The Man in the Iron Mask: A Sequel to The Three Musketeers

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The final adventure of the greatest heroes in French literature takes the musketeers on an epic saga from the royal palace of Louis XIV to the dreaded dungeons of the Bastille.

DArtagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis: you know their names, the four loyal comrades whose saga began in Alexandre Dumas celebrated novel The Three Musketeers and concludes here in the thrilling The Man in the Iron Mask. The musketeers are drawn back to the glittering court of Louis XIV, the Sun King, where intrigues, political rivalries, and royal jealousy pose deadly threats to the heroes and their loved ones. And once more, the four swashbucklers are enmeshed in a conspiracy that threatens the Crown of France itself.

Faced with treachery at every turn, the four musketeers must regain the dash and daring of their youth to prevail in their greatest adventure yet. Fortunately, the comrades are still true to their natures: the noble Athos and his son, the romantic Raoul; the laughing giant Porthos, as mighty as ever; and the bold and steely dArtagnan, now Captain of the Kings Musketeers at last. But then, the sly and wily Aramis stumbles on a royal secret that can shake the realm itselfand exploiting that great secret proves too much of a temptation to resist for a man as ambitious as Aramis!

From midnight abductions through secret passages to swordplay and sacrifice on the wild shores of Brittany, this sparkling new translation of the final adventure of the greatest heroes in swashbuckling literature presents readers with an unforgettable tale from the pen of Alexandre Dumas, the master of historical adventure.

Reviews

Praise for the Musketeer novels translated by Lawrence Ellsworth:

"The opportunity to hold a 'new' book from Alexandre Dumas in my hands and immerse myself once again in the stories of his beloved Musketeers is a joy and an honor, and allows readers to pay homage to one of the pillars of classic European literature who is still so vital today." * Bookreporter *
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) *
"Ellsworth successfully balances the need to make a translation comprehensible to its current audience with the duty to preserve the original authors voice. Dumass brilliance is highlighted by the word choices that Ellsworth makes, and its the totality of these choices by Ellsworth that makesBetween Two Kingssparkle." * The Historical Novels Review *
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.