Twenty Years After (Oxford World's Classics)

This book was a Christmas gift from my son's wish list. He was thrilled when he opened it. I was thrilled that he asked for a book. He is a fan of "The Three Musketeers" and has read it at least twice. I never knew there was a sequel. As a gift, it was a hit.

This is a very long book that I listened to with my Kindle. This is a time period that I do not enjoy. The story did not grab me and not something I would have read for enjoyment. I read it because it was on a To Read book list. This was a sequel to the Three Muskateers.

It's a real page turner same as The Three Musketeers. That the four friends' lives had taken different paths over the years, so that it took them awhile to even trust each other,, dispite their differences. made the book more true to life.

When I was much younger I got hooked on Alexandre Dumas’ historical novels about events during the reigns of Louis XIII, XIV, and the lamented XV. I started with the Great Illustrated Classics version of “The Three Musketeers,” but soon found an unexpurgated version in the dusty back shelves of the library. I ran through every volumeof D’Artagnan’s adventures, right through “The Man in the Iron Mask.” But that was years ago.
When we were cleaning out my mother-in-law’s house after her death, I found a dusty, battered copy of “Twenty Years After” and tucked it in the SAVE box.

A few weeks ago I needed a comfort book and started in on the musketeers’ reunion. I was delighted to find D’Artagnan just as quick-tempered and resourceful, Athos just as noble, Aramis just as foxy, and Porthos just as strong as ever. I loved meeting my old literary friends again. But to my dismay, when I got to the well-remembered scene where Athos reveals how he comes to be fostering the dashing young Raoul de Bragalonne, the translator of my mother-in-law’s version (uncredited, as he deserves) had boiled down this racy episode to a single sentence.
I donated my MIL’s verson to the Used Book Sale – it had some nice pictures – and picked up the Oxford World Classic version instead. Every juicy encounter is there, all 788 pages.

If you haven’t read Dumas, and your knowledge of the three Musketeers and their sidekick, d’Artagnan, is limited to the two-part movie version, you have a great treat in store. But make sure you get the real thing, not the young ladies’ expurgated version.

This is the rare occasion when a sequel is just as good as the original. That's even more impressive when the original is The Three Musketeers, which, in a certain specific way, must be the best book ever written. But there you have it -- Twenty Years After is a brilliant follow-up. It captures just enough of the adventurous spirit of the original, and returns to the great friendship between the four main characters, but doesn't simply rehash them. In fact, it's a little hard to believe that it was written immediately after The Three Musketeers -- it really feels like twenty years have passed.

Dumas is not usually anyone's idea of a psychologically nuanced writer, but he hits all the right notes in his handling of this passage of time. This is not simply a sequel starring the audience's favourite characters back for more of the same. The musketeers have changed, but in ways that are consistent with their character. Aramis has turned from an effete, sighing pretty-boy to a ruthless, hard-edged man of action. In one scene, Dumas explicitly highlights his bloodthirst, as he finishes off wounded enemies on the battlefield while galloping to pick a fight with a rival. But Aramis was always the most cynical musketeer, and his refinement always concealed a complete disregard for human life (in the very first duel in The Three Musketeers, he was the only combatant to have killed his opponent). The change in his outward behaviour is very logical.

By contrast, Athos has settled down to a peaceful life, and demonstrates almost pacifist tendencies. Granted, here it sometimes feels like Dumas is going too far in making him look saintly. But then, his smouldering intensity took all the best scenes in The Three Musketeers, so anything less can't help but feel anti-climactic. Still, he maintains his demanding sense of honour, and once the musketeers go to England, he sees plenty of action.

The book strikes the right balance between similarity to the original, and sharply contrasting change. Of course, every reader will root for the musketeers to get together and start fighting bad guys. This has to happen eventually -- if it didn't, there'd be no point. But it takes quite a while to get there, and until the voyage to England (an impressive dramatic peak), the protagonists are separated. D'Artagnan and Porthos attempt to improve their social status by, essentially, hiring themselves out to Cardinal Mazarin, while Athos and Aramis take the side of the rebel princes and aristocracy. This political divide creates some conflict between them, but it is fairly quickly resolved. However, they still spend most of the book striving for very different goals. Their separation is an obvious, but surprisingly effective dramatic device. As they say repeatedly, everyone knows they're invincible together, but apart they're in much greater danger. In this unexpected situation, one feels that anything might happen.

Dumas also gets the right sense of when to shift the focus away from the musketeers and onto other characters. He loses that sense in The Vicomte De Bragelonne, which spends too much time on various very boring people -- if too much time goes by without a duel, the reader starts getting antsy. But Twenty Years After introduces some memorable new faces. Early on, a few chapters are set aside to describe the hilarious prison escape of the Duc de Beaufort. He is not really central to the story, and fades into the background after the escape, so it's almost as if these scenes were included solely for their value as a comic shaggy-dog story. The duke's petulant prison exploits are hysterical (his impulsive temper is played off very well against jailer and straight man La Ramee), and the escape is splendidly adventurous.

In a very different way, Dumas' Cardinal Mazarin is also a very powerful character portrait. Everyone unfavourably compares him to Richelieu (the musketeers now regret having defied "the great cardinal" in their youth, which is a clever touch), and he is indeed a much lower and meaner sort of person, using the French monarchy mostly for his own personal gain. But one has to grudgingly admire his guts. He knows that no one respects him, and as a foreigner, his powerful status is always precarious. Still, he somehow walks this razor-thin line, surviving by manipulating and bribing the princes, flattering Anne of Austria, but sometimes sharply asserting his influence over her with humiliating remarks. Richelieu may have been the greater statesman, but Mazarin is a much more modern person, very comprehensible to the contemporary reader.

Overall the tone of this book is much darker than The Three Musketeers. Valour and swordplay are no longer enough, but the political stakes are much higher. Cardinal Richelieu may have been a powerful adversary, but he was still a single individual, and he was sophisticated enough to appreciate a worthy enemy. But here, d'Artagnan has to rely on his wits to deal with faceless mobs and venal politicians, while losing some old friends, and to make matters worse, he now realizes that even his own employers are unworthy of the kind of loyalty he demonstrated in the original book. These are uncertain and treacherous waters, and it's actually a relief once the protagonists finally reunite, even if they're stranded in hostile territory.

If the original novel was about loyalty to one's friends and king, Twenty Years After is about testing that loyalty to its absolute limit. Indeed, even after their reunification, the musketeers still have their own careers and social standing to worry about; d'Artagnan essentially uses Porthos, while Aramis uses Athos, although both are willing to be used (Porthos to become a baron, Athos to make a political point). The barriers between them are never exactly broken, but at least the book argues that it's possible for old friendships to temporarily overcome them.

Having read The Three Musketeers, I resolved to complete the remaining books of the D'Artagnan romances. I went half way through the book. Though interesting and captivating all the way (just as the Musketeers) at about half way through, I was begining to wonder if I will be able to get through the whole volume. It was then that I discovered that the beauty and the delights of this book as the plot unrelentingly builds up to the crescendo and there was no let-up to the end.

For me, the most evocative part (within location 98%) was how D'Artagnan used his tact, wisdom and subtlety to extricate himself and his three friends from the beautiful and very powerful (but often forgetful and ungrateful) Queen Anne to whom he and his three friends were eventually reconciled before the end of the novel. I will suggest you read the Three Musketeers first before reading this title.

I read the Kindle free version and the the section I'm refering to is explained below in my own words (located at about 98% section of the book). You need to read it and discover this gem
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D'Artagnan and the three other musketeers Athos, Pothos & Aramis rendered Queen Anne an invaluable service though unsuccessful attempts at rescuing the doomed King Charles I of England from death. The queen in consort with her scheming chief minister Monsiuer Mazarin condemned D`Artagnan and two of his friends into prison and an uncertain future. Through daunting schemes that the musketeers are known for, D'Artagnan and two of the musketeers escaped from the prison while capturing the Prime Minister Mazarin who unwittingly ensnared by his guiles. D'Artagnan find his way to the queen who reluctantly gave him all his requested concessions in return for bringing the Prime Minister Mazarin back alive to the queen.
The Queen broke down in tears after granting all the requests that D'Artagnan asked for and got. D'Artagnan couldn't bear the sight of his beloved Queen and soverign in tears and so decided to return all of them back to the Queen while promising to return the Prime Minister to her unscathed.
It was this singular chivalrous act from D'Artagnan that eventually won the heart of the Queen back to these men of integrity.
In her own words as D'Artagnan was retiring from the presence of this poweful queen, "I never really understood those men..."

Originally published in 1845, Twenty Years After is the lesser-known sequel to Alexander Dumas's classic novel The Three Musketeers. Dumas brings back his legendary heroes Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan, as well as many of the supporting characters from the first book, for an adventure that contains all the action, humor, and suspense of the original installment. If you haven't read the first book, you will be lost in this one, and even if you have, you might find yourself lost anyway. Twenty Years After relies more heavily on historical events than its predecessor. Dumas ingeniously weaves his fictional characters into the fabric of history, making them integral players behind the scenes of monumental events, without ever altering what's written in the history books. The story is set in the mid-seventeenth century, a complicated period in France, but Dumas provides enough historical context to keep the reader oriented amid the political turmoil.

As the title indicates, it has been twenty years since the adventures of the first book. The four Musketeers have become estranged over time, and have not spoken in several years. D'Artagnan has spent the last two decades languishing in his post as lieutenant of the Musketeers, with no opportunity for advancement, insufficient pay, and no gratitude whatsoever from the queen for his heroic exploits of the past. Cardinal Richelieu has died. The new prime minister is Cardinal Mazarin, a less formidable but equally devious ruler, who is rumored to be the lover of Queen Anne of Austria. The two rule France on behalf of King Louis XIV, a ten-year-old boy. When Mazarin commissions d'Artagnan to perform a dangerous mission, he must track down his three friends for assistance. The reunion, however, is not entirely amicable. An insurrection arises in France, known as the Fronde. Led by certain members of Parliament, the citizens of Paris rebel against the monarchy in protestation of exorbitant taxation by Mazarin. This threat to the king and queen inspires various princes and dukes to jockey for position in a mad scramble for power. Meanwhile in England, the Puritan rebel Oliver Cromwell hunts down the English monarch King Charles I. Amidst all this intrigue and strife, our four heroes find themselves on opposite sides of two civil wars. As if that were not enough, a mysterious enemy from their past is pursuing them, hell-bent on revenge.

Twenty Years After is every bit as good as The Three Musketeers, if not better. It contains all the excitement and delight of the previous novel, but Dumas develops the characters further and provides a more artfully constructed plot. It's only flaw is that the narrative requires too much time spent away from the Musketeers in order to keep track of all the historical figures. While the first book was loaded with duels, sword fights, drinking, and gambling, the second is more about political maneuvering and cunningly plotted strategies. What The Musketeers really need is a book that combines the best of both worlds. For that I hold out hope for the third book in the trilogy, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, which is named after the young ward that Athos has taken under his wing, who plays a minor role in this book. After reading Twenty Years After, I can't wait to tackle the third installment, though this wonderful series of adventure novels is so enjoyable I will be sorry to see it come to an end.

Twenty Years After by Alexan­dre Dumas is the sec­ond book in what is now knows as the d'Artagnan Romances (the first being The Three Mus­ke­teers and the third being The Vicomte de Bragelonne). As in the pre­vi­ous book, the novel was seri­al­ized in 1845 before being pub­lished in book format.

The novel's plot is com­pli­cated and would take more than a few lines to sum up. The son of "Milady", the two-faced Mazarin smug­gle the young king and his mother from Paris which is becom­ing hos­tile to the crown.

I found Twenty Years After by Alexan­dre Dumas to be as excit­ing and adven­tur­ous as its pre­de­ces­sor, but with cooler heads pre­vail­ing. Maybe because I'm at the age of d'Artagnan in the story which I thought was a delight­ful coincidence.

The novel is well writ­ten, well paced and char­ac­ter dri­ven. Dumas did a great job redefin­ing the rela­tion­ship of the four friends (d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis) as they are older but also con­nected emo­tion­ally, rather than phys­i­cally, to one another. The old friends have grown and changed yet I still felt an emo­tional con­nec­tion to them much like one does with an old high-school friend who is no longer the same per­son you took classes with.

Much like The Three Mus­ke­teers, this novel also fol­lows a com­pli­cated plot, where our heroes are try­ing to save the French and the monar­chy from them­selves. Dumas also incor­po­rates many his­tor­i­cal char­ac­ters into his fic­tional story, inter­act­ing skill­fully with char­ac­ters of his imagination.

This is a coura­geous book, not because of dar­ing deeds but because in a time like ours where no action hero ever ages, it is refresh­ing to read about foolish-types get­ting older and wiser. Dumas had courage in writ­ing a novel about his pop­u­lar heroes who have aged and the out­come is stim­u­lat­ing and exciting.

I feel I ought to explain that while I really enjoyed this book, I am giving it "only" 4 stars because I don't love it quite as much as "The Count of Monte Cristo" (which I wholeheartedly give 5 stars), and I like to rate books by the same author relative to each other. I did enjoy it just as much as "The Three Musketeers", which I also give 4 stars for the same reason (its relative placement to "Monte Cristo").

I am reading the d'Artagnan Romances via the set of FREE Kindle ebooks available here on the store. Oddly, the entire text of this Kindle version is centered, just as it looks in the "LOOK INSIDE!" sample. But, after all, the ebook is free, and it just took a little getting used to. Strangely, every now and then, the text would pleasantly surprise me and become properly justified (flush left and right) - only to revert back to being centered after a couple pages.

Anyway, about the book itself. Whenever politics came up in "The Three Musketeers", I sort of muddled my way through it. But in this book, true historical context played a bigger, more central, role. So you had Mazarinists and Frondists - I had to Google that term and read up on its Wikipedia entry! - but then what of the many dukes and princes!? I couldn't really figure out or keep track of who was on which side, or whether or not that information was really important to the story anyway. (Usually, if I couldn't figure it out, it wasn't important.)

It actually was kind of sad to see middle-aged versions of the musketeers, though I guess d'Artagnan was the only one who I really sort of pitied, at first. Dumas poignantly described him in this way: "So long as he was surrounded by his friends he retained his youth and the poetry of his character... Athos imparted to him his greatness of soul, Porthos his enthusiasm, Aramis his elegance. Had D'Artagnan continued his intimacy with these three men he would have become a superior character."

Athos and Aramis were much the same, and Porthos was frequently much more the comic relief in this book than in the previous one.

Like "The Three Musketeers", "Twenty Years After" wasn't really a funny book overall, but it had moments of comical genius. Honestly, I laughed out loud when d'Artagnan, conversing with Porthos, spoke of the biscuits!

In so many ways, "Twenty Years After" was a great continuation of "The Three Musketeers". There's plenty of swashbuckling and action, and such honor! Such nobility! Even more than before, we see examples of d'Artagnan's cleverness.

I can't pick up the next volume in the series fast enough.

And incidentally, if you are also reading the free Kindle ebooks, the next book in the series is "The Vicomte de Bragelonne". The d'Artagnan Romances were all originally published as serials, and they were later published in book form as a trilogy:

Book 1: The Three Musketeers
Book 2: Twenty Years After
Book 3: Ten Years Later

But in this free Kindle series, the original "Ten Years Later" (which is super long) is further split into 4 smaller volumes, so the series looks like this:

Book 1: The Three Musketeers
Book 2: Twenty Years After
Book 3a: The Vicomte de Bragelonne
Book 3b: Ten Years Later
Book 3c: Louise de la Vallière
Book 3d: The Man in the Iron Mask

Any Three Musketeers or Dumas fan will love the book Twenty Years After. Visiting old friends is worth the time. But this audio version may try your patience as it sounds as if performed by a Dalek with nasal problems. By the middle of the book the narrator has lost track and the voices of certain characters change. I enjoy being able to recognize who the character is by the voice the narrator uses for the person. (George Guidall's narrations of the Longmire series is an excellent example of continuity of vocalization and his over an entire series of books) Yet, as stated, any Musketeer fan will want to add this book to their collected experience.

The second part of The Three Muskeeters quadrilogy, Twenty Years After starts off on a somber note and ends in a thrilling fashion. It may not have the specialness and flair like the original, but it's highly entertaining as well.

However, a great deal of patience is required to get into Twenty Years After as the adventure begins after reading the first 250 pages. There is a lot of politics involved which reminds the readers that the state of affairs in France is bigger than the four musketeers. What's so brilliant about Alexandre Dumas is how he is able to juggle all of the luminaries of the French court and still tell a sweeping tale. It's just quite impressive given the impossible task.

Now, we know more in depth about each of the four musketeers. D'Artagnan, the true hero, is enterprising and wants to rise in ranks yet he would sell out himself to get what he wants. Athos is an ardent Royalist yet he is surprisingly weak and sometimes indecisive. In fact, if he had killed Mordaunt in the first place, Charles I might have been saved. Porthos is not the brightest bulb in the room yet he is sheerly awesome in brute strength. Aramis remains a complete mystery and not all that likeable. What's so surprising is how the three never kept up correspondences with d'Artagnan. Their servants and a couple of new ones, except for Bazin, are immensely memorable and fun.

If I am disappointed by the conduct of Anne of Austria towards the four musketeers, Twenty Years After makes her to pay for it and sees her humiliated for her lack of gratitude. In so many ways, the novel has come to a full circle, righting the wrongs in The Three Musketeers and paying off handsomely the rewards the four have worked for.

As thrilling as Twenty Years After is in spots, it's, to be honest with you, a long, trying read. The momentum has died down after the execution of Charles I, and there are 200 pages to go. A lot of the build-up takes hundreds of pages only to have a dozen of pages or less to revel in the much longed-for adventure. Mordaunt, the son of Milady, is no great shakes and is only a fraction of a villain when compared to her. In many ways, he is a disappointing figure.

Although loosely based on French history and some of England throughout the 17th century, Alexandre Dumas adds his own spice of flavor to the events so to allow the four main characters and their servants to play a large part in them. I've learned a lot, but I admittedly feel that I have to be French enough to appreciate it due to the quagmire of politics. Throughout my read, I've wanted Dumas to stick with the main characters because I am so inundated with everything else that is going on in the Louvre, on the streets of Paris, and also in England. As I am for democracy, there is a decidedly Royalist feeling associated with the book which turns me off.

All in all, although Twenty Years After is not the same as The Three Musketeers, it's still a thrilling, if sometimes boring, read.

Most people are familiar with the story of The Three Musketeers (Oxford World's Classics) - "all for one, one for all" is a pretty common catchphrase/concept and actually does come from the book - and The Man in the Iron Mask (Oxford World's Classics); both have been made into numerous movies over the years. What most people are not aware of is that there are three other novels in the series, falling between them (Twenty Years After (Oxford World's Classics),The Vicomte de Bragelonne (Oxford World's Classics), and Louise de la Vallière (Oxford World's Classics)]. And it is extraordinarily good fortune for readers that there are, as Dumas' writing is exceptionally vivid, intense, dramatic (without being over-the-top) and action-packed. Throw out almost everything you think you know about these stories if your only experience with them is via the movies - even the better versions cannot hold a candle to the books. They are full of intrigue, suspense, and treachery; of politics, passion, and incomparable prose - they will take you on a high-speed ride through French history that I guarantee will entertain as well as educate. I am a fan of the Oxford World's Classics translations - I find them eminently readable and enjoyable, and it doesn't hurt that they look nice in a row on the shelf... ;)

This is the sequel to The Three Musketeers, which I was really looking forward to reading. And I was not disappointed. Dumas writes in much the same style, though the characters are older. Time has separated d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, but they meet up once again and try to reform their old friendship. Much intrigue, as usual, is going on in France and England, and the evil Milady's son has returned to seek vengeance for his mother. Also, Cromwell is threatening King Charles I. The musketeers are one the side of the king, which was kind of interesting, because I'm not sure who was in the right, whether Cromwell was a hero or a villain. That point is extremely debatable.

My favorite part of the book was definitely the part with Milady's son. It was the most exciting and interesting part, mostly because I remembered it from The Three Musketeers, and it was more about d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, than about the king and queen of France, who, frankly, I didn't care that much about. Still, Twenty Years After was a great sequel, and I'm glad that I read it.

*You can read all of my reviews at my book review [...]

I found the first few chapters as Dumas discusses Athos getting fit for a suit and then collecting the Musketeers to be slow. Then the book picks up and is well worth the read. In this followup to the Three Muskateers, they are older but their characters get additional development and we meet new characters - including Athos' son Raoul, and the new Cardinal Mazarin. My few complaints about this book are (Spoilers) that the Musketeers weren't able to save the King. I think that will leave most readers crest fallen. I also thought Ann of Austria was a self-centered ogre in this - albeit she changed at the end - sort of. D'Artangan only has to completely fall at her feet and ask that his next assignment cause him to give his life for her, for her to finally melt and become a caring human. Other than that, I really got into the story and was sad when it ended. I'm off to read the Vicomte De Bragelonne now as that is the next installment in the Three Muskateers series.

This is the second book in Dumas' Musketeers trilogy and the sequel to The Three Musketeers. Since this is not a trilogy which can be read out of order, the best way of describing the book is probably to compare it to the first one.

The basis is quite simple: it is twenty years since the adventures of the Four, and they have gone their separate ways. After Cardinal Richeleu's death, the new de-facto ruler of France is Mazarin, who is less ruthless yet less honourable. Rather than feared and hated as Richeleu was, Mazarin is unpopular, despised and scorned - and has a reputation for enormous avarice. As d'Artagnan's brilliance has gone largely unrewarded in his 20 years as lieutenant of the Musketeers, he embraces the chance to serve Mazarin directly.

However, in trying to gather his three friends, he finds out the extent to which time separates people. No longer a unit, the four are caught on opposite sides of the historical Fronde conflict. The book is essentially about their exploits with the added dimension of the attempts to maintain their friendship despite the outside world causing many a rift. I think this is the book's greatest strength, as the whole trilogy shows a kind of progression from pure swashbuckling at the start of the Three Musketeers to a more introspective attitude. In Twenty Years after, this applies not only to history, but to friendships and interpersonal relationships.

This book contains many more detailed references to historical events (as many events in the first book weren't related to documented events) and hence will envelop you in a more concrete historical setting. On the other hand, this will mean more inaccuracies. Furthermore, Twenty Years after is longer than The Three Musketeers (so don't expect to get through it in one afternoon) but it's still classic drama-filled, scheming Dumas.

Overall, a great book. I agree with people who say it's as good as the original, just don't expect more of EXACTLY the same - if it were it would be boring, but as Athos, Porthos, d'Artagnan and Aramis mature, so does our reading of their exploits.

Others have spoken about the story line so I'll just focus on my impression. The book is definitely worth a read as long as you're willing to put in the effort. The first half of the book focuses on setting the stage. Some of this is very interesting as we get a chance to see where the Musketeers have ended up 20 years after the events of 'The three Musketeers.' Other parts describe court intrigue and the the political climate of the time. Some will find this interesting, others will not. One thing that is certain, is that the first half of the book contains little of the action that one would expect from a followup to 'The Three Musketeers.' The latter half of the book is fast passed, (relatively) action packed and thoroughly enjoyable.

This book was clearly written for a different generation. It was intended for people from the age before Facebook and five minute YouTube videos. It as intended for people who could hold something in their attention for at least 350 pages (which would have been a year or more serialized)before things start to get really exciting. If you think that's you, go for it. It's definitely worth a read.

While my copy of Dumas' "Three Musketeers" bears the mark of my having reread it six or seven times in the form of dog-eared and slightly bent pages, my copy of "Twenty Years After" is probably just as worn, if not more so, as the original manuscript. This enchanting depiction of love-the love between a father and son, and between friends-surpasses all previous attempts to convey the true depth of this emotion. Dumas portrays his characters in the most intricate and emotionally provocative light, particularly Athos. This incarnate depiction of nobility and goodness is the heart and soul of the book, as a father, a friend, a soldier dedicated to the cause of justice. The work is written with such a deep and apparent sense of humanity, to the point where the reader is drawn into every battle, becomes a passionate proponent of every cause. Overall, this is a breathtaking, passionate work, full of intrigue and not at all lacking in humor. An absolute must-read!

If you enjoyed The Three Muscateers, you'll enjoy finding out what happens next to our four friends. Dumas continues to sucessfully blend history and story-telling in this second book of the trilogy. It picks up 20 years after the end of the Three Muscateers and follows the characters through new adventures. The Oxford edition features good endnotes that help explain the historical references. You'll enjoy this if you liked Dumas' earlier work.

Twenty years after, although not as good as the Three Musketeers, is an excellent novel. In traditional Dumas style it starts of slowly to reach the climax late in the book. Twenty Years after is the second in a series of five novels about Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artangnan. Once again I dare anyone not to get drawn in by these four characters. I recommend that one reads these five book in order (The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, Vicomte of Bragleonne, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask). Please write back with any comments.

Twenty years after, although not as good as the Three Musketeers, is an excellent novel. In traditional Dumas style it starts of slowly to reach the climax late in the book. Twenty Years after is the second in a series of five novels about Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artangnan. Once again I dare anyone not to get drawn in by these four characters. I recommend that one reads these five book in order (The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, Vicomte of Bragleonne, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask). Please write back with any comments.

Takes a bit to get started, but once it does, it takes off fast. More high adventure, romance, intrigue, you name it.

If you liked The Three Musketeers then you will like this one.

As I said, it takes a bit to get started so please give it a chance!! You won't be sorry!

Regards.

20 Years After is the second book in the 5 book trilogy of The Three Musketeers. This wonderful book contains intrigue, suspense, and best of all D'artgnan, Athos, Porthos, and Arimis. The 4 friends really find out what their friendship is all about. This book contains everything: revenge, musketeer vs musketeer, the resurgence of death (or Winter I should say, hint, hint), the diamond, and just about anything else you can think of. Dumas keeps you on your seat, even though the first half of the book is a bit dry but that is because he sets up the political arena in which our heros fight in. Excellent book I cannot wait to read the next book in line.

Book 2 of the D'Artagnan Romances

The Musketeers re-unite to fight Milady's son, Mordaunt. The book is chock full of the same humor that made The Three Musketeers a classic. As usual, Dumas tweaks history to fit his novel's needs, but even so, I'm an even more confirmed Dumas-o-phile.

This book was so wonderful, it even dares to compete with The Three Musketeers! Alexandre Dumas could not have thought of a more perfect sequel. At this moment, I am devouring the next book. I think my favorite scenes in this book are the ones with just Athos and D'Artangnan. Athos is my favorite, then D'Artangnan. Athos is so kind and peacful, and D'Artangnan is so clever! I read the other reveiws of this book, and I could agree with them more. Oh, and by the way----- all of you who loved this book should definatley read Queen Margot, by Alexandre Dumas. It is just as exciting, but I am warning you: It is SO SAD! My advice is this: just don't read the last five chapters!

After more looking into, I've discovered the World's Classic version of the referenced title is unabridged (880+ pages) vs. 380 pages for the Library Edition. Why is this edition (Library) not advertised on this website as "abridged"? I paid the store.com $28+ for this book. I consider abridged novels to be complete wastes of time. I have since ordered the World's Classics version from the store, primarily because I can't find it anywhere else. By the way, the World's Classics version's info page says 2-3 days availability. After ordering, the order page says 4-6 weeks availability.
Anyways, I think it would be good practice, not to mention more truthful advertising, to indicate when a book is less than unabridged.

For anyone who cares...The Musketeer Trilogy is just that. "The Vicomte de Bragelonne," "Louise de la Valliere," and "The Man in the Iron Mask" were originally published together as "Ten Years Later." Hence, the trilogy is, in chronological order: "The Three Musketeers," "Twenty Years After," and "Ten Years Later." Oh, and by the way, I consider each of them a '10' - I don't want to rant here about modern man's inability to sit still and focus for longer than an hour (inclusive of commercial breaks) - but the movie "The man in the Iron Mask" doesn't even come close to the books (or any classic for that matter).

All the goodness of the first book with a return to well-beloved characters, then added intrigue and new adventures. This version is complete with illustrations and footnotes that are easy to view via kindle, and the table of contents is very user friendly.

This second book of the five "D'Artagnan romances" (The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, The Viscount of Bragelonne, Louise de la Valliere, The Man in the Iron Mask) is as fun and fascinating as the first book. The third and fourth (originally published as one book) tend away from the grand adventure and can be tedious at times. The final book swashes buckles again in the best Dumas style.

Great book, Dumas' hability to combine history with fiction just doesn't compare to anyone. His description of the characters is just great as well. You'll just want to have four friends like the musketeers. I just miss Richelieu, Mazarino really stinks. Don't you think so?

...I'd put all of 'em up for that book! It is
seriously the best one out of the trilogy. I
especially love the scene where Athos and
d'Artagnan meet in the former's chateau--it's sooo
tender! And I love the scene at the Place
Royale--very very very touching! I love Athos best...

Though intimidating at first with its thick binding...this was without a doubt the best book that I have read to date. Every sentence flows like liquid. Its beautifully written. They don't write them like this anymore.

I've read four of the five (and it's not a TRILOGY with 5, gang!), as well as 9 other Dumas classics now out of print. It's great to see the classics coming back in style again!! If you like Dumas, check out Rafael Sabatini. H. Godfrey