যেমন সুন্দর শুরু তেমন সুন্দর শেষ।

i really loved this book, but was severely disappointed at the end,which while did its job felt very rushed and quite lacking compared to the thrilling and very well-written middle and climax.
there were areas at the beginning and at the end that were really rather weak and even a little bit boring. aramis played a much larger part in this book, and it's interesting to see him portrayed as almost an antagonist in his ideals and attempt at dethroning louis xiv. i was really sad that my favourite character athos was barely in this book at all.
porthos is absolutely incredible in this book. his quirks and clueless humorous comments really make me laugh, i love him so much. :) dumas' use of conversation is so light and elegant in this book, it really carries so much character in each conversation, it's a real delight to read it. interaction between porthos and d'artagnan, porthos and aramis is especially great.
this book really picked up pace along the middle section, where things fall into action. the best section is a little closer to the end where d'artagnan really finds his loyalties divided and belle-ille is under attack by France. the blackmailing and the strict control of d'artagnan by lousis xiv is really exciting and almost scary, and the battle is a real thrill to read.

i read this book a while after i read the three musketeers, but as soon as i picked this up, i immediately remembered all the characters and found them just as endearing as before. unfortunately i haven't read any of the middle volumes of the books so there were gaps in my knowledge and there is much focus on each ex-musketeer's new and current life. i was therefore unfamiliar with raoul, athos' son and his relationship with mademoiselle valliere, which played an important part in the second half of the novel.
the first half of the novel focused on aramis' attempt to dethrone and replace louis xiv with his twin brother. the conclusion of this arc is disappointing in that we never really know what happens to phillipe in the end, although the executors of the crime- aramis, porthos, and even fouqet have obvious conclusions. phillipe is shown as a vital character at the beginning but he becomes cut off at the end of this arc, and it doesn't seem well concluded on his final thoughts.

*spoilers*
reading about athos' old age made me severely depressed, it is so sad to think of him as a greying old man unable to ride his horse. similarly with porthos' last moments, i realised how much i cared for these characters and wished they were still as young and strong as they used to be.

i liked d'artagnan so much more in this book compared to in the first one, where he was far from my favourite. d'artagnan seems unchanged but both matured and his character is developed very well in his conflicted loyalties and final choices in the battle of belle-ille. the end was disappointing and rushed, although the final point is understood. i was sad to see the ex-musketeers go, but dumas has created a beautiful cast of incredibly dear friends who i'm unlikely to forget.

Absolutely thrilling. Although I didn't start with the first book, "The Three Musketeers", I could still feel the intensity of the position. I could feel the connections and all the sentiments they had for each other, and above all, for France. Thoroughly exhilarating piece of literature. Now going to rectify my mistake and start with the first book.

This was a difficult read for me- both in language and plot. It did not have a satisfying end. However, the characters- the musketeers- I love them all!!

A classic, with reason. Dumas's characterizations are excellent, his plots packed with political intrigue and daring-do, but this book more than others made it apparent that he was paid by the word. The first 14% could only be described as a fashion emergency! Even so, I pushed on. This book is interesting since two of the old musketeers error in such an incredible way, and then truly pay for their mistake--as do their friends. The end is a tragic one, for sure.

The Man in the Iron Mask was an unidentified prisoner who was arrested in 1669 or 1670 and subsequently held in a number of French prisons, including the Bastille and the Fortress of Pignerol (modern Pinerolo, Italy). Known for remaining unidentified due to the veil worn over his face throughout his time in prison, he was held in the custody of the same jailer, Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars, for a period of 34 years. He died on 19 November 1703 under the name Marchioly, during the reign of King Louis XIV of France (1643–1715).

Dumas takes this history and creates the darkest tale of the Musketeers stories. The story gets underway at the Bastille.
Aramis, a priest and former Musketeer, hears the confession of the prisoner who happens to be the twin brother of the King of France. Aramis hopes to free the prisoner and trade him for the real king.
The switch is planned to take place at a gala which does not go as planned and adventure ensues with the characters Athos, D’Artagnan, Aramis, and Porthos.
Prison escapes, betrayals, hunting, captures, battles, broken hearts and survival.

This historical fiction is the final story of the musketeers with: The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte deBragelonne being the first three volumes of the series.

I love and hate the book as it ends not at all as you would assume.

طبق این داستان لوئی چهاردهم برادر دوقلوئی داشته و برای اینکه در آینده هرج و مرج بر سر سلطنت پیش نیاید، یکی از دوقلو ها را در جزیره ای زندانی کرده اند با نقابی آهنین بر صورتش

این مرد نمیداند کیست و فقط در خاطرات کودکی اش ،زنی(مادرش ملکه) را بیاد می آورد که گاهی به دیدنش می آمد
بعدها بدون آنکه علتش را بداند عده ای وی را گرفتند و ماسکی بر صورتش زدند و سالها او را زندانی کرده اند

...بازهم تفنگداران بر می گردند
آتوس و آرامیس جزو جبهه ای هستند که میخواهند لوئی چهاردهم مستبد را از تخت سلطنت فرود بیاورند و برادر دوقلویش را جانشینش کنند بدون آنکه حتی کسی بوئی ببرد و بفهمد این لوئی آن لوئی نیست
؛)
دارتن یان و پورتوس هم برای لوئی چهاردهم خدمت می کنند
یکی برای اینکه مزد این همه خدمتی که سالها انجام داده را بگیرد و دیگری برای بدست آوردن نشان بارون

روبه رو شدن تفنگداران باهم تماشایی است

  

فیلمی بر اساس این کتاب ساخته شده ولی اصلا وفادار به داستان نیست
با این حال از دیدن فیلمش هم لذت بردم

ژرارد دوپاردیو در نقش پورتوس و "گابریل بیرن" در نقش دارتانیان با چیزی که در کتاب خونده بودم شباهت زیادی داشتند ولی اصلا نمیتوانستم تصور کنم "جان مالکوویچ" آتوس است و "جرمی آیرونز " آرامیس

البته نقش لوئی چهاردهم بیشتر از برادر دوقلوی معصومش به دی کاپریو می آمد

بنظرم نقش هایی که لئوناردو دی کاپریو در فیلم هایی مثه "اگه میتونی منو بگیر" ، "گرگ وال استریت" ، "دارودسته نیویورکی" ، "الماس خونین" و و"جانگو"بازی کرده،خیلی بیشتر از دیگر نقشهای مثبت به چهره اش میاد

Well that was a depressing end..

One of the best historical fiction I ever read. Action, love, friendship, tragedy , politics, bravery , sacrifice and what not in this novel. Alexandre Dumas was a great specialist in historical fictions genre. I believe Even after a few daceds from now this novel will touch the heart of the readers.

Recommendation - must recommend

The count of monte cristo' পড়ে Alexander Dumas'-র লেখার প্রেমে পড়ে গিয়েছিলাম। তারপর 'The three musketeers' এর রোমাঞ্চকর কাহিনী আর অবশেষে তার পরের পার্ট 'The man in the iron mask'!! শেষটায় চোখের পানি ধরে রাখতে পারিনি। চোখ মুছতে মুছতে ভাবলাম অনুবাদ এতো সুন্দর হতে পারে? তবে এর অনেকটাই অবদান Team Sunday suspense এর। তাদের উপস্থাপনার কোনো তুলনা নেই। এটা আমার পড়া সেরা বইগুলোর একটি হয়ে থাকবে।

A continuation of the story of the characters from the Three Musketeers, this one tells about the mysterious twin brother of King Louis of France, and the plot to replace one brother for the other.

Wow, this is one of those times where the movie was much better than the book. The book was tedious most of the time, with long conversations and descriptions that made the plot difficult to follow. And truthfully, I really didn't like how the book ended. Not my favorite, that is for sure. I was disappointed.

Finally, I have read this novel that I have put off for years and years. I did read The Three Musketeers twice but never tackled this one.

I found the novel to be joyous, heartbreaking, and fun. A treasure of a book and I am contemplating trying to tackle the other books in the series

And, I'm glad that I did not take the 1998 film seriously because it is nothing like this book, nothing.