The Three Musketeers

Dumas, Alexander. The Three Musketeers. New York : Dodd, Mead, 1941.


Plot: Young D'Artagnan's initial attempts to begin a career a musketeer start...poorly. An unknown assailant steals his letter of recommendation and the youngster inadvertently challenges three established musketeers to a duel. However, the courage and manners offered by the young man impress the three, who are, in fact, close friends. They become more impressed when he joins them against the meddling officers of the Cardinal. While D'Artagnan establishes himself as a forth member of the former trio, his actions gain the attention of several important people, setting off a chain of events leading to the Queen of France herself.

Genre: Three Musketeers, Historical Fiction, Action

Reading Level: I read this for the first time when I was in Middle School. However, when I read it more recently, the scenarios and historical references made much more sense. So, while younger readers can read the book, more experienced users will gain more from the story.

Similar Titles: The Man in the Iron Mask, The Scarlett Pimpernel, Zorro

Personal Thoughts: As previously mentioned, I gained more from the novel as an adult. However, I still liked it as a pre-teen, even if some of the allusions, situations, and history were beyond my complete comprehension at the time.

Recently, I discovered the novel is actually the first of a trilogy written by Dumas. While none of the other two really gained fame in the modern age, the sequel to the series, The Man in the Iron Mask, spawned nearly as many renditions as its predecessor.