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gjmaupin's review
3.0
I’m rating the book higher than is my wish because my bad experience with it has much to do with it being a Zeno’s Nightmare Doorstop for an audiobook narrator. Dumas seemed averse to effing pronouns so I got to pronounce every snot-laden Francophone name four times per sentence for EIGHT. HUNDRED. PAGES. I get paid, but I’m glad he’s dead.
awoodalla's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
wordsmithlynn's review
3.0
I adore Alexandre Dumas. I've read all the original musketeer stories, so I was really excited to hear about this book. I have to admit that it was a bit disappointing. Since it's billed as a Three Musketeers sequel, that really raises expectations of who the main characters are going to be. In fact, it's not really about the musketeers, it's more about Richelieu.
Still, there are a lot of great action sequences, impossible escapes, surprising twists and witty banter. So while it won't go down as a MAJOR addition to the Dumas canon, it's still an enjoyable read for devotees of one of France's greatest storytellers.
I received my copy of this book for free at Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Still, there are a lot of great action sequences, impossible escapes, surprising twists and witty banter. So while it won't go down as a MAJOR addition to the Dumas canon, it's still an enjoyable read for devotees of one of France's greatest storytellers.
I received my copy of this book for free at Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
spinnerroweok's review
3.0
A sequel to the Three Musketeers, only without any musketeers. This book is a mixed bag. Parts of it are very good, especially the section in which Cardinal Richelieu resigns. And parts of it just meander around. Of course this book doesn't end because Dumas never finished it. If that is a spoiler to you, I'm sorry.
It does come with a completed epistolary short story, "The Dove" that is supposed to resolve the story of the supposed protagonist, who hardly appears in the book, and when he does, who cares. But the short story is very good on its own.
It does come with a completed epistolary short story, "The Dove" that is supposed to resolve the story of the supposed protagonist, who hardly appears in the book, and when he does, who cares. But the short story is very good on its own.
thatokiebird's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
The Red Sphinx is listed as the second book in the The d'Artagnan Romances, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it should not be included. For one, d'Artagnan makes no appearance in the book, neither do any of the other musketeers. It does have many scenes of intrigue and swashbuckling and romance, but I found very little humor which was abundant in The Three Musketeers.
It's broken into two parts, The Comte de Moret, which was published incomplete do to the nature of its original serialization and the publisher going out of business before completion, and The Dove, which was published earlier in Dumas' life. It's inclusion in this book sort of acts like a conclusion for The Comte de Moret since we're left literally in the middle of a scene, but it really isn't a conclusion at all. However, The Dove is much better, the romance and suspense is beautifully written throughout.
I listened to the audiobook version, which is decently narrated, and I did appreciate the notes included at both the beginning and the end by the translator, to give more backstory and history for this book.
It's broken into two parts, The Comte de Moret, which was published incomplete do to the nature of its original serialization and the publisher going out of business before completion, and The Dove, which was published earlier in Dumas' life. It's inclusion in this book sort of acts like a conclusion for The Comte de Moret since we're left literally in the middle of a scene, but it really isn't a conclusion at all. However, The Dove is much better, the romance and suspense is beautifully written throughout.
I listened to the audiobook version, which is decently narrated, and I did appreciate the notes included at both the beginning and the end by the translator, to give more backstory and history for this book.
margo415's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
laura975's review
3.0
I'm still not sure on the translation, but it was lovely to be reading about some of Dumas' most famous characters again.
vlynnk89's review against another edition
4.0
This is an unfinished story from Dumas but the translator (Lawrence Ellsworth) added the short story The Dove to the end as a way to wrap it up and I think it works quite well. It is a long book but a lot of added story about the Cardinal and what he was up to following the events of the Three Musketeers.
If you look at the D'Artagnan romance series list, this book is listed as 1.5 in the series and that's because the musketeers never actually appear. This is indeed a sequel to the Three Musketeers but centered on the Cardinal, not the musketeers.
If you look at the D'Artagnan romance series list, this book is listed as 1.5 in the series and that's because the musketeers never actually appear. This is indeed a sequel to the Three Musketeers but centered on the Cardinal, not the musketeers.