March has been a rough month for me. I had a stomach virus for several days early in the month. There was a snow storm and, although we only got about 4 inches and I cleaned off/dug out my car after it stopped, I wound up plowed in which iced over during the night. I had to wait a couple of days until my Son-in-law could come over to help me out. Now, because of the damp weather we've been having, my car hasn't started for the last 3 days. Since I've been home-bound, I passed the time with some old friends.
Off the shelf
Before I go into these I have a confession to make. I skimmed through these for a couple of reasons - they're unabridged editions and Dumas was getting paid for every chapter he could produce for the papers so there's a lot of padding. And, of course, I've read them several times before so I know what and where to skip.
The Three Musketeers - Alexander Dumas ($5.95/$5.95, Published 1994, 628 pages, Trade Paperback)
I'm guessing that you all know this story. D'Artagnan, a young Gascon, sets out for Paris to join the Musketeers. He runs into some trouble, actually winds up having to duel with our titular heroes - Athos, Porthos, and Aremis - and then joins forces with them to fight against the King's Guards. What follows is a little romance, some comedy, a trip to England to help out the Queen, and a lot of action. Still one of my favorites and I enjoyed it.
Twenty Years After - Alexander Dumas($12.95/$12.95, Published 1993, 788 pages, Trade Paperback)
At one point, Dumas found himself in some financial trouble so he went back to his most interesting characters, the Musketeers. He actually set it 20 years after what happened in that first adventure. Now, Athos is retired, D'Artagnan is a Captain, and Aramis is using Porthos in a plot to save King Charles of England from being decapitated. Of course, they all come together for another adventure. The characters are still clearly defined, the history - as far as I know - is accurate, and there's a great mix of drama and humor. I enjoyed it.
The Man In The Iron Mask -Alexander Dumas ($10.95/$10.95, Published 1991, 588 pages, Trade Paperback)
Eventually, Dumas wrote an ending to his Musketeers' saga known as "The Viscount De Bragelonne".He stretched this one out pretty well and it was eventually published here as three volumes - "The Viscount De Bragelonne" (which was interesting and dealt with Athos' son), "Louise De La Valliere" (which was boring), and "The Man in the Iron Mask" (which wraps up our story). Here - 10 years after the King Charles situation - Aramis is now in charge of the Jesuits and finds out that the current king of France, Louis IV, has a twin brother, Phillippe. That brother has been imprisoned for years because Louis was afraid of the kingdom being taken from him. As an extra precaution, Phillippe was forced to wear the iron mask. The friends come together again for different reasons and Dumas treats his characters well. He gives us some great dramatic scenes including some unexpected deaths. I enjoyed it.
Side Note:
my older brother, for Christmas one year, gave me a copy of "The Son of Porthos" supposedly by Alexandre Dumas. It's a Collins Pocket Classics volume with a sticker price of $5. I can't find a copyright or printing date but it's 345 pages and a very small Hardcover. I have tried reading this a few times but it doesn't ring true. I understand that Dumas had a stable of writers who filled in his ideas - kinda like, in my opinion, James Patterson and Stan Lee - and they tried to carry on after Dumas died. I don't think it worked out.
So, I know it's already Spring but I'm hoping that April feels more like it. I have some ideas for next month. Until then ...
Keep reading.
