. Most of these two novels focused on the intrigues of the court of Louis XIV; our friends the Musketeers make very few appearances in these pages (though when they do show up, s**t goes down). Having finished 'The Man in the Iron Mask,' I now understand why the relationships of the court were so important to understand, however I don't know that Dumas needed such painstaking detail in getting the point across. I also think there was enough going on historically in that time to allow him to give D'Artagnan and his friends some more screen time to pick up the pace a bit.
'The Man in the Iron Mask' is a grand finale, though it does leave a couple of questions lingering. For one, the title's namesake makes a very short (albeit important) appearance in the story without much of a resolution; I was hoping for a bit more political intrigue in the playing out of Dumas' theory of the real man in the iron mask of the Bastille. Second, Aramis' fate is left to the unknown; this is in stark contrast to the detail Dumas provides to the destinies of D'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos, and even Rauol. However, in the end, I respect Dumas' decision to put a final ending to the storyline.
I will miss hanging out with these characters, especially Aramis and Athos (and least of all Raoul), but I've most definitely enjoyed the ride.