And the Real Count of Monte Cristo

I have not quite finished reading it, but so far, I am thoroughly enjoying it. It may help that I am a die-hard history buff, and the details of the time, especially as it relates to mixed-race families are compelling and fascinating.

I had no idea about revolutionary France being so ahead of their time in ideas of race and slavery. Great to learn about. Also fascinating look at the seeds of Dumas' (the author) great stories.

Sad end to his life though.

It's a great story which gives a different angle to the French revolution. By choosing an amazing character with a fantastic personal story Tom Reiss brings new insights to a revolution which still has impact on the way we organize democratic societies. The focus on aboloutionism and it's consequences in a broad perspecitve as well as for the Count Dumas and his Family is brilliant.

Fascinating! It merged many of the readings of France, the Revolution, Napoleon, the life style and morals of the tiime I have read over the last several years. Tied many of the unkown pieces together.

I liked this book even though I was a little disappointed. I think that disappointment comes from expecting there to have been more parallels between the elder Dumas and the younger's Count of Monte Cristo character. There is no question that General Dumas is an interesting and compelling historical figure, I was just expecting more comparisons to be drawn to the fictional character.

The other small quibble I have with the book is how much time Reiss spends on the historical context as compared to the time spent on Dumas's story. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed learning about 18th century France, there were just times when I felt that Dumas was a minor point it the bigger story.

Enough with the quibbles. Dumas's story makes for an interesting narrative in the context of the French Revolution. We see him rise to the rank of general in a society ahead of its time with regards to race relations, only to fall due to that same society taking steps back on race. Dumas seems to be involved in all the major events of the time including the start of the Revolution, The Terror, and the rise of Napoleon (with whom Dumas had an up and down relationship).

Overall, I enjoyed the story and Reiss's writing. I will definitely read more from this author.

A fascinating history of colonial o the slave trade. A further unmasking of Napoleon and the hero he WASN'T!
A painful indictment of an injustice that should some day put right. And, finally, an enthralling and exciting story of an historical figure that I and most people knew nothing about.

Interesting insight into Alexandre Dumas family history, as well as the times around the french revolution in general. May or may not be a person or a topic you would think would be interesting, but once you get started you can't put it down. Who knew that the works of Alexandre Dumas were, essentially, a family history!

This is a great book for anyone who loves history. As a fan of the writer, Alexandre Dumas, learning about his revolutionary father the General Dumas was a treat and a joy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in French history, history, military history, or biographies!

This biography is well told and provides interesting context to the novels of Dumas the son, as well as the French Revolution and ascendance of Napoleon Bonaparte. I also enjoyed the modern references to the research that unearthed the story.

It was heartening and depressing at the same time to read about the General Alexander Dumas. He was a great general who gave his all for France but in the end France could not give its all for him and his family.
Near the end of the book there was a lot written about Napoleon and not enough about Dumas and I wonder if the author was trying to communicate the context of the changes that were happening?
There was not enough about his wife and his children in this book, it almost felt like they participated as filler only in the book. We hear about the son but not enough about the wife and the daughter who survived.

Fascinating incite into Count Dumas and events and people surrounding him during his lifetime. A part of history of which I was unfamiliar. From this I am now reading the novel the Count of Monte Cristo after reading how Alexandre Dumas wrote characters and events with his father in mind..

The story of the elder Dumas is fascinating to a reader of the son's works. Reiss does an excellent job of portraying this visionary leader who has long since been forgotten. A must read, if only for the engrossing experience of learning more about a time long since lost.

The Black Count was a quick read. It was over before I wanted it to be. The author did some of the most exhaustive research any writer has ever done. His efforts were rewarded with The Pulitzer. I for one think he deserved it.

the book, while written well was not an easy read as I find it better for me to get to know the characters while the book unravels. Not so easy with this one. Lots of investigation by the author, good information on the times, but maybe I am not as sophisticated as the one who would really love the book.

This was an excellent book from beginning to end. It provided context and relevance to that period of European history which heretofore had really been a little dense to me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in teaching youth what they are capable of achieving despite their current circumstance. And unfortunately or not, what challenges will most likely await them. Buy the book, ITS WORTH IT and more.

Extremely impressive man - who in the end remains rather two dimensional - and the setting - sugar and slavery and France and Napoleon was of interest but the somewhat gee whiz - ingenuous writing style was a let down

I found the subject fascinating and the writing engaging. A really great book.
It is the kind of story that sends you to wikipedia to look up even more informaiton about France, Slavery, counts, napoleon...I couldn't stop. The book inspired my thinking for months. Great story.
I'm sure someone has optioned it and will be a movie. If not someone should do it.
quick call Spike Lee.

This book was entertaining as well as informative. I discovered many new things about the French Revolution and the events leading up to it. It also gave the reader a good picture what was going on in the World during the time and provided insight about Napoleon's rise to power. It was wonderful to see how Dumas used his Father's stories in the writing of his great novels.

Well researched, highly readable. You think you don't know this man, forgotten by his country, but you do. He is Monte Christo and all the heros of his son's novels. You thought he didn't exist, but Tom Reiss shows you, you're wrong.

A very readable insight into the French Revolution. Some history of Hatti and slavery most of us aren't aware of, plus Napoleon
and the genocide left in his wake. A book for both young and mature men of adventure.

This book is an excellent read and a well researched story about something I knew nothing about. Geting access to the real person behind the fictional Count of Monte Cristo was both educational and enlightening.

This book tells a fascinating, yet little know story. A times it dragged a little - but overall I really enjoyed the book - I hope this gets made into a movie, so more people now the story of this tremendous man.

I am both French and a fan of Dumas ( author) and reading this book provided me not only with insights on an untaught part of the revolution, but also the fantastic and terrible journey of a great man

Refreshing analysis of an (understandingly) over analyzed and romantizied period through the eyes of Dumas and his father. Wonderful historicism with a touch of first person commentary. Well done, Mr. Reiss.

I found this book very hard to read...the writing was superb. However the content was thought provoking and very racist. The book spelled out every detail about the racist practices of the french and other whites at that time. The book is a reference for history persons. I will refer to the book for its historical and racial content. I found it very hard to accept the attitudes of that time period because it is reminicent of the present day attitude towards africanss.

I am a Montecristo and, obviously, Dumas fan so this book caught my attention. It is more a document than a novel but, all the same fun and interesting. I found not so easy to read because it has a lot of bibliographical note, though interesting, makes reading a bit more complicated.
It gives a thorough review of the french revolution and reminds the reader how difficult times the country lived during that time. I would recommend it.

I really appreciated learning about the racial temperature in France during this time. I live in Paris now and this kind of history fascinates me. But it bogged down and I couldn't finish it. Maybe it's just me. I do think it's worth a try and for lots of people, it will be a life changer.

i wish i had known it was a pulitzer winner. i never would have read it. :-)
i had never heard of the black count before. amazing. to have someone as inspiring and dashing as him as an actual person. the author spends alot of time putting the story in context, which in this case means what the revolution meant, the conditions in san domeneque and the attitudes of the various people at the time.
great historical book.

This is an interesting piece of history parallel to our early national development. Put in context of Lafayette's imprisonment and later acceptance as a hero in the United States ,it takes on a particular poignancy.

The Black Count
Sorry, I read only 50% of this biography. The life of Thomas-Alexander (Dumas), his immediate family, extended family and the countries he lived in and their attitudes toward slavery and mulattoes was interesting and informative, but I just got tired of reading. I thought it would have more drama in it, but it was all narrative and it read like an AP/Honors History or Literature book complete with very lengthy footnotes. He had an exceptional life up to where I stopped reading, being born of a black slave mother and Norman (white) father and becoming a black aristocrat in Paris. Perhaps if I had completed the book I would have given it a 4, but based on what I read I have to give it a 3.

The life story of Alex Dumas is quite interesting, and the beginning of the book moves the narrative along fairly well, but it bogs down once Dumas becomes a general--too many details about battles and military campaigns, at least for me. The author is excruciatingly faithful to history, as he reminds the reader often during the course of the book; however, his side notes detailing his research tend to take away from the story-telling, and the account becomes more of a history lesson than a good read. I would have enjoyed the book more if it was written in the style of a novel (even if the author had to add details from his own imagination).

I found this book a little hard to follow. Perhaps if I could understand a little French, or had read more European books. But I found the story a must read. This history alone is a great read. A different point of view. A new look at some of our history and founding fathers.

I'm usually very good at finishing books, but after "The Black Count" stared at me from my bedside table for weeks on end, I finally accepted defeat. This is an interesting book for the first 150 pages or so. Reiss does a marvelous job of explaining the place of black people in French society at the time of the revolution; it's fascinating, engrossing stuff. But then the book gets mired down in the many military campaigns that Alexandre Dumas' father fought and commanded in and I completely lost interest. The book is meticulously researched, sometimes within an inch of its life. If you want to know what the Black Count had for breakfast on any given day, I'm sure Reiss could provide you with that information. But as interesting a life as Dumas led, the story just isn't interesting enough to stretch out into a book this length. Bottom line: I wanted more of an adventure story and less of a military history, however well written.

Very little about the count (probably trying to stretch available documents into somewhat of a story) and an overwhelming amount of history about Haiti and other tropical islands. History buffs will love this book. Those looking for a good story about the Black Count will be sorely disappointed.

I get very cranky about writers and publishers who skimp on maps necessary to follow the action of a character or book. This book has plenty of maps.Thank you.
But more to the point, this book tells the fascinating and forgotten story of Alexander Dumas, grandpere, who most of us had never heard of. I am so grateful that Mr. Reiss took the trouble to chase down this story. Who would have thought the half-black son of a dissolute French aristocrat whose father virtually pawned him for boat fare from what is now Haiti in the late eighteenth century would rise to become one of Napoleon's greatest generals? And who knew that there was for a brief moment a period of colour blindness in the early days of the French Republic? While a few others may carp at all the "racism" in the book, I'm delighted to read about it. It was interesting to learn that blacks from the French sugar producing islands in the Caribbean could become free by virtue of coming to France which abolished all slavery as part of the French Revolution. It was odd to have these people referred to as "Americans" but there was a certain logic to that, if convoluted at best. In any case, it was a well written book about a piece of history I didn't know. And who knew that the author of The Count of Monte Cristo was fictionalising his father's experiences? Now we know about all three Alexander Dumas - grandpere, pere and fils.

Starts out with too much French history for my liking. I have enough problems with keeping up with USA history. I will admit I have not finished book yet, but the guys in my book club assure me that it gets into the subject later on in the book. I will finish it when I have time. The subject of this family and its trials, and tribulations if excellent and very interesting.

Interesting story but written too much in a 21st century "knowing" manner for my tastes.

The reason I love Dumas the novelist is that you become transported to the time. With this I was constantly reminded that the writer is writing from the perspective of the current day. A good biography should do the same.

I was disappointed. I was expecting a well written book with a great story about the real Count of Monte Christo. Instead most of the book rambles along about the history of the times. It got to a point where I was skim reading.

If you want a history book buy it. For me, Tom Reiss is not Leon Uris. Don't expect a well weaved story mixed with history. I got bored.

I enjoyed "The Black Count" by Tom Reiss very much;although I did find myself getting bogged down by the battle scenes. Still, I found it interesting reading, and have enjoyed sharing it with my friends.

An interesting account of the Dumas family. While I never knew, until reading this book, that Alexander Dumas was a mullato I can't say that fact alone makes this book worth reading. However, the French history regarding its relations with colored races was enlightening.

I gave this book 4 stars because it did not try to insult the intelligence of the reader by making the usual excuses for Bonaparte. You know, the ones that claim that he was not really a racist and besides, racism was the norm etc. I would have given it 5 stars if it had more clearly explained how the French Republic had no choice but to emancipate the slaves in St-Domingue since the slaves had in fact emancipated themselves in August 1791 when they rose up, burned the cane fields and resisted all attempts to put them back in chains even when some of their own leaders wanted to do so. The author points out at the end of the book that the 1794 emancipation remained dead letter in most French territories where the slaves had not broken their chains. The struggle for the full emancipation of Mankind is still a work in progress, hence the title of this review.

From an historical point of view, this was very interesting. However, I did not think it well written. The author kept going off on a tangent, then coming back to the point several pages later. Also, it did not flow. There were times when he flitted from century to century, making it difficult to follow.

I recently told my son I was reading a biography of Alexandre Dumas, not the novelist, but his father. He raised an eyebrow and said, "You must have more time than I do." He assumed this would be similar to the biography of Hemingway's father, or Steinbeck's father, men we know of only because they had famous sons. But that is just not the case. If young Alexandre had died in infancy, the story of his dashing and remarkable father would still be one worth reading. What an astonishing life.

While I would consider myself to know more history than the average joe, my knowledge and understanding of France's past was clearly more slight than I realized. That gap has been diminished immeasurably by this wonderful book. For it deftly and skillfully places the events of the times in the context of the life I was reading about, merging the biography of a gallant, fiery and elegant man and an overview of one of the most tumultuous periods in history. And does so in a manner that manages to keep the reader focused on what was happening at the time, rather than dragging in those irritating, "If only he had known what was about to happen" or "His dreams would soon be shattered" brickbats. And the sordid and sad tale of the temporary revolutionary racial equality and its demise was wonderfully told. That itself would make a great book.

My only complaint, and it is just a minor irritation but one that prevents the fifth star, is the incessant authorial interjections. I guess when you see the author's name is Tom, not Thomas, you can expect a more casual book, and while the author is clearly a scholar and superlative researcher, there were, for my taste, too many "When I read this..." and "While discussing that.." moments. I know you read these documents. Bringing yourself in was just, to me, clumsy and unnecessary.

But an exciting, nay, amazing tale of a man who was born nowhere with nothing, rising to the top by his own efforts, and then through bad luck and bad people being brought low. When they film this, as they surely must, I hope they remain true to the facts, for this is a glorious and informative tale of honor, dedication, strength, passion and patriotism. A wonderful telling of a spectacular tale.

This is a history book with thousands and thousands of facts. There is no character development - just dry facts. Not one person in my book club liked the book. I think I am the only one who actually finished reading it and I only did it because I chose it. Very slow and painful to read.......aaaaargh! Do NOT recommend this for a book club.

The author really missed the mark of creating an interesting story. This book was written to satisfy the current wave of interest in slavery. Historically the life of the "Black Count" in this book is covered as a slim side line. If one is interested in battle history, go ahead and buy the book. Don't get too bored by all of the footnotes which also interrupt a smooth reading. Can't understand why he received the Pulitzer for this....Sorry!

I was thrilled to learn that “The Count of Monte Cristo” had a basis in truth, and that the model for the maligned and mistreated hero of Alexandre Dumas’ classic was the author’s own father (also named Alex Dumas). And I was intrigued by the fact that Dumas pere was the son of a slave who went on to become a battle-tested general in the wars that followed the French Revolution.

This true story, known in outline but never fully celebrated, is authoritatively and rivetingly recounted by New Yorker writer Tom Reiss. Reiss discovered long-hidden documentation to fill in the gaps of our knowledge of this d’Artagnanesque warrior. He illuminates the bloody history of the Revolution, showing that the new regime recognized its black citizens’ equal rights long before any other nation.

The son of a minor French noble and a slave, Dumas arrived in France from the Caribbean to become a foot soldier in France’s post-revolutionary wars. His battlefield prowess and personal charm led to a series of lightning promotions. Under General Dumas’ command, Napoleon’s army took Italy and his exploits set him up for an important role in the new government in Paris. But on his voyage home, he was betrayed, waylaid and cruelly imprisoned, while Napoleon found ways not to ransom him. Dumas didn’t live to re-enter the fray or obtain revenge for the wrongs he suffered. It was left to his son to re-write the script.

The Black Count is the French history lesson I’ve been searching for. It’s so much more than a biography on Alexandre Dumas the First (yes, the author’s father was ALSO named Alexandre–though not originally Dumas!).

General Dumas led a pretty unlikely life–a black guy in slave-time, becomes a super badass general, is a COUNT, becomes best friends with Napoleon (though that doesn’t turn out to be such a great thing). His biography is interesting enough for all of those reasons alone. However, Reiss builds upon Dumas’ adventures to form a vivid history of the French Revolution, all the way through Napoleon’s rise and eventual imperial rule. It’s not just that, though, because I’m sure that could be found in other books. We get a unique perspective in The Black Count–through General Dumas and other “Americans” in France and the French colonies in the eighteenth century, we get to see how the Revolution brought about emancipation while Britain and America were still neck deep in the slave trade.

As a lover of history, I was enthralled by General Dumas’ story. The Black Count captured me as many nonfiction history books can’t. There was no droning textbook feel to this at all–it read more like an adventure story, than a telling of a man’s real life. Even the footnotes were fascinating. I now want to go back and reread The Three Musketeers–and I really need to get to The Count of Monte Cristo, which was based on General Dumas. If you’re a fan of Alexandre Dumas, the author; or if you just like history–this is a must read for sure.

I adore The Three Musketeers. Enough to have read Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (though I admit to stalling out somewhere in the middle of Louise de la Valliere). Enough to have watched almost every film version, even that Disney debacle with Chris O'Donnell (though I admit to rooting for Richelieu in that, because one always roots for Tim Curry). Enough to have named the three miniature rose bushes that shared my first apartment with me Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Enough so that, despite some problematic misogyny and the fact that he was obviously paid by the word, my adoration spread to Alexandre Dumas himself, who I've always found a fascinating figure.

Turns out I was paying attention to the wrong Dumas.

As it turns out, Alexandre Dumas the writer heavily mined the real-life adventures of his father (also Alex Dumas, hereafter referred to as Badass!Dumas to distinguish him from Alexandres Dumas Pere and Fils, his son and grandson) for material. And, oh, what material it was. Badass!Dumas was born in present-day Haiti to a slave and a reprobate French count, who later sold him to raise enough money to sail back to France and claim an inheritance. And that's only the beginning of the story, before he joins his father in France, becomes a General in the Revolution, and starts sending snarky letters to Napoleon.

Tom Reiss's excellent and excellently researched biography truly has everything: fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. In fact, the only minor complaint I can come up with is that it went a bit heavy on the military history for me in giving a blow-by-blow of some of Badass!Dumas's battles, but as I have a very low tolerance for that kind of thing that probably has more to do with the reader than the book.

So after decades of adoration, I've summarily transferred my affections from son to father (sure, you wrote The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Pere, but did you live it? I didn't think so!). I've already started giving copies of Reiss's book as gifts, and expect to be talking about my new crush (did I mention he sent FU letters to Napoleon?) for a good many years to come.

This book tells the incredible real-life story of General Alexander Dumas – father of the novelist of the same name. Born a slave in modern-day Haiti, Dumas joined the French army and rose to become a general, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops. He was the highest-ranking man of color ever to serve with a European army and his bravery in battle was legendary.

Beyond the biography of this one man, the book is a much broader introduction to French history during the tumultuous time surrounding the French revolution. I knew almost nothing about this period, so I learned quite a bit. I had not understood that the Napoleonic Wars of 1803 – 1815 were preceded by the so-called French-Revolutionary Wars, which began with the French revolution, but expanded to include invasions of neighboring European countries and – bizarrely – of Egypt. The bulk of the book focuses on this remarkable period of time, and the role that Alexander Dumas played in it.

One thing this book did was to pique my interest in Napoleon. I had understood that Napoleon was a brilliant general – albeit an arrogant one. But the Napoleon described within this book was not what I had expected. This most-famous of military commanders invaded Egypt on a whim, sacrificed tens of thousands of men during forced marches across deserts in intense summer heat, and lost naval battles to the English through his carelessness. Moreover, he was a man who rewarded loyalty, but was too racist – or too foolish – to recognize the brilliance of General Dumas. In modern times, he would have been court marshaled many times over.

At any rate, this book is definitely worth a read, as it is an excellent combination of biography, and fascinating history.

Back when I was 12 years old I became mesmerized by 'Three Musketeers' and 'Twenty Years After' so that Alexandre Dumas became my very favorite writer. While searching out his other work I managed to confuse him with his playwright son, but being limited as a plot and content kid, I had no interest in his family background and so was unaware that his father was a significant mulatto French army general. Now I have author Reiss to thank for filling a gaping hole in my education. He does it with informative and entertaining style. Thomas-Alexandre Dumas rose from private to brigadier-general in the French revolutionary army, then supported Napoleon in his Italian and Egyptian campaigns. Dumas commanded the French cavalry in Egypt despite the presence of Murat. There is little detail on why he fell out with Napoleon, although it's clear that disloyalty was suspected.

Dumas' family background, an interesting and strange admixture of slavery and wealth, is well drawn. The book is a great history of the time as well as a very fine character study. Dumas deplored military excesses as well as innocent people being killed by a corrupt justice system. He became known as “Mr Humanitarian.” Luckily for him, Robespierre was executed while Dumas was waiting to answer a summons to appear before the Committee of National Safety. He despised Napoleon for a callous attitude toward human life; disposable in support of military and political aims. Besides a history of the French Revolution and aftermath, the book provides interesting philosophical discussion of politics, slavery, and race relations in France with comparisons to the USA. There is informative history of places in the general's venues, such as Malta and Naples.

It's intriguing to learn which of writer Dumas' protagonists were inspired by his father, who became embedded in memory, even though he died when the future novelist was four years old in 1806. In a poignant note, the younger Dumas remembered playing with Murat's sword. The general's widow was denied a pension out of Napoleon's antipathy, reasons for which are not quite clear. A statue was approved in 1913, but never installed. There is no telling how much our knowledge of the general's exploits has been embellished by his great novelist son. But that doesn't detract from the charm of this book, a well researched and elegantly written narrative biography of an admirable personality who deserves to be remembered.

I would be delighted to read whatever Reiss attempts next. Did Guy de Maupassant have an interesting daddy … ?

A revealing look into France, the first nation to abolish slavery and spread Liberty...these were the people that presented the Statue of Liberty to the U.S.
From colonial sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean to Napoleon's commandeering the French revolution this intriguing book unveils the personalities that built and also destroyed nations and empires.
I loved this well-researched book with polished editing that is a historical treasure.
Excerpt regarding less destructive wars:
After the horrors of the wars of religion, during which nearly a third of central Europe’s population was wiped out, various innovations were introduced to make armies less randomly destructive. Discipline was introduced in the form of drills, regimentation, uniforms. Most important, armies began clothing and feeding soldiers, so they’d have no need to pillage, and paying them in lieu of booty. As a result, European armies became less destructive. Ironically, less destructive wars could be fought more often—could in fact be fought more or less constantly, with short breaks for minor changes in coalitions. Europe thus remained in a near-constant state of low-level conflict between 1700 and 1790; during that time, the various powers fought more than fifteen different wars, with France almost always involved on one side or the other.

The name Alexandre Dumas is well known, but before the author and his playwright son was the General. Tom Reiss brings the little known founder of the Dumas family into the spotlight in The Black Count, a born slave of noble blood turned Republican general in the service of France. This giant of a man both of stature in the view of his novelist son cast a long shadow since his death.

Born in modern Haiti as a slave to a French nobleman father, Alexandre life suddenly changed when he joined on his father’s return journey to France to take is family title. However after years of dealing with his father behavior, Alexandre joined the French army and with the coming of the French Revolution into Republican government. His daring feats in the field and dedication to the ideals of republicanism sent him quickly up the chain of command to General. Continuing his lead in front style, Alexandre was sent to lead men on every front that France needed him. But it was his feats during the Italian campaign that truly brought him his greatest fame and yet began his long cold relationship with another General, Napoleon. After more spectacular feats in Egypt and yet more conflict with Napoleon, Alexandre decided to return to France but was then captured in southern Italy only to emerge two year later into a new France in which his desire to service his country was rejected by its new leader. Five years after his release, Alexandre died leaving his young son bereaved. Yet, the legendary events of his life would inspire young Alexandre with a lot of material for his epic heroes including one Edmund Dantes.

The Black Count is a thrilling ride following a mixed raced former slave fighting for the republican ideals of his new homeland even as radical political events shift all around him, yet Alexandre Dumas quickly became a hero to the French until his capture and release into an entirely different France that didn’t appreciate him. Tom Reiss brought to life of a little known French Republican general that had a long lasting impact on history outside of the military and political sphere to the enjoyment of readers around the world.

Anyone who wonders where Alexandre Dumas (pere) got the inspiration for such classic tales as "The Three Musketeers" and (most particularly) "The Count of Monte Cristo" need look no further than this book. The concepts were drawn from the real-life exploits of Dumas' father, Thomas-Alexandre Antoine Davy, Marquis de la Pailleterie: the man who called himself simply Alex Dumas.

The son of a slave and a fugitive nobleman, Dumas started out life on the island of Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti) before working his way across to France to seek out his father and his fortune. He entered France during a fortuitous time for people of color, for the French Republic had done away with slavery and people of color had the same rights as all other citizens. Dumas made a name for himself in the military and eventually became General of the Armies ... before being removed from command by his one-time subordinate, one Napoleon Bonaparte, who eventually undid a great deal of the equality-related work of the Republicans.

This is not a pretty time in France, of course, with the Reign of Terror and its aftermath happening. Yet, Alex Dumas does well for himself during a time when the deck should have been stacked against him as a nobleman, despite his Republican sensibilities.

The book details Dumas' time in the French Revolution, Franco-Italian and Mameluke wars; it is during his return from the latter that he is captured and imprisoned for two years without anyone knowing where he has gone (the inspiration for "The Count of Monte Cristo"). His soldierly exploits, skills as a fencer and horseman, and his overall persona are documented with contemporary letters, among other sources.

This book is impeccably researched (the notes and biography comprise more than 100 pages), and about as far from a dry military history tome as one might imagine. Highly recommended for those interested in France, military history, Napoleon's conquests and, yes, the novels of Alexandre Dumas (pere).

Wow. Just...wow. I stumbled across this book, and I'm glad I did, because it's one of the best books I've read in a long time. (I read a LOT, so that's not an empty sentiment.)

Obviously, as his biography, this is the story of Alex Dumas's life. But I also found it to be a fascinating look at French history of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and a study in contrasts.

Dumas was a remarkable man. He was a man of integrity and honor. He also was apparently quite a head-turner and almost superhuman in battle! Napoleon, on the other hand, who is introduced about 2/3 of the way through the book, was a small man in every possible sense of the term. The contrast between how the two men handled themselves in war and in politics, and the interaction between them, was informative.

Dumas's father was white aristocracy (although rather rogue); his mother was a black Sante-Dominguan. Much of his story shows the great strides France made in the 1780s and 90s toward equality. Dumas was accepted among the French aristocracy without regard for his skin color, for a period of years, and then rose up through the military ranks as the French Revolution took much of Europe by storm, carrying in its wake the idea of liberty (however imperfect). He distinguished himself greatly.

But then Napoleon was given influence and permitted to act unchecked. From the start, he treated people as pawns, and during a two-year period when Dumas happened to be a prisoner of war outside the country, Napoleon completely destroyed all that France had accomplished, and reinstated heavily racist practices. It's grievous to see how easily he threw away all that they'd accomplished, and how this honorable man was denigrated in the end by a low-life power-hungry scoundrel.

(Race is a significant thread throughout the book, and I think that's a good thing. The author doesn't display racism at all, only a largely-objective, but blunt look at how race relations changed throughout France and its territories throughout Dumas's lifetime.)

The author also does an excellent job of drawing in small threads on occasion of happenings elsewhere in the world, making it easier to put the timeline into context, and of showing how the events of Dumas's life influenced his son's stories. (All of them, not just The Count of Monte Cristo.)

I have enormous respect for writers of narrative nonfiction. Not only do they do exhaustive research, but they present it in a manner that reads like fiction. I’ve long been a fan of Erik Larson’s work and can now add Tom Reiss to the list. He shot to fame with The Orientalist, and The Black Count is that rarity, a sensational sophomore effort. His subject is Thomas-Alexandre Dumas (1762-1806), born in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) to a black slave mother and white father. Dumas became one of the most illustrious and daring generals of his day, great enough to attract the envy of Napoleon himself. His story is that of the French Revolution, the new Republic, black and mixed-race rights in the eighteenth century (not what you might think), and the rise of Napoleon. Reiss’s vivid recreation of the ill-fated Egyptian campaign made my skin crawl, and reading about the Battle of the Nile was like watching an action movie. Writers of this genre don’t typically add their voice, but I enjoyed Reiss’s personal remarks about his search for the great general’s past. Dumas has been called the “real” Count of Monte Cristo as written about by his illustrious son, Alexandre Dumas, but his real-life story is far richer and engaging. It’s also high time it was told.

4.5 Stars audiobook edition. The Black Count Is a truly remarkable story of a remarkable man. I knew nothing of Alexandre Dumas, but my curiousity was peaked, as a fan of the films based on his books. The book is everything that the subtitle suggests, and is quite an intriguing biography, of the first and only "colored" general of a European army. Who knew?

The narration is excellent quality in the audio book edition. It did seem to take some time and patience to get to the more interesting part, and I did get lost a few times, but whatever flaws it may have, Reiss more than makes up for in giving us a look into this extraordinary life of courage, leadership and swordsmanship.

Paul Michael does an absolutely outstanding job in the narration, keeping the reader/listener glued to the book.

Having a slightly better than average handle on the comings and goings of people through history, I knew that General Alex Dumas was father and grandfather to two published, well-known authors, the son being among the greatest novelists of the nineteenth century. I also know a bit about his career. So when I saw this biography, I jumped at the opportunity to read and review it. I was not disappointed, to say the least.
Alex Dumas was born to a fugitive French nobleman who was white and a black slave woman in Saint-Dominque, which is present-day Haiti, in 1762. Sold by his father into slavery, Dumas managed to get to Paris by 1776, where he lived the life of a marquis' son. In 1786, he enlisted in the French Army, where his rise in rank was meteoric due to the start of the French Revolution in 1789. An excellent swordsman, equestrian and reputedly the strongest man in the French army, he was, by age 32, given an army of 53,000 troops as a reward for recent triumphs - he then proceeded to lead a raid into the Alps and secured a key position for Napoleon. It was after this accomplishment that he was captured and thrown into a dungeon.
Tom Reiss has done an excellent job in telling the story of this forgotten hero of the French Revolution. He connects the father to the son by relating the real experiences of the former with the plots and characterizations of the latter, making for a compelling story within a story, as the son seeks to recreate the heroic actions of the father.
This is a real-life swashbuckler.

This is a biography of Alexandre Dumas pere, the father of the author and inspiration for the Count of Monte Cristo and many of the episodes in the Three Musketeers. The subject is a charismatic supporting actor in a number of military actions as well as the French revolution, and the background of his race and rise from slavery makes for interesting reading. However the author has to take some pains to repeatedly assure us just how exciting and charismatic he is because he himself did not leave behind much in the way of interesting quotes and while courageous and resourceful, his military actions are not more noteworthy than many such acts in a war as long and extensive as that fought during and after the French Revolution. Rather like the inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond, the guy himself wasn't really interesting enough to be a subject of a full biography, and his historical impact was minimal. Nevertheless, he did lead quite a life and Mr. Reiss tells a pretty good story enhanced by many observations of the politics of race and slavery in the French Revolution and after.

As a big Dumas fan, I can't believe that I never (before reading this book) heard of the story of his father, the man who inspired all of the most powerful moments in his novels. Alex Dumas' life is full of amazing, and surprisingly relevant, moments. He struggled not only with race, but with ethics in the corrupt environment that sprung up in post-Revolutionary France, and through it all, he kicked butt, loved his wife, and never compromised his ideals.

Reiss is an incredible writer who weaves together a story that caught me from the beginning, and held my imagination until I finished it. He weaves his own experiences researching Dumas' life in with the biography, and through the personal connection that he forged with the Black Count, I felt personally connected, as well. He deserves all of the praise that he gets as a biographer.

It's a crime that Alex Dumas, one of the greatest heroes of revolutionary France, has been largely forgotten by history. I'd recommend this book to Dumas fans, history buffs, and pretty much anyone else. If you're interested enough in the book to have read this review, I promise you're going to like it.

"The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Crisco," by Tom Reiss, is a wonderful historical lesson. I love reading history but admit many interesting topics become dull reads. Not so with this book. Reiss keeps the story going and makes this a very readable biography of General Alexandre Dumas.
Dumas was the father of the novelist Alexandre Dumas, who wrote "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three Musketeers." In fact, many of the Count's adventures and predicaments in "The Count of Monte Cristo" were developed from the real count's life.
This book begins in France and then travels to Saint Domingue where the future General is a slave. It shows how he is brought back to France by his father and is "freed" once he sets foot on French soil. It continues through his schooling and his military career. This is nothing short of splendid story telling of a true story. General Dumas overcomes obstacles yet is also given some interesting advantages due to his mixed blood. But life isn't always rosy and he spends some tough years imprisoned before again returning to his home and family in France.
This well-researched history lesson is absolutely fascinating. If you like history, this is a must read. If you're not so sure, give it a try anyway. You'll find it surprisingly easy to read.

Alexander Dumas is the renown author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. He took many of his tales from the true exploits of his father, General Alex Dumas. Reiss carries us from France to what is now modern Haiti and back to France as we get an in-depth look at the history of the region in the 18th century and how it affected Dumas, senior. Born of a French nobleman and a black slave, Dumas rises to heroic status in France during the Revolution. A man of great prowess, physically and intellectually, he leads troops to miraculous victories. And more than that, he's a hero with a true nobleman's education, manners, and high morals. Dumas, the son, had every reason to worship his father. How could history forget this great man? Perhaps it was Napoleon's betrayal of the Revolution's ideals and of Dumas who fought so hard to free the world from inequality.

General Dumas's story begs to be made into a major motion picture, which would include not only swashbuckling adventure, but moral issues and romance. Discover a larger than life hero in the Black Count.

I finally took the bait and bought the book after reading a few articles. The premise of the story is great - but it's really just a semi-dry historical account. The author does his best to piece together the story after doing his research. It starts promising enough with trying to get access to the documents but gets dry quickly. Even the promise of the Napoleon connection never really gets explored.

Tom Reiss gives us a superbly researched, well documented, and tautly written full-on biography of Count, then General, Alex Dumas, a hero during the French Revolution. Dumas was so remarkable some of us can be surprised that we'd not previously known about him----in his own right, that is, not as the father of Alex Dumas, author of "The Count of Monte Cristo" or grandfather of Alex Dumas, author of "Camille."

The book follows Dumas, son of a slave in what is now Haiti and a scoundrel of a French aristocrat, Alexandre de la Pailletieri, through the trajectory of his life. Sold by his father "temporarily" into slavery as a strapping lad of 14, he was redeemed by good old dad when his owner brought him to France. (Dad's three daughters and their mother, were sold in Haiti and stayed sold.) Once in France and brought up in utmost luxury, young Dumas proved an Achilles in warrior games, split with his father when the very old man married his very young housekeeper, entered the military as a private, and rose within three years to be a General. This in racist France!

Dumas's military exploits are traced battle by battle, engagement by engagement, almost dispatch by dispatch. He somehow kept his head on his shoulders, doing what he thought right, a humanitarian for those times, dodging, weaving and evading the guillotine, surviving the worst of the Revolutionary paranoia, and winning victory after victory by consummate leadership & strategy. Then, during the Egyptian Campaign, General Dumas ran totally afoul of a man who knew about enduring revenge, grudges as unrelenting as Javert's, and who could be pitiless: Napoleon Buonaparte.

Buying a boat, Dumas left the Army, heading for home. His unseaworthy boat sank, unfortunately in an unfriendly area of Italy. Mistakenly thinking the General was a prize likely to fetch a high ransom, his captors imprisioned Dumas for two miserable years in Italy under conditions re-created in "The Count of Monte Cristo." This giant of a man was eventually released to languish---half-blind, half-deaf, broken in health---under the care of his wife. After Dumas' death, the totally impoverished woman raised her son alone: Alex Dumas, who was to exalt the memory of the General and become one of France's most honored writers.

"The Black Count" immerses us in the roots and branches of the French revolution, in the brief death and more enduring resurrection of racism in France, and brings to life a man of courage and integrity we can grow to love, admire, and grieve for page by page.

But---doggone it----where did these remarkable qualities of character and mind come from? From that wastrel father? Not likely. Dumas may have been in character, determination, and intelligence very much the son of one amazing woman, the slave Marie Cessette Dumas, so extraordinary that Charles Davy de la Pailleterie paid "..an exorbitant sum" for her. We are told little about this remarkable person, even in the context of what is known about the strengths of slave women at that time or her probable nurturance of young Dumas during those 14 early years when much of our characters & personalities are formed. Later, Dumas was sustained and his son not only survived but managed exceptional literary achievement due to an equally unusual woman, the daughter of an innkeeper in Villers-Cotterets, Marie-Louise Labourets, who loved, married, and nurtured a Black man (and Dumas apparently was very dark) in that time, that place. This impoverished woman worked in a tobacconist's shop and managed to fed, clothe, inspirit, and educate her son.

Let us now praise famous men such as the Black Count, Dumas, and our fathers who were before us, but I would have appreciated this book even more if the achievements of the slave mother and the village wife had been researched, described, the question of lineage of character discussed, and the probable role of these women praised too. By all means, though, a book well worth reading, every page.

Lively narration and an interesting story about the life made fiction in the Count of Monte Cristo. A mulatto warrior,he rises to be a French General during a brief but strangely enlightened period of their Revolution. He is continually successful in battle and stays true to his revolutionary principles until he runs afoul of the apolitical and self serving First Consul Napolean. Agiain, successful n the invasion of Egypt, he is captured and imprisioned in Italy. Finally, released and retuning to France, he is never asked to serve again. Health broken, he dies at an early age; leaving the legends that serve his novelist son so well.

(This is a review of the Advanced Reader's Edition)

"The Black Count" is a great, almost unbelievable story, presented with a comfortable prose style by Tom Reiss, who tapped sources locked away in a small museum to flesh out General Alexandre Dumas, who led major military efforts in the French Revolution as well as the early adventures of Napoleon.

Reiss makes this biography quite readable by opening most episodes with introductory and background information and closing the episodes with more historical background to set up the next chapter. This approach makes the story quite enjoyable, while providing a good overview of the French slave colony days, the French Revolution, and the rise of Napoleon.

"The Black Count" is highly recommended for anyone interested in this period in French history, as well as anyone who likes a good, true story. But don't be in a hurry to read about the father of Alexandre Dumas, the author of "The Three Musketeers", because Reiss starts his story with the beginnings of French slave plantations in the days of the grandfather of Dumas the author.

The life of General Alex Dumas should have been made into a movie decades ago, and probably would have if not for "The Count of Monte Cristo" which used General Dumas as the model for its protagonist.

He was born a slave. His name was Alex Dumas (1762-1806). His father was a French aristocrat who had four children by a slave woman. Alexander was the fourth of their children. He went to France at the age of fourteen to live with his father. Alexander was a precocious young man who had a good French education, loved to seduce women and was a polite man about town. Alex wed a French woman whom he deeply loved. One of their children was the famous author Alexander Dumas pere. Dumas loved his warrior father and it is believed he based the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo" on his father's imprisonment by the Kingdom of Naples. Elements of his father';s life also appear in his novel ":The Three Musketeers."
The black count was a great warrior who led the French to victories during the Italian and Egyptian campaigns. Dumas was captured by forces of the Kingdom of Naples on his way home from Egypt. Dumas spent eighteen months in captivity'; this terrible imprisonment contributed to his early death in 1806. Napoleon hated Dumas for his honesty and refusal to worship Napoleon.
American Tom Reiss has devoted years to telling the untold story of Alex Dumas. The information on the Black Count is somewhat scanty though the author presents us with a vivid picture of life in Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. The book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. A fairly short book it is a good read and a fascinating story. Will a movie follow?

This is much more than the tale of Alex Dumas' father "Alex Dumas" (Sr) who became the inspiration for his Musketeers and Count of Monte Cristo. This is a whole history lesson on the turbulent time from about 1750 to 1810. Oops..scratch that. Otherwise you'll think this is boring. The true masters of history can relay historical detail while removing the classroom drama from learning it. Reiss does a beautiful job of this, relaying the life of Alex Dumas Sr, but placing it in the vast tapestry of the late 1700's, from Dumas Sr's birth as the son of a coffee grower and a slave in the (now) Dominican Republic up through the turbulent French revolution and to Dumas Sr's position as one of Napolean's most productive generals. It's one thing to say the French revolution is where the French got rid of the king and cut a bunch of people's heads off. It's another to weave a larger picture where the reader gets a view of the broad structure which is human history and is able to anchor this narrative in it. Reiss is absolutely superb at it.

EXCELLENT! I am a Haiti history buff. I loved how the histories of France, Haiti, Spain and England came alive in this book! The author's talent for writing is undeniable! I read this book in three sittings and was left wanting more. Thanks for your diligent research and car in presenting this subject and story!!

I was attracted to this book by the author whose work Orientalist was outstanding. Not only was the writing good, Tom Reiss showed that he had an eye for content. He found in his subject, Kuban Said, a fascinating and neglected story. I never read Dumas and never knew of his father, but I trusted Reiss would have something interesting in store... and he did!

The saga of Dumas (nee Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie) is a not only that of his extraordinary life, but also is the story of race in France. The Revolutionary government first deemed all men equal and later abolished slavery wherever the French flag flew. Reiss shows how in the colonies, enforcement of the new constitution was spotty and slavery persisted, but in continental France, Blacks had opportunities that never before existed. It was the Republic and its ideals of liberty and equality for all men that inspired Dumas.

He was born of a slave and a French noble father (a prodigal son of dubious ethics) in Saint-Dominigue. Reiss follows his life, his being sold by his father, (later bought back and brought to France) through his distinguished military career, winning battles/territory for his country and rising to be the highest ranking person of color in an army in the western world. I read in Wikipedia that he, alone, held this rank until he shared it with Colin Powell upon his promotion in 1989. Because Dumas's military career was tied up with that of Napoleon and when Napoleon betrayed the ideals of the Revolution, he necessarily betrayed the better man, Dumas.

One of the (many) highlights is the Egyptian campaign. Reiss gives an even handed account showing the successes of expedition along with its catastrophic failure. Napoleon is indifferent to the suffering of the soldiers and Dumas is one of the many he leaves in the lurch, which begins a path of great suffering for him. As a prelude to this campaign, Reiss's short piece on Malta provides the clearest and most meaningful history of that island nation that I've encountered.

The book has great maps, but it lacks photos or plates. The only rendering of Dumas is on the cover. There is plenty to pique curiosity from the opening of the safe in Villers-Cotterets, where the saga begins to the tri-generational "Forgotten Statue" where the book ends.

In the "Orientalist" Reiss takes the reader into his research in much the same way he begins this narrative with the account of opening the safe at Villers-Cotterets. I like this style of writing, but only a bit of it surfaces when he speaks of inspecting documents and something of their condition. There is little in commentary from the many who guide him through his exploration of sites and documents. I wondered if the academics and others who are credited in the acknowledgments had a role in editing out some of this personalization.

This is a fascinating book about the father of French novelist Alexandre Dumas, who, as it turns out, was the real life inspiration for Dumas' novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.

Dumas' father, also named Alexandre Dumas, was the mixed race son of a French aristocrat, who moved to a family-owned sugar cane plantation on Haiti, and his mistress, an African slave on the family plantation. Dumas is taken back to France where his martial skills eventually earn him the rank of General in the French Revolutionary Army. His military career flounders when he finds himself on the receiving end of Napoleon Bonaparte's displeasure. On his return to France from Napoleon's ill-fated Egyptian campaign, Dumas and a companion are shipwrecked near Taranto and are held captive in Italy for two years. This period of imprisonment ultimately becomes the inspiration for his son's novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.

Tom Reiss has done an excellent job researching this little known French General and has turned his research into a really interesting biography of Dumas and a history of his times. This is one of the best historical biographies I have read in the last few years.

An excellent book. Highly recommended.

It's difficult to believe that not only was General Alex Dumas real - his documented exploits and integrity are nearly superhuman - but even more unbelievable that he has almost been forgotten. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) is one of my all time favorite movies and I never knew Alexandre Dumas' father was anyone of note, let alone an arguably even more important and influential figure. It's a sad testament to how long-reaching and effective Napoleon's racist policies were at scrubbing General Dumas' achievements from public knowledge, and a little amazing his son the novelist didn't hold up Napoleon as more of a clear-cut villain in The Count of Monte Cristo, knowing how his father suffered at the Emporer's hand.

This is a biography of General Alexandre Dumas, father of the novelist and a man who experienced and achieved a great deal in his amazing life. His son was not yet four when he died in 1806, but obviously hero worshipped him and incorporated many of the tales of his life, told by his mother, into his novels. In fact, his father life reads very much like a novel and is an astounding account of a man who was born the son of a slave and lived through a revolution and the rise of Napoleon.

The first part of this book looks at the early life of Alexandre Dumas, who was himself the son of a Marquis, a French nobleman in hiding on the French sugar colony of Saint-Domingue, and Marie Cessette Dumas, who was a slave. Saint-Domingue was a place where the sons of impoverished noble familes could strike it rich, as sugar was a scarce and luxurious commodity. The Marquis, known then as Antoine Alexandre de I'Isle, had effectively come 'to sponge' off his younger brother, who had married the daughter of a plantation owner. Eventually he had four children with Marie Cessette Dumas, although when he eventually returned to France he took only his youngest child, Alexandre, with him.

Alexandre must have had a difficult time in Paris. Although 'men of colour' lived a free life in France, he still came up against racism at every turn. Eventually, he set up on his own, taking his mothers name, and joining the army as a dragoon. The author recreates the history of that period so well you almost feel you are living through it. We read of Alexandre's great skills as a swordsman, his incredible strength and agility, his renowned good looks and intelligence. These were abilities he used to climb through the ranks of the army as the French Revolution erupted and the army was reformed. When he was billeted with the Labouret family and fell in love with their young daughter Marie-Louise, his father accepted her lovers proposal, but asked that the wedding be postponed until Alexandre became a sergeant. Within a year he was a general, with ten thousand men under his command...

We read of the Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety and the unleasing of the Terror, when everyone was under suspicion and heads rolled. Also, there is much of his fathers life that Dumas the novelist incorporated into his writing. An example of this was when Alexandre Dumas was imprisoned in the fortress of Taranto, which is obviously the basis of the Count of Monte Cristo. This is only one example, but the author deftly ties together stories, both real and exaggerated, which the author weaved into his novels. Overall, this is a fascinating account of a man and a time, incredibly well written and researched. The author obviously had a great deal of respect for the man he was writing about and this is both history and biography at their best.

It's the biography of novelist Alexander Dumas' father set against the French Revolution and the rise to power of Bonaparte. Alex Dumas was born a slave, son of a Frenchman who had fled into the wilds of Saint Domingue after a conflict with his well-to-do sugar planter brother, and a black slave who was his father's mistress for many years. The back story of Alexander Dumas' grandfather, Davy de la Pailleterie, is interesting in its own right and takes up a justifiably large portion of the book. Through some odd manipulations, Davy de la Pailleterie returns to France, claims his inheritance, frees his son, wins an endowment from his brother in law and proceeds to train his son, Alex, as a gentleman. Alex in a conflict with his father joins the army as a private. Comes the Revolution and Alex proves to be such a warrior, a man of great physical strength and extraordinary leadership, that he becomes a general in the post revolutionary army. Then he encounters Bonaparte, a fellow general, who dislikes him and all men of color, and his woes begin. The Revolution freed slaves and made equals of all men; Bonaparte's France reinstituted slavery and the Black Code. Alexander Dumas is born a few years before his father dies at age 44. Reiss draws a number of parallels between Alex Dumas and Edmond Dantes in the Count of Monte Cristo, but isn't heavy handed about it. It's an enjoyable book. I knew nothing about General Dumas and only a little about the French Revolution, and it has been many years since I've read The Count of Monte Cristo. I learned a lot.

Was the Count of Monte Christo a real or fictional character?

Turns out he was modeled after a real character, a flesh and blood human, Alexandre Dumas' father, and what a life his father lived, in some ways more exciting--and more terrible--than the fictional Count of Monte Christo.

Interesting book on several counts: (1) it is a good read, fast moving and informative, an excellent biography of a man who had a greater role in European history that is realized, (2) It gives insight into the making, or writing, of a novel, not just the Count of Monte Christo, but the Three Musketeers as well, and (3) It is a great easy and enjoyable way to learn about and more fully understand and appreciate what happened in the French Revolution, how, why and the ramifications thereof.

Quite a good book. Quite good.

And you will leave the book with one overriding thought: Napolean was a real s.a., reprehensible in every way...

Cudos, Mr. Reiss, you have written a masterpiece!

This detailed book reads like a novel, with its fluid narrative that presents the autobiographical story of Alex Dumas and his tremendous contribution to the French Revolution. Mr. Reiss weaves a fascinating story while incorporating a plethora of resources having expended years of effort in accumulating tremendous research materials to substantiate the accuracy of this account.

It is a quick read that connects the dots and encompasses critical historic moments leading to the re-creation of France and eventually much of the European theater.

Surely, this epic tome will become required reading for historians, who want a fresh perspective on the French Revolution and how the freed mulatto slave, Alexandre Dumas born in what is now Haiti, demonstrated throughout his military career, using his tremendous strategic skill, honor, courage and fighting aptitude to win many battles!

At first, Mr. Reiss presents a brief history of his father, Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie who having left France to seek his fortune in Saint-Domingue (Haiti), then a resource rich colony of France, known for its great production of sugar cane. He married a wealthy woman and purchased a plantation and slaves to become a sugar producer. Later, he purchased a black woman, Marie-Cessette, who was considered quite a beauty for a tremendous sum. Together, they had four children, including a son named Thomas- Alexandre (whom later detached from his father's noble status instead used part of his mother's full name, to be known as Alexandre Dumas or Alex Dumas). When mismanagement led to great debt, Alexandre Pailleterie eventually fled Haiti to return to France , nearly penniless, he sold his mistress and their three living children as slaves, to acquire the money necessary to purchase passage to France for himself and Alexandre. Once they arrived in France, Alexandre attended school and trained as a swordsman, quite quickly, his talent at swordsmanship, gained him great renown throughout France.

Alex joined the military and quickly arose through the ranks, his great intelligence and exceptional bravery in battle soon got him the recognition of his superiors and subsequent promotions. Within very little time, he was moved up the ranks rapidly. Breaking the color barrier again and again soon becoming in charge significant numbers of men, first among the "dragoons"- free men of color, mainly from Saint-Domingue; eventually he was given charge of thousands of white men. His assignments met with marvelous tales of courage. He was entrusted on many occasions to perform reconnaissance missions and often his actions caused the enemy to cede an area or surrender before any great fighting ensued. There are numerous tales of his tremendous valor and talent when ambushed; on one such event, he alone fought 8 men killing 3 and wounding others, those who could fled; while he only sustained a few light surface wounds. Eventually, his accomplishments were fully acknowledge and he was bestowed the title of General. His fame and great accomplishments of service led to a terrible captivity in Naples, Italy where multiple attempts of poisoning nearly killed him due to his already declining health. Likewise, physical attacks were rendered, though he was far outnumbered and despite of his poor health, he proved his expert skills were still far superior to his enemy combatants.

His career terminated in sad fashion as Bonaparte sought to destroy him. Napolean Bonaparte, once an equal to Dumas, was a consummate politician, who took credit for many of Dumas's strategies and successes. His deceit and cunning allowed him to install puppets among the various bodies of the new government; who in turn advanced Bonaparte in power and notoriety. As his influence increased, his jealousy of Dumas allowed him to systematically dismantle the authority and career Dumas had earned. Had Dumas not attained such tremendous admiration even among those whom he confronted in battle or was sent to occupy; Napolean more than likely would have attempted to set him up for treason or used some other means to murder Dumas.

Were he alive today, he would probably be in charge of the equivalent of our Special Forces or some other distinguished elite military command post. Few displayed such a commitment that surpassed all other priorities; having chose to repeatedly lay down his life to build a new France which empowered all people at all costs; being given extended assignments, many lasting years at time away from his adored wife and children, salary and health and eventually his life.

It was his son, Alexandre Dumas, who continued to memorialize his father's exploits through stories "The Count of Monte Cristo", "The Three Musketeers" and also a biography.

This is a must read for those who love history. Enjoy!

The Black Count is an excellent historical account of General Alexandre Dumas’ fascinating life. Reiss explores controversial topics and highlights with rarely told historical vignettes. I was hesitant at first, thinking that this was another biased rationalization on race relations, which is a popular and trendy subject in modern historic storytelling. I am happy to say that this is not a re-writing of history. (Reiss is not the infamous Winston in the Orwellian Ministry of Truth).
Carefully orchestrated, Reiss creates an environment to where the reader becomes vicariously fascinated. Gen. Alexandre Dumas becomes your tour guide through the turmoil of the French Revolution. By utilizing a lifespan of the heroic Gen Dumas you can create time and space which simplifies and organizes the tumultuous period. Reiss intertwines Alexandre Dumas’ life is a time -angled “backbone:” His life serves as great to way to organize the complex timeline of the French transition of power from Monarchy, to Republic, and then to the beginnings of a French Napoleonic Empire.
The book does delve into race but rationalizes it with reason, not overwhelming, and unapologetically. The book is not boring; it draws you in immediately and is full of adventure. In the very beginning of the book you develop an attachment to the great figure, and the author illustrates his life and many adventures. From the early origins of Gen. Dumas’ life you learn about the social-economic prestige of France’s sugar cane industry, and the author carries Dumas from his origins as a son of a plantation owner, to his indoctrination into combat as France revolts against its established Monarchy. Dumas then rises through the ranks of the French Army ultimately leading the French Cavalry in Napolean’s invasion of Egypt.
Critically, Reiss makes Gen. Dumas almost a faultless hero, which is largely due to the theatrical storytelling of the famous author and Gen. Dumas’, son: Alex Dumas. It is clearly seen that Alex Dumas has plenty to write about and his father’s life serves as a great impetus for monumental story writing. As a reader I was often thinking that Gen. Dumas “Mr. Humanity” was larger than life, but then again, he was a valiant war-hero who lived survived many battles and rose to the rank of General in Napoleon’s French Army. This is a heroic feat in itself.
What readers can learn from this book:
1. France in the 18th century was open-minded and was advanced in topics of racial acceptance. The country was not perfect, but on whole it was an advanced culture in race related thinking. I never knew that the famous author, Alexandre Dumas was mixed race. Reiss has legitimate historical documentation and reference to back all his claims.
2. Intricacies in the French Revolution. To me, this was the highlight of the book. I saw the French revolution from another angle. As a life-long scholar I am often overwhelmed or get bored on the topic of French history. Reiss’ story is never boring. It carries you through to Napoleon’s rise to fame.
3. Gen Dumas’ life was interesting in itself. Although, he was the son of a French Marquis, You learn how this man rose from somewhat humble and racial bias to become a General in a powerful globally famed Army in 18th Century France. He becomes educated, marries, has children, commands large Army’s, flirts with death, fights in glorious battles, becomes imprisoned, and makes a marked impression on every person he meets. As a reader I am “enlightened.”

As a student of history, and a fan of the writings of Alexandre Dumas, I had high expectations for "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Cristo". I'm happy to report that author Tom Reiss ("The Orientalist") did not disappoint.

The latter half of the 18th century was a time of political turmoil, with long-seated governments overthrown, and wide-ranging changes made to the established order. These heroic times bred heroic men; Alex Dumas was just such a man. Physically imposing, a skilled swordsman and horseman, he was the epitome of a man of the age. There was just one problem - although his father was a French aristocrat, his mother was a black slave.

Tom Reiss manages to tie together the real-life character of Alex Dumas and the literary characters of his son's novels, set against the background of the years leading up to and through the French Revolution. Instead of a dry recitation of European history, we are treated to the living and breathing adventures of a truly larger-than-life officer and gentleman. "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three Musketeers" may have been fiction, but it is easy the see where Alexandre Dumas took his inspiration - the real life story of his father.

"The Black Count" is a double win, a readable history and biography in one, with the added bonus of an insightful look into the works of one of my favorite authors. Five stars and many thanks to Tom Reiss and "The Black Count".

Who hasn’t been enthralled with the swashbuckling stories penned by French author, Alexandre Dumas? From The Count of Monte Cristo to The Three Musketeers, the man was a genius at storytelling. They seem too good to be true, there was actually some truth to his writing. Mr. Dumas used his father, who died when the author was just a boy, as the role model for the heroes of his wonderful books.

In The Black Count, Reiss relates a tale of a man born to a black slave and a nobleman; and his rise through the army of French Republic, ultimately creating the stuff of which legends are made. And like legends, sometimes they are dealt cruel twists of fate. His country abandons him, but the elder Dumas, a general and a gentleman, is still a hero in the eyes of his compatriots and in the eyes of his son, who will help to immortalize the man.

Written for a broad audience, The Black Count is not only a fascinating tale of a remarkable man, but also mesmerizes the reader with it’s detailed history of the French Revolution, the Napoleonic era, and the social impact of slavery and racism within France and it’s territories. Thanks go out to Crown Publishers for sending me an ARC of The Black Count! Great story, great history, great book!

THE BLACK COUNT is a biography of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the father of the famous novelist Alexandre Dumas and the inspiration for many of his stories, particularly The Count of Monte Cristo. Dumas was the son of a French nobleman and an African slave. He was also a martial hero, rising from a lowly private to general-in-chief of an army in only a few years – the highest ranking person of color in the Western world until the 1970s. His story rivals the ones in his son’s books – a shipwreck, suspected poisoning, foreign dungeons, and finally being ostracised because of changes in France’s political climate and Napoleon’s personal ire.

I really enjoyed this book – Tom Reiss is a great writer working with a great subject. I couldn’t wait to see where Dumas’ life took him, but I also never felt like Reiss took any liberties with the truth – everything was meticulously cited. I learned a lot about France’s colonial history as well, which I didn’t know much about. I can’t believe that someone who broke as many barriers as Thomas-Alexandre Dumas isn’t more well known, but thanks to Reiss’ efforts, that will hopefully now change.

The Black Count tells the story of Alexander Dumas the father of the famed author for the count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers. As an avid fan of the Count of Monte Cristo I was intrigued by the title and even more shocked by the revelation that it was based on his father. While Dumas is largely forgotten to history it is an amazing story of how a black slave rose through the ranks to be a marshal in Napoleon's army and lead troops at some of the most decisive moments during Napoleon's rise to power. Reiss keeps the book moving and reveals many of the influences that Dumas made on his son (who only had his dad around until age 4) but shows how the stories lived on and crafted characters in several of the books. Dumas spent time as a prisoner of war in Italy after making a hectic escape from Egypt and the British blockade of Nelson. Overall if you are looking for a historical biography you have probably never heard of but made a tremendous impact this is a great choice. It is well written and pays great attention to detail revealing new information about how The Black Count helped shape the course of revolutionary France and provided a service to the one who would dominate it.

I'm not a fan of historical nonfiction works. I was drawn to this because of the count's relationship to Alexander Dumas the novelist and even then I was not certain that I would actually read the book. I was wrong. It was as interesting and engrossing as any work of fiction I've ever read. Reiss has written this book in a style that is completely different than any kind of biographical/historical work I've ever encountered. I was able to follow the narrative effortlessly without the need to refer back to other segments of the book. A thoroughly interesting, informative and enjoyable read.

Subtitled "Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo" this non-fiction book tells the true story of the mulatto man who rose to glory at the head of Napoleon's army and later died in squalor. His true story inspired his son, Alexander Dumas to draw on his father's experiences in "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three Musketeers".

I must admit that my own knowledge of the French Revolution was limited to my reading "A Tale of Two Cities" in high school. I never realized how warlike and bloody those times really were. And I had no idea that a son born in 1762 of a black slave woman and a wealthy slave holder from the area which is now Haiti could have risen to such a such a high place in the French Military as to command troops and win glory for France.

Here in America, we were going through our own revolution which could be considered mild when compared with the upheavals that were going on in Europe. The book describes the battles in detail and the huge quantities of lives lost during that period of time. It specifically details the life of the senior Alexander Dumas in all its glory and horror. At first he brought glory to France and was honored by all. Later, Napoleon had him imprisoned and his time in a dungeon effected his health. He had once been honored and revered but all that came to an end and his family wound up living in poverty.

The writer captures all the horror as well as the glory in this well-researched book. The narrative flowed easily and yet was deeply footnoted with facts and figures which came from scrupulous research. I was swept into the story but was always aware of the actual historical details. This made the book especially interesting and I applaud the author bringing this powerful story to life.

Here is a man who repeatedly found himself in the right place at the right time (or, when the Reign of Terror was at its worst, was able to avoid being in the wrong place) and rose to almost unimaginable heights for a mixed-race son of a slave. But then, his good timing came to a disastrous end, and that, combined with his unerring ability to get on the bad side (again & again) of Napoleon Bonaparte, resulted in a spectacular decline and fall. His unsatisfying end (with betrayals and injustices left unavenged) nagged at his son for years, until Alexandre Dumas père scratched that itch by writing The Count of Monte Cristo. The real story is in many ways more amazing than the novel.

This book should be of particular interest for anyone who studies the Revolutionary period, particularly the Directory and the Consulate. Those who romantically & uncritically revere the exploits of Napoleon would do well to read this book, the biography of a Republican general who runs afoul of Bonapartist ambition. Those who maintained their Republican principles generally did not have happy endings in their lives, and their promising careers were quickly cut short. Civil liberties were discarded even more quickly than the French Republican Calendar and people with high ideals quickly found themselves trapped in a despotic regime.

The intriguing shifts in race relations in 18th century France also make this book quite interesting. It is unimaginable that someone of Dumas' background would ever have had a chance to excell as he did in Great Britain or Colonial America. Even in France, opinions on race shifted rapidly, and it is only because Dumas possessed the talents that he did that he was able to advance as far as he did.

This is a well-written, engaging book. For those unwilling to dredge up a copy of Maurois' The Titans: The Extraordinary Lives of the Three Dumas, this book will help to reveal an intriguing aspect of French history which is too often overlooked.

This is a biography of the father of Alexandre Dumas, famous author of The Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers. The Senior Dumas, Thomas-Alexandre, was born on Haiti to a French nobleman and his African mistress. Dumas's father brought him back to France and raised him as a typical nobleman's son in Paris. In France at this time, there was an acceptance of racial equality that was unheard of in any other country. And Dumas lived like the typical son of a nobleman, a bon-vivant, spending freely and carelessly. After his father cut off his funds, he joined the military where he found his true calling during the French revolution. He became a devout republican, truly dedicated to the cause of the revolution. He was also a military genius, a man who could achieve victories in the face of unbelievable odds. Within a few years, he was a general in the army, leading both white and black soldiers to victory after victory. After Napoleon came to power, Dumas's fortunes began to decline. Napoleon and Dumas clashed and Dumas decided to leave Napoleon's army. On the way home his ship encountered a storm and was forced to land at Naples. Captured by the King of Naples, he was held captive for years (and probably poisoned). Finally released, his health declined and he died of cancer at 43. Tragically, the French government never provided a pension for Dumas or his widow and his great victories and dedication to the revolution was never properly recognized. Sadly, France's experiment with racial equality was short-lived and would go underground for many years.

This biography was well written and the story flowed well. I learned quite a bit about the French revolution as it applied to people of mixed race, something that was never covered in the world history courses I took. Although I knew the French revolution had proclaimed equality for all men, I did not realize that they truly applied this to everyone, regardless of race. Although this experiment with racial equality was short lived, it was a tremendous step forward. So, well written biography and fascinating historical subject. Definitely recommend.

Another month of reading only a few pages at a time until I surrendered.
Yes, quite informative that Alexander Dumas was 1/4 Negro, that his 1/2 Negro father was a hero of the French revolution, that his father and his heroic exploits were the foundations of much of Dumas' classics that we have all read, that history previously had pretty much hidden this.
Still, I guess too much history was too much history for this reader.

One of the things I liked about this book was how the author explained how he found his information and wove that into his story. I know it is nonfiction but it reads like a story and history bits and events abound. Many of the people were fleshed out and you understood that they were real people. The character of Bonaparte became much clearer to me. They camaraderie of military life was depicted. The accomplishments and difficulties of A.D.'s life and career were drawn clearly.

I do have one criticism, how can somebody reportedly so full of compassion and justice reconcile being an agent for such an evil entity as the revolutionary government of France? Thousands of innocent people; men, women, grandmas, grandpas, boys, girls, babies; killed on a whim or a rumor or frequently for monetary gain. The military was used against the populous in such a cold and cruel manner. The government even cannibalized itself. It is horrific to read about the actions of a country devouring itself.

In another time, General Alex Dumas-father of the Dumas writer, would have been absorbed by his birth as a just another mixed race child; fated to be just another slave. But then came the (for him) the lucky timing of the French Revolution and the idea of equality for all. At this point natural abilities and life found Dumas rising with rapidity, that is until the fate was fickle once again.

With the same swing of the pendulum luck was erased by Napoleon, who the author and history attribute as jealous of Dumas. Racism and hatred of the other, not a new characteristic. It would make a fine film, if properly cast.

Easy to read biography mixed with history, and who knew the story about the three colors of the French Revolution, white from the King? Enough biography and military history, without overload for the anti military among us. Take the time to dip a toe in, it is worth one's time.

Tom Reiss's 2012 book, The Black Count, is the biography of an extraordinary, larger-than-life character in the history of France. Thomas-Alexander Davy de la Pailleterie, more commonly known by the name Alex Dumas, is best remembered today as the father of Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and dozens of other classic literary adventures. The elder Dumas's life was a compelling adventure in itself, even rivaling the exciting novels of his illustrious son. Born the child of a French nobleman and a black slave on a plantation in what is now Haiti, Alex Dumas went on to achieve success and glory in the French military, rising to prominence during the Revolution and becoming the highest ranking black man in European military history. General Dumas accompanied Napoleon Bonaparte on the 1798 French campaign to Egypt, fighting alongside the future Emperor and at times butting heads with him. Later events in Dumas's life would prove that getting on Napoleon's bad side was not a wise choice.

Reiss emphasizes that the French Revolution was a remarkable time in the history of race relations. Fueled by the liberal values spawned by the Enlightenment, as expressed in the Revolutionary credo of "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité!", an unprecedented equality among men of all races was established in France. Seventy years before America's Emancipation Proclamation, in a world where slavery was a common fact of life, the French not only freed their slaves but also created a society where men of color had the opportunity to reap the benefits of their abilities on an equal footing with whites. Later, when Napoleon established himself as dictator of France, he threw out many of the Revolution's enlightened racial policies, and successful men of color like Dumas were left feeling betrayed and robbed of their due merits. It's a bit ironic that a book which praises racial equality focuses so much on race. General Dumas's life was incredibly interesting and exciting, regardless of his race, yet his story is so inextricably entwined with the racial policies of his lifetime that it's all but inevitable to view him as an exemplar of triumph over prejudice and discrimination.

Dumasophiles expecting non-stop swashbuckling may be disappointed to find themselves reading chapters devoted to the sugar industry or slavery legislation. At times the biographical narrative thread seems a bit thin and overwhelmed by its historical context. But what context! Reiss is a genius at summarizing the complex events and philosophical ideas of the French Revolution. Never has this labyrinthine period of history been so pithily encapsulated. French history enthusiasts will love the book, but even those with little prior knowledge of the subject will be ably guided by Reiss through the twists and turns of the era.

Reiss repeatedly draws parallels between the life of Alex Dumas and the novels of his son Alexandre, but he doesn't belabor the point. This is by no means a work of literary criticism. One need not have read The Count of Monte Cristo in order to understand or enjoy this book (though you should read it, because it's a fantastic novel). This is purely a biography of a fascinating man and a history of a fascinating time. The Black Count is an immensely entertaining read for any history buff or adventure junkie. It's only major fault is that it's so good it leaves you wanting more.

Just finished the audio book version of this work and really enjoyed it. I knew nothing about the protagonist's story before reading and just a general understanding of the era (French Revolution & rise of Napoleon)... I basically picked the title on a whim hoping to find something interesting to fill up the time on my daily commute. I thoroughly enjoyed the book - as it appears most have.

The author clearly went to great lengths to explore the factual record of Dumas from archived sources, and I expect there was a lot of leg work given the rather unheralded nature of the subject. Without overly projecting his own biases and thoughts (I would argue that it is impossible to write about anything historical without some opinion component) on Dumas, Reiss provides just the right amount of speculation to make educated guesses as to those pieces of the history where the record was not as clear or not existing. In my experience, this is often way over done by authors writing biographies who go too far in asserting what the subject was 'feeling' or 'thinking' or what was motivating them to take certain actions - this is a pet peeve of mine and I am happy to say that this book does not do that to any meaningful degree.

I also enjoyed the author's style... just the right amount of a storytelling component to keep it an interesting read (or listen in my case).

I would be inclined to read - even without having a preceding interest in the subject - another book by this author in the future.

"The Black Count" by Tom Reiss is the best and most intriguing piece of history writing I've read in a long while, in part because it told me so much about the events of the decade of Revolutionary France following the Declaration of the Rights of Mankind in 1789. This is a stunning book told with perceptiveness, a feeling for the times, occasional humor, and deft use of original sources. It also restores to his rightful place a figure with a singular biography and a central role in the revolutionary period who seems to have been forgotten by almost everybody.
Reiss's account of a general whose battlefield heroism led to major French Republican triumphs, in particular the liberation of Italy from its Austrian rulers and its monarchial and feudal past, falls into the truth is stranger than fiction category. Even today, when Hollywood gives us an ex-slave gun-slinging his family to freedom over degenerate white Americans, audiences would likely dismiss as too improbable the story of a dark-skinned Haitian boy of mixed black and white parentage, sold into slavery by his disgraced aristocratic father, rising to prominence in 18th century Europe. The boy's father later redeemed him -- Reiss found the pawn ticket in the course of his almost baroquely persistent research -- brought him back to France and put him in the finest fencing school in Paris where he soon becomes the country's finest swordsman at a time when the sabre was still an important battlefield weapon. His mother and siblings are left behind, however, in the French colony known then as Saint-Domingue, where African slaves were worked to death to produce a commodity, sugar, that powered a nation's economy the way fossil fuels do in our day.
The son is Alex Dumas, none other than the father of the writer Alexandre Dumas, the author of perhaps the world's most popular swashbuckling tales,"The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three Musketeers." As Reiss's books shows in convincing detail -- he found both father and son's journals and other writings -- the black man who was the author's father and a legitimate hero of the Revolution is the model for the heroism, and suffering, of the "Count of Monte Cristo" and of the high style of the heroics of the "Musketeers."
Alex Dumas, even more engagingly for a world still trying to get over racial divisions, was a perfect embodiment of the idealism of revolution based on "liberte, fraternite, and egalite." For a brief period -- nearly a hundred years ahead of its time -- French law explicitly extended "egalite" to people of color while eliminating the privileges of birth. No one believed in and personified these ideals more strongly than Dumas.
A common soldier before the revolution (when only aristocrats able to buy their commissions became officers), Dumas rose quickly as the Revolution offered opportunity for merit no matter who possessed it. As the author points out, France's revolutionary government was also passing laws banning slavery in its colonies in addition to guaranteeing people of color what we now call civil rights. (None of these advances, unhappily, would survive the Napoleonic period.)
On the field of battle at the head of troops or picked swords, large cavalry units and sometimes whole armies, Dumas engineered and led the breakthrough victory in the Alps that opened northern Italy to French Republican armies. He then led the cavalry charges that turned near disaster into victory in a string of battles that drove the Austrians out of Italy -- including the crucial siege of Mantua -- and opened the entire peninsula to a campaign that overthrew duchies and kingdoms left and right in favor of new republican governments.
As a French commanding general reported, Dumas "performs fantastic charges, capturing two thousand prisoners here, one thousand there." And as he drove them back to their own borders, the Austrians came up with a name for this relentless French battlefield scourge, "the Black Devil."
An angel in his personal life as well as a revolutionary idealist, Dumas's career ran afoul of Napoleon's jealousy of his success. When at the end of Napoleon's hubristic Egyptian campaign, Dumas's ship ran aground on the coast of Sicily and he was imprisoned by a hostile regime, the now dictatorial French government allowed him to rot in prison as his health deteriorated. After his eventual release the now emperor Napoleon disappeared him from the French military and civil establishment, denying him back pay and his widow a pension after his early death, probably from the poisoning and obscene medical treatments he suffered during his imprisonment.
The neglect of an iconic Revolutionary figure persists even today in France, as the author points out. Part of the pleasure of the "Black Count" is the story behind the author's discovery of so many original documents in a long-past-its-peak French town with more bureaucrats than brains. But I'll stop here and leave that pleasure, along with so many others, for other readers of "The Black Count" to discover for themselves.

A truly fascinating biography! For those who enjoy the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo", have a look at the brilliant new sequels written by the mysterious "Holy Ghost Writer". They are written in the same style as Alexandre Dumas' original, and are equally as gripping. Titled "The Sultan of Monte Cristo" (Book II) The Sultan of Monte Cristo: First Sequel to the Count of Monte Cristo and "That Girl Started Her Own Country" (Book III) THAT GIRL STARTED HER OWN COUNTRY (The Count of Monte Cristo) Price is $1.99 and $7.77 respectively, for the Kindle Editions. Both are riveting books from beginning to end, and worthy successors to the original. If, at the end of "The Count of Monte Cristo" or "The Black Count", you are left thirsting for more, I urge you to have a look at these fabulous sequels. Both books are available on the store, Goodreads and Barnes and Noble. Check out all the glowing 5 star reviews on the books, if you still need convincing! :)