Customer Reviews

Man in the Iron Mask (Great Illustrated Classics (Abdo))

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you read the entire d'Artagnan Romances(THE THREE MUSKETEERS, TWENTY YEARS AFTER, THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE, LOUISE DE LA VALLIER, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK), you'll probably feel you've had one of the great reading experiences of your life. If you only read THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, you'll probably think you've wasted your time. That's because THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK is the third part of THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE, which itself is the third part of the d'Artagnan Romances. DON'T START AT THE END!!! The title "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" is so popular that even scholarly publishers like Oxford cash in by selling it WITHOUT TELLING YOU IT'S THE END OF A STORY. To read it by itself is like reading THE RETURN OF THE KING without THE HOBBIT, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING and THE TWO TOWERS, or only book 7 of HARRY POTTER(I'm just trying to think of popular examples). Start with THE THREE MUSKETEERS, and if you like it, work through the series, whose richness always depends on what came before. The story of the man in the iron mask is one of many subplots in a much larger story, so coming into it from scratch, you might be upset if there are few pages devoted to him. So here's how it goes: THE THREE MUSKETEERS is part 1, TWENTY YEARS AFTER is part 2, and THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE is part 3, but it's a massive part 3, divided into 3 books(in the original French, it's one mega-book, but it got divided in English translation): THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE, LOUISE DE LA VALLIER, and THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK. I repeat my first sentance: If you read the entire d'Artagnan Romances, you'll probably feel you've had one of the great reading experiences of your life.

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, Louise de la Valliere, 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. Five stars.

Many people don't realize that Dumas wrote (or, to be more specific, co-wrote with Auguste Maquet) an entire series of "Three Musketeers" novels; "The Man in the Iron Mask" is the last of them, and based on a genuine historical mystery. It's a great story, with a riveting plot, but it concludes the careers of D'Artagnan and the other Musketeers, and some elements may sadden some readers.

There are a few novels in between the original Three Musketeers and this one, of varying quality. _Three Musketeers_ and _Ten Years After_ are worth reading but you may want to skip _The Vicomte de Bragelonne_ and _Louise de la Vallière_ -- the writing isn't up to snuff, and the main reason to read them is so you won't be lost when you pick up _Iron Mask_.

At times my favorite Dumas. World weary cynicism, mixed with heroism. A band of aging heroes must right a terrible wrong, and deal with upcoming youth at the same time. They have been betrayed and pensioned off by those they have bled and almost died for, and so set out to see what they can do to rectify the situation and the darkness surrounding the throne of France.

I first read this book at the tender age of 14 and am now 40+. I tend to read it every 2 to 3 years or so and I always manage to find something new or enjoy a familiar passage even more. The book is so full of history and so many stories (some liberties are taken) that many movies could be made out of just this one book and still be informative and entertaining. It started my life-long love affair with history when I was a teenager and that fire is still burning bright almost 30 years later. I am somewhat of an expert on 16th and 17th century France and England and I owe it all to Mr. Alexandre Dumas.

Most people are familiar with the story of The Three Musketeers (Oxford World's Classics) - "all for one, one for all" is a pretty common catchphrase/concept and actually does come from the book - and The Man in the Iron Mask (Oxford World's Classics); both have been made into numerous movies over the years. What most people are not aware of is that there are three other novels in the series, falling between them (Twenty Years After (Oxford World's Classics), The Vicomte de Bragelonne (Oxford World's Classics), and Louise de la Vallière (Oxford World's Classics)]. And it is extraordinarily good fortune for readers that there are, as Dumas' writing is exceptionally vivid, intense, dramatic (without being over-the-top) and action-packed. Throw out almost everything you think you know about these stories if your only experience with them is via the movies - even the better versions cannot hold a candle to the books. They are full of intrigue, suspense, and treachery; of politics, passion, and incomparable prose - they will take you on a high-speed ride through French history that I guarantee will entertain as well as educate. I am a fan of the Oxford World's Classics translations - I find them eminently readable and enjoyable, and it doesn't hurt that they look nice in a row on the shelf... ;)

I just realized that the reviews for the classic TMITIM are combined with the illustrated kid's version, hence the one negative review(I'm assuming). I know there are twins in the book, but is amazon trying to apply it here? Just make sure you get the version of the book you want, obviously. Overall, this novel is a definite must read for all fans of The Three Musketeers. A++

Unfortunately, I read this book before reading the Three Musketeers and I have yet to read Twenty Years Later. Nonetheless, I loved this book and suspect it is the best of the three.

THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK is not what you would expect if you have seen any of the filmed versions, but it is nevertheless a fitting end to the saga of the Three Musketeers. My only problem with it is the translation in the Signet edition, which is clumsy, clunky, and lifeless. There must be a better one available.

This is the third in Dumas' trilogy of historical novel about the three musketeers, all situated in France. In this one the three Musketeers became four.

It is the imaginative adventure tale centered on the closely held royal secret that the queen of Louie XIII, finally able to conceive, was presented with the royal misfortune of having identical twins. This presented an impossible quandary for royal succession. The quandary was solved by attempting to conceal, and never to be revealed that there were two instead of just one son. Only one of the twins' existence was ever acknowledged, and he was raised to become King of France (King Louie IV) while the other one, whose existence was kept a royal secret, was jailed for life in the prison of the Bastille.

He remained there until he was sprung by a plot hatched by one of the musketeers. who pulled off a daring switch with the unwitting assistance of his comrades. The plan, to have the brothers switch places, went off without a hitch, with on one the wiser. That is until the queen was force to come face-to-face with her two sons. Her motherly weakness for them both revealed that both boys were hers, and her secret was thereafter exposed.

Here is where the tale goes off its rails and the misadventures began. The second son was returned to jail with the stipulation that he would forever wear an iron mask so that no one would ever again see the resemblance between him and his brother, the King. However, the Musketeers, two of whom were exiled to the isle of St. Margaret, and the third remained council to the King, hatched still another plan to spring the brother in the iron mask. This plans went awry, and was never to be realized, as the King got wind of it and hunted them down before they could leave the isle of exile.

Although all but one escaped the royal onslaught of the isle, their careers as adventurers was over. One died on the battle field in Holland as a field general for the King and the other lived to a ripe old age. Three stars.