So I've had this book sat on the bookshelf for ages. Decided to break it out and actually read it. What I didn't realise is that it is the fifth and final book in the musketeers series. Oops.
So this book follows the continuing adventures of the musketeers that those who have read the previous 4 books will have grown to love. If however you haven't read the previous books you will be very confused, not know who anyone is, why they are doing what they are doing and why nobody likes it.
That aside, this book is about a plot to replace the king with his secret identical twin. That's the main plot but there are so many intricate plots going on that it's hard to get your head round them all. A huge array of very similarly named French people are basically trying to get one over on everyone else and have an arsenal of devious tricks and backstabbing methods to help them do it. Again I'm sure all these feuds make sense if you've seen them develop over time but for me it was all very confusing.
But you get the hang of it and the book is a clever political thriller in ways with all the various plots and plans overlapping to drive the story in interesting directions. But with all this going on the whole man in the iron mask thing falls into the background and actually a man is only in an iron mask for 2 pages or so. It wasn't what I was expecting and I hoped more would be made of this as it was deemed important enough to name the book after but then I suppose French courtiers hate each other isn't as catchy.
So I came into a saga way to late and was often confused but I still quite enjoyed the book and knowing how all the musketeers die (it's the last book and they are all old, that's not a spoiler) has kind of made me want to go back and read the previous books, in the right order, to get to know the men better as I really liked them even after only knowing them b
So this book follows the continuing adventures of the musketeers that those who have read the previous 4 books will have grown to love. If however you haven't read the previous books you will be very confused, not know who anyone is, why they are doing what they are doing and why nobody likes it.
That aside, this book is about a plot to replace the king with his secret identical twin. That's the main plot but there are so many intricate plots going on that it's hard to get your head round them all. A huge array of very similarly named French people are basically trying to get one over on everyone else and have an arsenal of devious tricks and backstabbing methods to help them do it. Again I'm sure all these feuds make sense if you've seen them develop over time but for me it was all very confusing.
But you get the hang of it and the book is a clever political thriller in ways with all the various plots and plans overlapping to drive the story in interesting directions. But with all this going on the whole man in the iron mask thing falls into the background and actually a man is only in an iron mask for 2 pages or so. It wasn't what I was expecting and I hoped more would be made of this as it was deemed important enough to name the book after but then I suppose French courtiers hate each other isn't as catchy.
So I came into a saga way to late and was often confused but I still quite enjoyed the book and knowing how all the musketeers die (it's the last book and they are all old, that's not a spoiler) has kind of made me want to go back and read the previous books, in the right order, to get to know the men better as I really liked them even after only knowing them b
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