Set in the 1620s under the reign of Louis XIII in France, The Three Musketeers follows four companions as they serve his majesty and grow in friendship with each other. They are:
Athos, quiet stoic with an unknown past
Porthos, flamboyant with an eye for the limelight (and the ladies)
Aramis, fighting until he can no longer reject his inner desire for the monastery
D'Artagnan, young Gascon eager to prove himself, and the central hero in the tale
They find themselves in a France wrought with tension. The King's chief minister, the Cardinal Richelieu, has considerable power, and the country is divided between Royalists and Cardinalists (frenemies is an apt description). The foreign-born Queen is distrusted, and the Cardinal seeks to use that to his benefit as external perils (from England, Austria, and Spain) loom. The Musketeers, as Royalists, battle against the Cardinal's schemes and allies, including the dangerous Milady de Winter, all while fighting for King and Catholicism against the Huguenots at the Siege of La Rochelle. "All for one, and one for all," can they prevail against such powerful foes?
This "historical fiction"* is a classic for a reason. It's full of suspense, comedy, tragedy, and adventure. It also reflects aspects of the society of that era (to include the common extramarital relationships practiced by "good guy" and bad alike). Overall I liked it, despite the number and magnitude of coincidences or "right place at the right time" situations, which seemed excessive. (And I wasn't a fan of the morals of the age.) But the characters, humor, and suspense were top-notch. It's not as good as The Count of Monte Cristo, but it's close.
Rating: A
*the main personalities existed, but Dumas uses them with no attempt at historical accuracy. Historical fiction is probably an incorrect term as a result . . .
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