Blood Royal: A Sequel to the Three Musketeers

(Hardback)

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The latest entry in this acclaimed series of new translations of the Musketeer novels,Blood Royalcontinues the adventures of the valiant dArtagnan and his three loyal friends.

The latest translation in Lawrence Ellsworths acclaimed new series of Alexandre Dumass greatest adventures isBlood Royal,the second half of what Dumas originally published asTwenty Years After.In this volume all the plots and schemes set up in the previous novel come to dramatic fruition in the kind of exciting thrill-ride Dumas is famous forwhile at the same time introducing the characters and themes that form the foundation of the rest of the series, leading to its great climax inThe Man in the Iron Mask.

InBlood Royal,the Four Musketeers all venture to England on parallel missions to save King Charles I, pursued by the murderous and vengeful Mordaunt, the son of Milady de Winter, the great villain ofThe Three Musketeers.Despite all his experience, dArtagnan is repeatedly foiled by the much-younger Mordaunt, who erupts out of the past to embody the strengths of audacity and cunning that were once dArtagnans hallmarks. Mordaunt has corrupted those youthful strengths, and the older dArtagnan is no match for him until he is able to pull his former team together again. To do this dArtagnan will have to become a true leader of men, leading not just by example but also by foresight, persuasion, and compromise. Only then can the team of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis be re-formed in all its might to defeat the specter of their past.

Blood Royalisunmatchedin Dumass oeuvre in its depictions of his most famous and beloved characters, and an unforgettable saga of swordplay, suspense, revenge, and ultimate triumph.

Reviews

Newly translated, this sequel toThe Three Musketeersis as fresh as ever. In Lawrence Ellsworths excellent, compulsively readable translation.Dumas never stints the action, witty dialogue and surprising plot developments. -- Michael Dirda * The Washington Post *
Sparkles and shines. Races along with pointed humor and broad quips. Fun permeates this big book. The rest of this year's fiction will have to look sharp: An old master has just set the bar very, very high. * Christian Science Monitor *
The test of a translator is his capacity to capture this characteristic interplay of the heroic and the ribald; the sincere and the ironic; the vanished past and the approaching present. And at this task Ellsworth succeeds, giving us aThree Musketeerswith more clarity, energy, and simplicity than any previous English edition. * Open Letters Review *
Dumass trademark gifts at crafting engaging historical romances are amply in evidence in this lengthy yet fast-paced volume. Ellsworths translation captures a complete narrative. A very entertaining epic. * Publishers Weekly (starred) *
A royal treat for fans of historical fiction. I am confident that librarians and English literature teachers around the world are leaping for joy at the publication ofThe Red Sphinx, and I join them in this excitement. * Bookreporter *
Fans ofThe Three Musketeerscan rejoice in the 800-page English translation of this largely forgotten sequel. * Newsday *

Author Bio

One of the most famous French writers of the nineteenth century,Alexandre Dumas(18021870) first achieved success in the literary world as a playwright, before turning his hand to writing novels. In two years from 1844 to 1845, he published two enormous books,The Count of Monte CristoandThe Three Musketeers. Both novels have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Lawrence Ellsworthis the pen name of Lawrence Schick. An authority on historical adventure fiction, Ellsworth is the critically praisedtranslator of Alexandre DumassThe Three Musketeers, The Red Sphinx,Blood Royal,Between Two Kings,andTwenty Years After.He lives in northern Maryland.