The Royal Life Guard. A Historical Romance of the Suppression of the French Monarchy

Alexandre Dumas

The Royal Life Guard A Historical Romance of the Suppression of the French Monarchy is a historical romance of the suppression of the French monarchy. France had been changed to a limited monarchy from an absolute one, and King Louis XVI had solemnly sworn to defend the new Constitution. But it had been remarked by shrewd observers that he had not attended the Te Deum at the Paris Cathedral, with the members of the National Assembly: that is, he would tell a lie but not commit perjury. Fans of classic historical fiction will delight in this gem from Alexandre Dumas, author of such masterpieces as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. Bringing together fast-paced action and a richly detailed look at life in a bygone era, The Royal Life Guard merits a place on your must-read list.

The Three Musketeers

Alexandre Dumas

The Three Musketeers (French: Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. Set in 16251628 when France is under threat, it recounts the adventures of a young nobleman named dArtagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard. Although dArtagnan is not able to join this elite corps immediately, he befriends the three most formidable musketeers of the age the mysterious Athos, bumbling Porthos and ambitious and romantic Aramis who lived under the French kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, who reigned during the 17th and early 18th centuries and gets involved in affairs of the state and court. Together the friends must use all their guile and ingenuity to outwit the dastardly schemes of the powerful Cardinal Richelieu and the glamorous spy, Milady. With a plot that delivers stolen diamonds, masked balls, purloined letters, and, of course, great bouts of swordplay, The Three Musketeers is eternally entertaining!

The Vicomte de Bragelonne

Alexandre Dumas

The dArtagnan Romances are a set of three novels by Alexandre Dumas telling the story of the musketeer dArtagnan from his humble beginnings in Gascony to his death as a marshal of France in the Siege of Maastricht in 1673. It is May 1660 and the fate of nations is at stake. Mazarin plots, Louis XIV is in love, and Raoul de Bragelonne, son of Athos, is intent on serving France and winning the heart of Louise de la Valliere. DArtagnan, meanwhile, is perplexed by a mysterious stranger, and soon he learns that his old comrades already have great projects in hand. Athos seeks the restoration of Charles II, while Aramis, with Porthos in tow, has a secret plan involving a masked prisoner and the fortification of the island of Belle-Ile. DArtagnan finds a thread leading him to the French court, the banks of the Tyne, the beaches of Holland, and the dunes of Brittany. The Vicomte de Bragelonne: Ten Years Later is the 3rd and largest continuation of the Musketeer saga, following The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After.

The Wolf-Leader

Alexandre Dumas

During the absolutism in France, the young clog-maker Thibaudt has a deep desire to belong to the aristocracy. One day he saves the life of a wolf, who fled from the baron Jean de Vez and his hunting party. A while later Thibaudt imagine his amazement: the wolf transformed himself into a human and offers him a pact. The wolf promises to grant Thibaults wishes in exchange for a hair on his head. As Thibault wishes harm upon more and more people, the hairs on his head become red and wiry. Thibaults life only gets worse, however; he is able to take revenge on his enemies, but the villagers suspect him to be a werewolf. The Wolf-Leader, a novel by Alexandre Dumas, was originally published in 1857. In the lengthy but entertaining introduction, Dumas explains that the novel is based on folktales he grew up hearing in his hometown of Villers-Cotterts. This particular tale was told to him by a gamekeeper who often took him hunting as a young man. The novel contains elements of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, yet it times is also quite comic.

Twenty Years After

Alexandre Dumas

Anyone old enough to have friends they havent seen for many years knows how difficult it can be to get everyone together again. And when you do, its never quite the same. Thats the theme of Twenty Years After (1845), Alexandre Dumass sequel to The Three Musketeers that is a supreme creation of suspense and heroic adventure. This story follows events in France during La Fronde, during the childhood reign of Louis XIV, and in England near the end of the English Civil War, leading up to the victory of Oliver Cromwell and the execution of King Charles I. Here the much beloved DArtaganan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis reunite to fight the forces of evil. In the original novel they defeated Milady, a formidable foe; now they need to face her vengeful son Mordaunt, as well as countering the machinations of the sinister Cardinal Mazarin. Translated into many languages and adapted for cinema and television, The Musketeer novels have helped to make Dumas arguably the most successful exporter of French culture to the wider world.