The Man in the Iron Mask （Alexandre Dumas）

The Man in the Iron Mask is the final episode in the cycle of novels featuring Dumas celebrated foursome of D Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, who first appeared in The Three Musketeers. Some thirty-five years on, the bonds of comradeship are under strain as they end up on different sides in a power struggle that may undermine the young Louis XIV and change the face of the French monarchy. 
 
In the fast-paced narrative style that was his trademark, Dumas pitches us straight into the action. What is the secret shared by Aramis and Madame de Chevreuse? Why does the Queen Mother fear its revelation? Who is the mysterious prisoner in the Bastille? And what is the nature of the threat he poses? Dumas, the master storyteller, keeps us reading until the climactic scene in the grotto of Locmaria, a fitting conclusion to the epic saga of the musketeers.
 
One of the most widely read French authors in history, Alexandre Dumas (1802 - 1870 )  is best-known for his iconic classic The Three Musketeers, as well as for The Count of Monte Cristo, and the two Musketeer sequels Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. Dumas began his writing career as a successful playwright, and later evolved to writing magazine articles and travel books, before extending his talents to fiction. His work has been translated into over one hundred languages and has been the subject of nearly two hundred film adaptations that include talent as varied as Leonardo DiCaprio, James Whale, and Mickey Mouse.