The Man in the Iron Mask

by Paul Mantell

Book Overview

The Musketeers are back in another exciting adventure! This time a terrible secret threatens to bring down the throne of France. Aramis, Athos, Porthos, and d'Artagnan must rally once again to serve... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679894330
• ISBN13: 9780679894339
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Length: 118 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 5

Customer Reviews

No One Can Write a More Thrilling Story than Dumas

Having just spent the last few months reading all five books in the Three Musketeer series, the following are my suggestions. 1. Read all five books in order. The Man in the Iron Mask is probably enjoyable on its own but reading the four books that proceed it help place the story in its proper context. Think of the Man in the Iron Mask as the dessert in a five course meal. Dessert is great but the four proceeding course are also enjoyable. Getting to the end of the book was especially enjoyable knowing that I was finishing a 3,500 page experience. 2. Read the Oxford University editions. There are wonderful end notes that help the reader keep track of the characters and events. When you read 3,500 pages you need that type of assistance to keep things straight. The Introductions are also very well written and help the reader get back into focus before beginning the next chapter. 3. If you really like any one book in particular, go to the internet and purchase a well illustrated used hardback edition for your collection. I purchased a used Three Musketeers with illustrations by Maurice Leloir. The three hundred plus illustrations make that edition especially enjoyable. Along with Sir Walter Scott, Alexandre Dumas created the genre of the historical adventure novel. I have been reading these types of novels my entire life. Beyond a doubt, Alexandre Dumas is the master virtuoso of this genre.

Fantastic! But be warned!

Let met start by saying that I've read this at least four times, so obviously I love it. But the title is deceptive. If you are looking for a story about a falsely imprisoned man bravely escaping and getting revenge on those who did him wrong, you should think twice about buying this book. Hollywood has for years tried to turn this novel into such an "escape" story, based mainly on its title, so that's the impression people have of the book.If you're looking for such a story, I'd highly recommend The Count of Monte Cristo (Oxford has an edition that runs upward of 1,000 pages - which is daunting - but Bantam has an abridgement that is 450 pages and is quite entertaining. That may be the exact book you're looking for!).The Man in the Iron Mask tells a different story, one based on historic facts. In 1661, King Louis XIV of France had his minister of finances - Nicolas Fouquet - arrested for embezzlement. Also in that year, Louis successfully wooed a young handmaiden named Louise, which caused some stir. In this novel, Dumas gives us the secret history behind these facts, and it is no surprise that the story involves his famous Four Musketeers.More specifically, Aramis becomes privy to the fact that Louis has a twin brother languishing in the Bastille, and he attempts to switch the two. The novel details his fascinating and rather intricate plot to pull this off, as well as how the other Musketeers fit into the plan.However, the first couple of hundred pages concern mainly the aforementioned historic events, and its a bit of reading before you get to the meat of the action.I can't recommend this book highly enough - it seems to have become part of my life, the way some good books can - but don't let the title create a false expectation. You'll be dissappointed - instead, read The Count of Monte Cristo.But if you love literature, if you love stories of complex intrigue, and especially if you love the Four Musketeers, you HAVE to read this book at least once in your life!

The Greatest Traedy

This is the greatest tragedy I have ever read, in terms of strength of feeling, style of writing, and everything else that makes a story good. Two warnings: the book is hardly similar to the recent movie (which was a good movie, but the book is even better); and, if you haven't read the first four Musketeers books, "The Man in the Iron Mask" won't make much sense. The first books are "The Three Musketeers" (obviously), "Twenty Years After," "The Vicomte de Bragelonne," and "Louise de la Valliere." Without the middle books, which may be hard to find (my library had to special order them), you will hardly know the characters at all, but if you read all five, they will feel like your best friends. (Also, don't read the Introduction to the Oxford World Classics editions; it gives away the ending!) The last book had me crying the last hundred pages, at least. This is the greatest series of books ever written. --Abigail

This is Dumas at his best!

I read Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo when I was a freshman and fell totally in love with his writing and the story. Surprising then, that I didn't pick up more of his books till three years later, after seeing The Man in the Iron Mask the movie. Guess what, the book and the movie are nothing alike, (what a shocker) but the book is better in all ways. Only Dumas can capture the sense of history and timelessness that is in his novels. I admit that the beginning of The Man in the Iron Mask is confusing for those who haven't read the previous four books(it was for me) yet the story is a wonderful one, richly told and full of the adventure and excitement that Dumas puts into all his works. Within pages I was hooked on the book and found myself totally engrossed with characters I had never met before. It has all the qualities of a first-class adventure story: bravery, friendship, love, death, and an indefinable longing for the world to be somewhat better than it truly is. The plot has little to do with Philippe (The man in the iron mask) and deals with the last adventures of Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan, and the ties of friendship which bind them together. I cried throughout the last fifty pages of the book. After finishing it, I immediately read the rest of the Musketeer series and have become a life-long fan. I recommend this book to anyone who has a sense a romance and adventure.

A poignant ending to the most romantic series ever written.

This book only marginally resembles the recent movie. The last of The D'Artagnan Romances, a series of six romances spanning forty years and written by Alexandre Dumas in the mid-1800s, The Man in the Iron Mask presents Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan aligned against each other politically, but always joined together in spirit and friendship. The series vividly recreates the courts of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, as seen from the perspective of the four Musketeers. The intrigue and adventures of these four men carries the reader into their lives, loves, and tragedies. In The Man in the Iron Mask, Philippe's struggle with his identity and his attempt to rule France serves only as a backdrop to the complex relations of the characters. Dumas' flamboyant writing style enhances the intricate splendor he describes. A master wordsmith, Dumas was extremely successful in France during his life. The Man in the Iron Mask and the other D'Artagnan Romances are based on the Memoirs of Monsieur D'Artagnan, written by Courtils de Sandras. Dumas' other great success was The Count of Monte Cristo. ...The D'Artagnan Romances are: The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Ten Years Later, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask.