The Man in the Iron Mask (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

~ Alexandre Dumas père (Author), (Translator), Francine Du Plessix-Gray (Introduction) "Ever since Aramis's bizarre transformation into the confessor of the order, Baisemeaux, the warden of the Bastille, had not been the same man..." (more)
Key Phrases: musketeer captain, lantern holder, hundred pistoles, Monsieur Fouquet, Monsieur Colbert, Mademoiselle de la Vallière (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the Musketeers' final adventure, D'Artagnan remains in the service of the corrupt King Louis XIV after the Three Musketeers have retired and gone their separate ways. Meanwhile, a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask wastes away deep inside the Bastille. When the destinies of king and prisoner converge, the Three Musketeers and D'Artagnan find themselves caught between conflicting loyalties.

Introduction by Francine du Plessix Gray
Translated by Joachim Neugroschel

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (March 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140439242
• ISBN-13: 978-0140439243
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #290,320 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely isn't the movie..., September 28, 2004

By	Jen "lalu618" (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

Having just finished The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, I ventured to find more books from the wonderful author Alexandre Dumas, and stumbled upon this book, which is one in the Three Musketeers series. It takes place while the three (well, really FOUR) musketeers are no longer in their prime, and are becoming a bit aged, though not lacking whatsoever in wit or a thirst for adventure. OH, and a warning before I continue: if you are reading this book simply because you saw the movie, enjoyed it, and would like to see if the book is similar, do NOT expect them to be similar in very many ways at all. In fact, the movie would only be a portion of the book, and quite altered in many parts. However, if you are simply reading this book for the sake of enjoying it, read it! The title of the book may be a bit misleading, for it only refers to the first half of the actual book, but that doesn't matter--the book itself is wonderful. Summaries are easy to obtain, and so I shall not bore anyone with a summary, but I shall say this: the ending(s?!?) made me cry more than I had cried in a long time. Perhaps I was only feeling sensitive that day; but the book, it was truly sad at the end...this book is the end of the Three Musketeers, and a memorable one it is indeed.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Grand Finale of the Three Musketeers, November 5, 2008

By	Ravenskya "Princess of Horror" - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is the third and final book of the Musketeers Trilogy. Unfortunately I did not read the second book in the series so that may have tempered my comprehension of all of the events as they unfolded in this epic tale. Here is the first warning - this is NOT the movie... nowhere close, so if you are looking for that story, it's not here. Second, the language in this can get a bit tedious, particularly the names, as everyone is called by different names though out the book (their musketeer name, their title, their real name, other names, etc) this makes it a bit hard to follow if you don't catch on right from the beginning who is who and what all they may be called. Third warning - this is not a happy book, this is the final act of the musketeer saga, and when I say final, I mean it.

The story itself is very involving, especially if you already know and love our Musketeers. Aramis has a plan that involves swapping out the current king on the throne for his twin brother... his plans do not go well for him and the rest of the book involves the aftermath of this failed plot. As Aramis and Porthos run from the now very angry king, d'Artagnan struggles in his relationship with his friends and the king he now serves as the head of the Musketeers. Meanwhile Athos is suffering from his son - Raoul's decision to run from the pain he feels over love lost, and join the army fighting in Africa.

Our four musketeers are getting on in the years, as are their servants. They are no longer the leap into battle, brash youths of the previous novels. They have grown and are now calculating, loyal, and honorable, their friendships are tested and their loyalty to the crown and country is put on the line. There is a tremendous amount of pain in this book, and death is around every corner. I won't say that this was a favorite of mine, even though people love the ending and say that they cried when they read it. I sort of felt let down, that the musketeers should go out on such a huge failure (the man in the iron mask- only sits on the throne for an evening, then we never hear from him again, he is in no way a major character, he is only a catalyst for future events.) Though they fought bravely, I would really have liked for them to have truly won their last endeavor together.

In all I am glad I read this book, but was often frustrated by the episodic nature of the writing which at times made if very hard to follow. I also was a bit disappointed in the amount of time spent on characters that seemed to have little purpose to the forward progression of the story. In the end, I would have to say... I liked the movie better, it was just more fun and really felt like the musketeers that I knew and loved rather than the individuals who were in this book. Only Porthos truly retained his nature from the first several books. Still, I would advise any lover of literature to give this book a chance. Perhaps a different translation would be better advised than this one.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Man in the Iron Mask is a Swashbucking Classic Romance by the prolific Alexandre Dumas pere, June 16, 2008

By	C. M Mills "Michael Mills" (Knoxville Tennessee) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Penguin edition of "The Man in the Iron Mask" is taken from the larger novel "Vicomte de Bragelonne" about the son of the famous musketeer Aramis. Dumas wrote countless potboilers for French periodicals but a few of his works have become immortal. This is especially true of the trilogy of French muskeeters during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. The novels are all episodic making the varous plots sometimes hard to follow. While the works are set in a romantic historical time they are fictional. Dumas used history as a repository of stories to pluck out of them his historical romances. These novels were popular at the same time as were the romantic thrillers of Victor Hugo and Sir Walter Scott.
The Man in the Iron Mask is the final book in the Musketeer trilogy. The other books are "The Three Musketeers" and "Twenty Years After." In this novel we meet the aged musketeers who earlier proclaimed, "One for All and All for One!". The musketeers are:
1. D'Artagnen the leader of the musketeers serving under Louis XIV. This great fictional hero will become an antagonist to his three old musketeer pals. They have decided to support Phillip )the fictional twin of Louis XIV) who has been a prisoner in the Bastille for many years. The plot will fail and the musketeers will have to flee for their lives. As this novel ends we experience the death of D"Artagnan in battle. All of the other musketeers also die in this series finale.
2. Athos-Now a wealthy landowner his son Vicomte de Bragelonne is in love with a beautiful girl who has become the mistress of Louis XIV. The son dies in battle and Athos dies of a broken heart.
3. Aramis-He is a powerful Jesuit official who seeks to wrest the throne of France from Louis XIV. He persuades Prince Phillip to join him in the plot. As the novel ends he dies after having fled to Spain and become a well respected diplomat for that nation.
4. Porthos-The fat Falstaff of the musketeer quartet he too dies after being trapped in a cave by soldiers of the king. He is the most foolish and lovable of the musketeers.
Don't read Dumas for historical truth but do read him for the man's love of friendship and honor in a vanished seventeenth century world.