Alexandre Dumas and David Coward - The Man in the Iron Mask

Pros: it could have been a good story
Cons: it’s not a good story; falls apart in the middle and never reassembles

I love books with only the barest suggestions of plot and a charm that subsides entirely on personality, the so-called plotless book. It works when the author is a master at the craft. If only The Man in the Iron Mask had no plot. Then at least ...

Pros: Tells what happened to the famous musketeers
Cons: Second half is boring, ponderous, and lacking in strong characters

It pains me to write this because I am, at heart, a print person. My paycheck depends on people wanting and buying printed materials. But this is one instance where the movie far outshines the book and I'm glad there was a screenwriter with a vision to...

Pros: Good plot--for 200 pages
Cons: Stupid hole, right in the middle

I’ll start off by saying this: I am reviewing a book that I never finished. I debated this for the longest time, but decided it wasn’t worth the frustration of finishing just to be able to write a review. So I guess you can see what I think of The Man...

Pros: Nice to see all the guys together again.
Cons: Hugely disappointing ending!

For years I have wanted to read "The Man In the Iron Mask." I was always reluctant to attempt it, however, because it is the final book to the three musketeers series and I didn't want to read it before finishing all the books before it....

Pros: Action, suspense, drama, quality work
Cons: Lengthy, not for the passive reader

Dumas is a French author through and through. That means that he writes in a witty, all encompassing style with massive plots, detailed characters, and vivid imagery and scenery. If you are the kind of person that thinks Steele novels are wordy, then...