The Man in the Iron Mask (Signet Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

Alexandre Dumas (Author), Roger Celestin (Introduction), Jack Zipes (Afterword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2006

In this sequel to The Three Musketeers, jailbreaks, masquerades, and swordfights pit Aramis against his fellow musketeers and create an incomparable tale of swashbuckling.

Editorial Reviews

Review

My favorite book . . . No part of the world has ever seemed to me so charming as these pages, and not even my friends are quite so real, perhaps quite so dear, as D'Artagnan. --Robert Louis Stevenson

The name Alexandre Dumas is more than French--it is universal. --Victor Hugo

The name Alexandre Dumas is more than French--it is universal. --Victor Hugo --This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

About the Author

Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was one of the literary lights of France during the Romantic Revolution, his complete works eventually filling over three hundred volumes. George Bernard Shaw described him as "one of the best storytellers…that ever lived." The Man in the Iron Mask and The Three Musketeers are available from Brilliance Audio. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics; Revised & Updated edition (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451530136
• ISBN-13: 978-0451530134
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #755,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dumas, Alexandre
  • #62 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > French

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start at the start, December 8, 2009

By 

ced - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man in the Iron Mask (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

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.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget the movie, read the book!!, April 9, 2008

By 

Misfit (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Man in the Iron Mask (Barnes & Noble Classics) (Paperback)

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.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conclusion of the Three Musketeers series, December 18, 2009

By 

T. Simons (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Man in the Iron Mask (Kindle Edition)

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_.