Ok bibliophiles: Dumas

[Fenris]

So I will make this a Dumas summer (well until the new Harry Potter comes out), and I saw as I perused the several shelves of Dumas, there were three three musketeers books; The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask and Twenty Years Later (After?). Is the order I listed them in, the order I should read them in?

 

[Wombat]

So I will make this a Dumas summer (well until the new Harry Potter comes out), and I saw as I perused the several shelves of Dumas, there were three three musketeers books; The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask and Twenty Years Later (After?). Is the order I listed them in, the order I should read them in?

Actually, Twenty Years After is the middle book, if I recollect.

Hmm, may have to look that up now. For some reason I think there is a fourth book in there...

 

[Wombat]

Okay, I checked a couple of sites and came up with this list of Musketeer books (all available in English translations through Amazon.com, if nowhere else)

The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years After
The Vicomte de Bragelonne
Louise de la Valliere
The Man in the Iron Mask

**sigh** I thought I knew the series a bit better...

 

[Hypersmurf]

So I will make this a Dumas summer (well until the new Harry Potter comes out), and I saw as I perused the several shelves of Dumas, there were three three musketeers books; The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask and Twenty Years Later (After?). Is the order I listed them in, the order I should read them in?

Once you've read them, by the way, pick up The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After, by Steven Brust

-Hyp.

 

[Jdvn1]

Or you might want to read The Club Dumas which is a great mystery about the original Dumas manuscripts.

 

[Silver Moon]

Intestesting side note - my wife is a Dumas, they can trace their family line back to the French author (not a direct descendent of his though, but rather through a cousin of his).

 

[EricNoah]

Isn't there a recently discovered Dumas book that just saw publication? I can't recall the title. Maybe it's already on the list above...

 

[Rhialto]

Okay, I checked a couple of sites and came up with this list of Musketeer books (all available in English translations through Amazon.com, if nowhere else)

The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years After
The Vicomte de Bragelonne
Louise de la Valliere
The Man in the Iron Mask

**sigh** I thought I knew the series a bit better...

I feel I should point out that The Vicomte de Bragelonne is a huge book that contains both Louise de la Vallier and The Man in the Iron Mask. As for his newly published novel, here.

 

[Wombat]

I feel I should point out that The Vicomte de Bragelonne is a huge book that contains both Louise de la Vallier and The Man in the Iron Mask.

Ah, that explains matters!

Thanks for clearing up my confusion there

 

[Turhan]

The poster who recommends Steven Brust's Phoenix Guards and 500 Years After is right on point, too. These two books were written as an homage to Dumas.

The use of language is tasty. If you like lots of polite dialog before the swashing and buckling begins. Some of my friends think they have too much talk talk and narative, but it is after all an homage to the style of Dumas and the musketeers.

Brust does a good job with the characters, and I especially like the one lackey who lends a hand in the fights by swining his milking stool. A stout fellow, and loyal.

If you decide to watch the movies about the Dumas books, try to find the Richard Chamberlain version of The Count of Montecristo (early 1970's) as it is darker and more vicious than the new remake. Also, the 1948 version of the Three Musketeers covers the whole novel and stars Gene Kelly as D'Artagnan, and Gene does a rip roaring good job with lots of sword swinging. Neither movie is on dvd yet, so find the old vhs.
On a side note, two of Errorl Flynn's swashbucklers are out on dvd: The Seahawks and Captain Blood. Both are quite good. Plus, Scaramouche is on dvd and has a swordfight between Don Ameche and another fellow with both of them on a banister of a balcony in a large theater (the movie is okay too, but the fight is very good).

Enjoy!