I'm sorry but this story makes no sense; it's really dumb.

Muy bueno, me gustó mucho.

DON'T DO IT, unless you enjoy reading about nothing even remotely important or interesting. Could give a full 600 page summary in less than 10 seconds (maybe even 5).

Not as readable in my opinion as the Three Musketeers. If you've only seen film adaptions you don't know the story. Try the book. It seems that movie makers can't resist changing the story here to the point of "unrecognizably". Why? It's not all that happy. Still, good book, interesting story.

I realize that this is just the last 400 or so pages of a larger novel, but I honestly don’t know why it would be issued separately. The plot regarding the actual man that wears the iron mask is just a small part of this book. The rest tied up the lives of the four musketeers that were introduced in the first book of the d’Artagnan trilogy. The introduction to the book provides some information about what happened in the book that this is a fragment of.

I feel like I missed quite a bit with this book. I will be seeking the full novel to read at a later time. Sure, Aramis was the one that tried to put a usurper on the throne, but it lasted only a few hours and then Philip was taken away and picked up. We see him in the iron mask for maybe one chapter. It seems like such a waste to only print the last part of the full novel.

The artwork is also very misleading. It’s listed as being a poster for a theatrical version of The Man in the Iron Mask. At no point is there a scene in the book when Philip faces a woman while wearing the mask. This definitely contributed some to my disappointment.

Another boring work from Monsieur Dumas after The Three Musketeers.

Okay okay, not that boring. Perhaps I'm not accustomed in reading "royal conversations" or whatever high level language used by Dumas, but I find it really dull. It was a struggle for me to finish that book, with more than 350 pages. I can read Victor Hugo's 1000-pages (at least) Les Miserables, but this book? There's just too many descriptions and the dialogues made me kinda dizzy.

Why I do not give only one stars in this review is because the characters are very strong. Who could forget Athos' nobility, Aramis' vast resources/talents, Porthos' loyalty and last but not least, D'Artagnan's heroism? The beginning and the middle part of the book make you sleepy, but not the ending. Hence, the three stars :D

One more thing, the movie (with Leonardo di Caprio) really sucked. Those Hollywood morons always manage to destroy literatures.

This book made me sad. I thought the story was the same that has become adapted into films and understood by everybody: The four inseparables boldly remove the evil king and replace him with the rightful heir who had been a prisoner his whole life. Then the story ends and everybody goes home happy. The true story is a failed and fatal plot that is more selfish and half-baked than noble. Aramis selfishly just wants more power and puts his friend's lives in the way to achieve it. D'Artagnan isn't on their side so the four inseparables are at odds. The plot ultimately fails and several lose their lives over it.

Rather than a bombastic, swashbuckling, heroic victory, this is more of a somber question of duties and friendship. Porthos follows Aramis almost blindly, because they're friends. D'Artagnan fights against his friends because of his loyalties to the king. The plot ultimately fails, in my opinion, because a lot of the motivation for the plot was for Aramis to become more powerful. Had all four joined forces and fought for the right reasons, the right king would have been crowned.

I like the popular version a lot better because they succeeded.

Simply amazing !!

1. The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the greatest books I've ever read.
2. This is not the Count of Monte Cristo.
3. This is a steaming, stinking pile of brain excrement.

But if you're in to tragedy, depression, failure, death, good deeds being punished, misplaced loyalty, honor suicide and one blindingly glaring plot fail, and zero redemption go ahead and read it.

I stopped reading this book about halfway through. What a disappointment! I really enjoyed the other Dumas books I've read, but this one was not anything at all like the others.

Romanian review: După peste 3000 de pagini, povestea celor trei (care sunt patru) mușchetari s-a încheiat și parcă nu îmi vine să cred că nu voi mai citi vreodată o pagină nouă despre D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos și Aramis. Nu-mi vine să cred că totul s-a terminat, iar Dumas nu a avut milă de inimile cititorilor, astfel încât  i-a ucis pe Porthos, Raul, Athos și D'Artagnan. Le-a oferit măcar niște morți glorioase, demne pentru niște războinici- a lui Athos mai puțin demnă de un războinic, dar demnă pentru un tată care își pierde fiul .
Ultimul volum din Vicontele de Bragelonne, sau ,,Omul cu masca de fier", are la bază o intrigă politică extraordinară, despre care nu vreau să spun prea multe pentru ai păstra misterul și care a făcut ca primele 200 de pagini ale cărții să fie atât de captivante, încât nu mă puteam opri din citit. Este probabil cel mai bun complot politic din această serie- corecție, cel mai bun fir narativ din această serie. Complotul îl are în prim-plan pe Aramis- probabil cel mai inteligent personaj din carte- și pe Filip, care pare a fi un prizonier închis în Bastillia, dar, în realitate, este fratele geamăn al regelui Ludovic al-XIV-lea.
Ca în toate cărțile lui Dumas, deliciul îl reprezintă dialogurile, care sunt pur și simplu extraordinare, pline de subtilități și lirice. De asemenea, acțiunea este foarte bine scrisă, alertă și captivantă.
Dacă ai citit toată seria, vei simți nostalgia adesea în paginile acestei cărți, și este incredibil cât s-au schimbat personajele pe parcursul acestor cărți, mai ales Athos- nu-mi vine să cred că în ,,Cei trei mușchetari" era un alcoolic- și D'Artagnan.
Trecutul este cu siguranță foarte romanțat. În realitate, viața- și mai ales politica- în Franța secolului al-XVII-lea probabil se asemăna mai mult cu cea din Game of Thrones decât cu cea din aceste cărți. Dar asta nu înseamnă că nu avem momente întunecate, iar povestea este atât de epică, încât nu pot să nu-i dau cinci stele (afirmație valabilă pentru întreaga serie).
Îmi va fi dor de aceste personaje, de intrigile de la curtea regelui Ludovic al-XIV-lea, de aventurile cu mușchetari și de dialogurile lui Alexandre Dumas.



English review: After more than 3,000 pages, the story of the Three (who are Four) Musketeers has come to an end, and I can hardly believe that I’ll never read a new page about D’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis again. I can’t believe it’s all over, and Dumas had no mercy on the hearts of his readers as he killed off Porthos, Raoul, Athos, and D’Artagnan. At least he gave them glorious deaths, worthy of warriors—except for Athos, whose death wasn’t fitting for a warrior but was deeply fitting for a father mourning the loss of his son .
The final volume of "The Vicomte de Bragelonne", or "The Man in the Iron Mask", is built around an extraordinary political intrigue that I won’t delve into to preserve the mystery. This intrigue made the first 200 pages so gripping that I couldn’t put the book down. It’s probably the best political plot in the series—correction, the best storyline in the series. The plot revolves around Aramis—likely the most intelligent character in the book—and Philippe, who appears to be a prisoner in the Bastille but is, in reality, the twin brother of King Louis XIV.
As with all of Dumas’ books, the highlight is the dialogue, which is simply extraordinary—full of subtlety and lyricism. Additionally, the action is exceptionally well-written, fast-paced, and engaging.
If you’ve read the entire series, you’ll frequently feel a sense of nostalgia in this book’s pages. It’s incredible how much the characters have changed over the course of these books, especially Athos—it’s hard to believe that in "The Three Musketeers", he was an alcoholic—and D’Artagnan.
The past is certainly highly romanticized here. In reality, life—and especially politics—in 17th-century France was probably closer to Game of Thrones than what’s depicted in these books. But that doesn’t mean the story lacks dark moments, and it’s so epic that I can’t help but give it five stars (a sentiment that applies to the entire series).
I will miss these characters, the court intrigues of King Louis XIV, the musketeers’ adventures, and Alexandre Dumas’ brilliant dialogue.

Boy, do I love Alexandre Dumas. In the complicated conclusion to the D'Artagnan Romances, Dumas doesn't let up.

The intrigues found in the last installment continue to a horrifying crescendo as Louise de La Vallière snaps the poor viscomte's heart in two and ol' Aramis finally goes a step too far within the gay court of Louis XIV.

For those who haven't read Dumas, this is a strangely polite and delightfully scandalous world of dangerous action and romance. And not the Fabio laden, dime store romance of your mother's underwear drawer. This is the classical romance of days past with fewer googly eyes and more gut shots.

Beyond that the entirety of this series is about friendship. The four musketeers genuinely love each other and most of the action in the plot is a direct consequence of the love these men share and the lengths they will go to honor one another.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.