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dgrachel's review
4.0
My #YearofDumas continues with this lost sequel to The Three Musketeers, The Red Sphinx. Because this hadn't been published when I originally read The Three Musketeers, this is my first time reading this particular sequel. I really enjoyed it.
Last month, even though I own a Lawrence Ellsworth translation of The Three Musketeers, I opted for the Richard Pevear translation. The difference between the two styles is fascinating to me, and just goes to show how much can be changed in the feel and flow of a novel by translators. Unfortunately, I cannot speak or read French, so I cannot read these in their original language, which is a shame. While I enjoy the work of both translators, I feel like Pevear's work is a bit clunky, and while it may be truer to the French in a word-for-word translation, it doesn't flow as well as Ellsworth's, and I'm a little sorry I didn't opt for the Ellsworth translation of Musketeers.
As for the story itself, I have to admit I was a little thrown off by the cover blurb and by the treatment of Cardinal Richelieu. I thought this was going to center more on the actions of the Comte de Moret, but this is much more a story of Richelieu, at least, until the abrupt end of the original manuscript. In The Three Musketeers, he was very much the villain. In The Red Sphinx, Dumas appears to look on the Cardinal with a fonder eye, emphasizing his support of Louis XIII, and his skills as a statesman. The Comte de Moret is also more of a side character, albeit an important one. The Dove, which is a short epistolary story, which Ellsworth chooses to include as a conclusion to The Red Sphinx, is a series of letters between Isabelle de Lautrec and the Comte. It's as fitting an end as any, I suppose, since it appears Dumas never finished the book himself.
That abrupt ending and the addition of The Dove as the conclusion is what brings me to the 4 star rating instead of 5. The completely different style of storytelling in The Dove compared to the main text is jarring. It doesn't help that I was not at all interested in the love story between the two characters whose exchange of letters we read. The other issue I had, and it's one I have with all of Dumas, is that there are SO MANY CHARACTERS. I find it difficult to keep everyone straight. Those two criticisms aside, The Red Sphinx is a highly entertaining adventure tale full of intrigue, sword fights, and a fair bit of chaste romance. I think that's why I love Dumas so much. There is so much joy in the writing. I can't wait to (re)read more!
Last month, even though I own a Lawrence Ellsworth translation of The Three Musketeers, I opted for the Richard Pevear translation. The difference between the two styles is fascinating to me, and just goes to show how much can be changed in the feel and flow of a novel by translators. Unfortunately, I cannot speak or read French, so I cannot read these in their original language, which is a shame. While I enjoy the work of both translators, I feel like Pevear's work is a bit clunky, and while it may be truer to the French in a word-for-word translation, it doesn't flow as well as Ellsworth's, and I'm a little sorry I didn't opt for the Ellsworth translation of Musketeers.
As for the story itself, I have to admit I was a little thrown off by the cover blurb and by the treatment of Cardinal Richelieu. I thought this was going to center more on the actions of the Comte de Moret, but this is much more a story of Richelieu, at least, until the abrupt end of the original manuscript. In The Three Musketeers, he was very much the villain. In The Red Sphinx, Dumas appears to look on the Cardinal with a fonder eye, emphasizing his support of Louis XIII, and his skills as a statesman. The Comte de Moret is also more of a side character, albeit an important one. The Dove, which is a short epistolary story, which Ellsworth chooses to include as a conclusion to The Red Sphinx, is a series of letters between Isabelle de Lautrec and the Comte. It's as fitting an end as any, I suppose, since it appears Dumas never finished the book himself.
That abrupt ending and the addition of The Dove as the conclusion is what brings me to the 4 star rating instead of 5. The completely different style of storytelling in The Dove compared to the main text is jarring. It doesn't help that I was not at all interested in the love story between the two characters whose exchange of letters we read. The other issue I had, and it's one I have with all of Dumas, is that there are SO MANY CHARACTERS. I find it difficult to keep everyone straight. Those two criticisms aside, The Red Sphinx is a highly entertaining adventure tale full of intrigue, sword fights, and a fair bit of chaste romance. I think that's why I love Dumas so much. There is so much joy in the writing. I can't wait to (re)read more!
velocitygirl14's review
5.0
I loved this book!
A wild trip till the end, it wasn’t a sequel per say, but more of a parallel to the three musketeers. It was more interesting and intriguing to see the other perspectives happening in the court and the much less sympathetic take on the king and the court.
Loved the snark in regards to history details and how the enriched the plot. Glad I read it.
A wild trip till the end, it wasn’t a sequel per say, but more of a parallel to the three musketeers. It was more interesting and intriguing to see the other perspectives happening in the court and the much less sympathetic take on the king and the court.
Loved the snark in regards to history details and how the enriched the plot. Glad I read it.
saralynnburnett's review
5.0
Less swashbuckling and more political scheming than you may be used to with Dumas but like all Dumas - a fabulous, funny, tale you want to linger it. It's a long book that ends too quickly. What a pleasure to have finally had this available in English. I wish there were more to look forward to!
jdonliturgy's review
4.0
Adventures of a Master of Political Intrigue
Full of plots and adventures, romance and plenty of swashbuckling set against the backdrop of the major and minor courts of 17th Century Europe. A few too many detailed battle scenes for my tastes, but altogether this late work of Dumas paints an admirable portrait of the genius of Cardinal Richelieu. The last part of the tale, written as letters between two star-crossed lovers, is very romantic.
Full of plots and adventures, romance and plenty of swashbuckling set against the backdrop of the major and minor courts of 17th Century Europe. A few too many detailed battle scenes for my tastes, but altogether this late work of Dumas paints an admirable portrait of the genius of Cardinal Richelieu. The last part of the tale, written as letters between two star-crossed lovers, is very romantic.
lubinka's review
4.0
An Alexandre Dumas work - definitely, but a sequel to the Three Musketeers - certainly not; these promotional half truths do more a disservice to the book that enhance its acceptance by the public.
I also feel that a bit more editing would have been beneficial for the final outcome - I wouldn't have missed some annoying anachronisms, some overly lengthy historical passages and the overload of adverts for his other novels, which we love and cherish anyways. I also didn't quite appreciate some of Dumas' trademark - but often rather absurd - coincidences, although I suppose there's no cure for that.
Still, a new novel by Dumas could never be a disappointment for the completist at heart. His captivating writing style, albeit somewhat muddled by the penny-a-line convention, his lively characters, his humor, the intrigue, the passion, the historical background that we get to know in detail- all that is more than enough for me to say that I truly enjoyed this novel, even despite its untimely cliffhanger of an ending, and the slightly ridiculous novella added to this edition. Richelieu was among my favorite characters even when portrayed as a villain in the Three Musketeers, so this vindication is most welcome for his numerous fans.
Last, but not least, the translator did a magnificent job of rendering this book into English, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the result. Thanks to him and to the gifted narrator, this book turned out to be much more enjoyable than I expected after reading the initial impressions here.
I also feel that a bit more editing would have been beneficial for the final outcome - I wouldn't have missed some annoying anachronisms, some overly lengthy historical passages and the overload of adverts for his other novels, which we love and cherish anyways. I also didn't quite appreciate some of Dumas' trademark - but often rather absurd - coincidences, although I suppose there's no cure for that.
Still, a new novel by Dumas could never be a disappointment for the completist at heart. His captivating writing style, albeit somewhat muddled by the penny-a-line convention, his lively characters, his humor, the intrigue, the passion, the historical background that we get to know in detail- all that is more than enough for me to say that I truly enjoyed this novel, even despite its untimely cliffhanger of an ending, and the slightly ridiculous novella added to this edition. Richelieu was among my favorite characters even when portrayed as a villain in the Three Musketeers, so this vindication is most welcome for his numerous fans.
Last, but not least, the translator did a magnificent job of rendering this book into English, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the result. Thanks to him and to the gifted narrator, this book turned out to be much more enjoyable than I expected after reading the initial impressions here.
paladinjane's review
4.0
Despite not having terribly tight plotting, this was a fun read. There are lots of little side stories about minor characters in order to introduce what sort of person they were, and those stories are often hilarious. As for the actual plot, it was fun to read a book with Cardinal Richelieu as a protagonist, and the Comte de Moret was charming too. Dumas is excellent at writing vibrant, active characters.
Of course, as I'm sure you've noted, the novel was unfinished, although the translator noted that an earlier novella by Dumas provides a good ending for some of the characters of the novel. Thus, there is an abrupt shift in the book from where the unfinished novel ends and the novella begins. It jumps forward a couple of years, and those two years really matter for the characters. Allegiances have changed in that time. Major political and military action has dramatically changed the political climate. We don't get a real ending to the novel for Richelieu (although some of what ultimately transpires is explained in the novella and we see where the conspiracy ended up). In essence, the book remains obviously incomplete, but it does have a somewhat satisfying ending written by Dumas himself.
The shift to the novella is jarring, not only because of the time shift, but also because there's a serious change in style. The two protagonists in the novella are exchanging letters by dove. At first, because I was so disconcerted by the abrupt change, I didn't think I liked the novella. Upon reaching the end, however, I thought it was lovely.
I should also add that the historical character notes that the translator provided at the end of the book are wonderful and entertainingly honest.
Of course, as I'm sure you've noted, the novel was unfinished, although the translator noted that an earlier novella by Dumas provides a good ending for some of the characters of the novel. Thus, there is an abrupt shift in the book from where the unfinished novel ends and the novella begins. It jumps forward a couple of years, and those two years really matter for the characters. Allegiances have changed in that time. Major political and military action has dramatically changed the political climate. We don't get a real ending to the novel for Richelieu (although some of what ultimately transpires is explained in the novella and we see where the conspiracy ended up). In essence, the book remains obviously incomplete, but it does have a somewhat satisfying ending written by Dumas himself.
The shift to the novella is jarring, not only because of the time shift, but also because there's a serious change in style. The two protagonists in the novella are exchanging letters by dove. At first, because I was so disconcerted by the abrupt change, I didn't think I liked the novella. Upon reaching the end, however, I thought it was lovely.
I should also add that the historical character notes that the translator provided at the end of the book are wonderful and entertainingly honest.
reviewsmayvary's review
4.0
Wow. This book was a serious commitment. I had to read another thing in the middle.
I'm glad I finally got around to this classic adventure tale. I think Alexandre Dumas had some serious misgivings about women, but besides that: great fun!
I'm glad I finally got around to this classic adventure tale. I think Alexandre Dumas had some serious misgivings about women, but besides that: great fun!
e_bibliophile's review
5.0
For the love of Dumas:
[b:The Three Musketeers|3473426|The Three Musketeers|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348006102s/3473426.jpg|1263212] is my third read for [a:Alexandre Dumas|4785|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1279049943p2/4785.jpg]. This wonderful man never lets me down. My pleasure in reading his works is guaranteed. I bet that the greater mass of the world's population is acquainted with "The Three Musketeers" without reading the book and perhaps without knowing those three guys by their names. How's that even possible? Once upon a time, in the nearby French land, the prosperous universe blessed humanity with an awesome trendsetter; his name is Alexandre Dumas. He created catchy characters that were recycled year after year. Words fail me to express enough how much I adore this man.
♥♥♥ My beloved Dumas poses like a boss ♥♥♥
Fun facts:
• Did you know that the protagonist is not considered one of the famous three Musketeers referred to in the title?
• His name is D'Artagnan. Pronunciation: Dar-tan-yan. YEAH I did my research *rolls-eyes*.
• Anyways, d'Artagnan joins Athos, Porthos, and Aramis "The Three Musketeers" later on.
• [b:The Three Musketeers|3473426|The Three Musketeers|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348006102s/3473426.jpg|1263212] (the book) is actually the first installment in a series called "The D'Artagnan Romances" which includes [b:The Man in the Iron Mask|54499|The Man in the Iron Mask (The D'Artagnan Romances, #3)|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348990897s/54499.jpg|2971402] and others.
• And NO, it's NOT a children's book! KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN!
• Dumas's humor is the right dose; neither silly nor trying too hard. He manages to make you laugh in some occasions. Still, it's NOT a humor book.
The setting and characters:
The events of the book start taking place in France in the 17th century, and to be more specific, in the reign of Louis XIII (circa 1625). As per his literate habit, Dumas mishmashed real historical figures with fictional characters. The main fictional characters are "the awesome bad guys" in our modern standards. The supporting fictional characters play a significant role to move the plot.
Some of the real historical figures:
• Louis XIII ~ Aka Louis the Just. King of France. Cardinal-hater. Hobbies: hunting and gambling.
• Cardinal Richelieu ~ Chief Minister of France. King-hater. Hobbies: plotting to embarrass the King.
• Anne of Austria ~ Queen of France. Wife of King Louis XIII.Unhappily-married. Involved in an affair with a foreign royal .
• Duke of Buckingham ~ The handsome admirer of Anne.I suspect that he was into BDSM fantasies, taking the role of the salve, of course! He literally worships Anne. AND he closed the ports between England and France which means war, ONLY to impress his mistress! What a jerk !
The main fictional characters:
• D'Artagnan ~ Musketeer-wannabe. Prudent. Brave. Thief. Liar. Always ready to fight even for corrupted purposes.Head-over-heels-at-first-sight-lover. Rapist in the most awkward manner I've ever read in literature .
• Porthos ~ Fashionist (is it the proper word for a male fashionista?). Vain. Liar. Occasionally slow-witted.Sugar-mama-dependent when it comes to cash-flow .
• Aramis ~ Password: handkerchief. Likes poetry. Priest-wannabe. Liar. Sometimes tends to be pacific despite being ready tokill over a handkerchief issue. Maybe he is the only character out of the 4 who treats women with respect .
• Athos ~ Introvert. Taciturn. Liar.Incognito-aristocrat . Alcoholic but surprisingly manages to be sober enough. I was kinda drawn to him in the beginning then I couldn't stand his cruelty and tendency to kill others with cold blood .
The supporting fictional characters:
• Madame Bonacieux ~ Aka Constance. The pretty and totally devoted seamstress of Queen Anne.D'Artagnan's main squeeze until she disappears .
• Monsieur Bonacieux ~ Mercer. Constance's husband. Old enough to be her father. Cheap. Coward.He betrays his wife to become the Cardinal's spy .
• Milady ~ Totally gorgeous. Sexy. Seductive. Intimidating. I've never admired the intelligence of a female villain as much as hers. She's the definition of a badass.
Duels here.. Duels there.. Duels everywhere!
What strikes me in those duels is how the fellows had the civility of gentlemen in their speech during their quarrels. The conversation would go like.. "Pardon me, Monsieur. I'm about to beat the crap out of you in a second and might even kill you. Kindly be prepared but let's have a buddy-to-buddy chitchat first. Dude, you rock! I'm a huge fan. I think we would totally be BFFs in other circumstances but a duel is a duel, and I already gave my word of honor to stick my sword in your...!" Okay, I assume that you get the picture.
More juicy content:
It's violent (again, keep away from children). Mysterious villains keep appearing and disappearing like ghosts. Love steams the air and hypocrisy poisons it. The Bastille makes a shy appearance. Royal scandals and political conspiracies are involved. Thrill and excitement dominate the pages. It's the kind of books which makes you eager to know what happens next and feel sorry if you had to put it down when life interrupts you, at least this is how it made me feel. As hot as it gets in the first half, spicy stuff really kick in in the second half, thanks to Milady. Highly recommended!
★★★★★ = It was awesome!
Skimming through the negative 1-star reviews here in Goodreads, some readers complained about how the 4 main characters are basically bad guys pictured as heroes. I agree that they are not our typical heroes. I find them portraying a big slice of real human beings with flaws. Humans are not angels and protagonists should not always be perfect and likable. The world is not entirely made of role models. Who doesn't have a dark side? What Dumas did was portraying people. The narrator was obviously "Team Musketeers", he praised their horrible wrong deeds and justified them under the words "honor" and "revenge" but don't forget that the narrator is supposed to be human too. I try to be objective as much as I can when I review. I may not agree with the protagonists' policy on justice and may even despise them, but this book has a fantastic story, a great plot, an exciting writing-style, and an awesome villain.. Would you ask for more?
Dumas till the end:
I think that Dumas is a genius. He created such interesting characters with real human personalities, full of flaws, and extremely interesting and fun to read. He is able to make you empathize with a villain, Milady, who is molded with lethal traits. Sometimes I wondered what was the real intention of Dumas when he made the 4 main characters do such terrible things, did he do that in purpose? I bet he did. And I imagine him being seduced by his beautiful monstrous Milady while writing her. Final thanks must be paid to the Translator who has to be acknowledged for his more-than-beautiful translation. I couldn't have enjoyed this book THAT much if it wasn't for his fabulously rich-yet-smooth translation.
[b:The Three Musketeers|3473426|The Three Musketeers|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348006102s/3473426.jpg|1263212] is my third read for [a:Alexandre Dumas|4785|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1279049943p2/4785.jpg]. This wonderful man never lets me down. My pleasure in reading his works is guaranteed. I bet that the greater mass of the world's population is acquainted with "The Three Musketeers" without reading the book and perhaps without knowing those three guys by their names. How's that even possible? Once upon a time, in the nearby French land, the prosperous universe blessed humanity with an awesome trendsetter; his name is Alexandre Dumas. He created catchy characters that were recycled year after year. Words fail me to express enough how much I adore this man.
♥♥♥ My beloved Dumas poses like a boss ♥♥♥
Fun facts:
• Did you know that the protagonist is not considered one of the famous three Musketeers referred to in the title?
• His name is D'Artagnan. Pronunciation: Dar-tan-yan. YEAH I did my research *rolls-eyes*.
• Anyways, d'Artagnan joins Athos, Porthos, and Aramis "The Three Musketeers" later on.
• [b:The Three Musketeers|3473426|The Three Musketeers|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348006102s/3473426.jpg|1263212] (the book) is actually the first installment in a series called "The D'Artagnan Romances" which includes [b:The Man in the Iron Mask|54499|The Man in the Iron Mask (The D'Artagnan Romances, #3)|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348990897s/54499.jpg|2971402] and others.
• And NO, it's NOT a children's book! KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN!
• Dumas's humor is the right dose; neither silly nor trying too hard. He manages to make you laugh in some occasions. Still, it's NOT a humor book.
The setting and characters:
The events of the book start taking place in France in the 17th century, and to be more specific, in the reign of Louis XIII (circa 1625). As per his literate habit, Dumas mishmashed real historical figures with fictional characters. The main fictional characters are "the awesome bad guys" in our modern standards. The supporting fictional characters play a significant role to move the plot.
Some of the real historical figures:
• Louis XIII ~ Aka Louis the Just. King of France. Cardinal-hater. Hobbies: hunting and gambling.
• Cardinal Richelieu ~ Chief Minister of France. King-hater. Hobbies: plotting to embarrass the King.
• Anne of Austria ~ Queen of France. Wife of King Louis XIII.
• Duke of Buckingham ~ The handsome admirer of Anne.
The main fictional characters:
• D'Artagnan ~ Musketeer-wannabe. Prudent. Brave. Thief. Liar. Always ready to fight even for corrupted purposes.
• Porthos ~ Fashionist (is it the proper word for a male fashionista?). Vain. Liar. Occasionally slow-witted.
• Aramis ~ Password: handkerchief. Likes poetry. Priest-wannabe. Liar. Sometimes tends to be pacific despite being ready to
• Athos ~ Introvert. Taciturn. Liar.
The supporting fictional characters:
• Madame Bonacieux ~ Aka Constance. The pretty and totally devoted seamstress of Queen Anne.
• Monsieur Bonacieux ~ Mercer. Constance's husband. Old enough to be her father. Cheap. Coward.
• Milady ~ Totally gorgeous. Sexy. Seductive. Intimidating. I've never admired the intelligence of a female villain as much as hers. She's the definition of a badass.
Duels here.. Duels there.. Duels everywhere!
What strikes me in those duels is how the fellows had the civility of gentlemen in their speech during their quarrels. The conversation would go like.. "Pardon me, Monsieur. I'm about to beat the crap out of you in a second and might even kill you. Kindly be prepared but let's have a buddy-to-buddy chitchat first. Dude, you rock! I'm a huge fan. I think we would totally be BFFs in other circumstances but a duel is a duel, and I already gave my word of honor to stick my sword in your...!" Okay, I assume that you get the picture.
More juicy content:
It's violent (again, keep away from children). Mysterious villains keep appearing and disappearing like ghosts. Love steams the air and hypocrisy poisons it. The Bastille makes a shy appearance. Royal scandals and political conspiracies are involved. Thrill and excitement dominate the pages. It's the kind of books which makes you eager to know what happens next and feel sorry if you had to put it down when life interrupts you, at least this is how it made me feel. As hot as it gets in the first half, spicy stuff really kick in in the second half, thanks to Milady. Highly recommended!
★★★★★ = It was awesome!
Skimming through the negative 1-star reviews here in Goodreads, some readers complained about how the 4 main characters are basically bad guys pictured as heroes. I agree that they are not our typical heroes. I find them portraying a big slice of real human beings with flaws. Humans are not angels and protagonists should not always be perfect and likable. The world is not entirely made of role models. Who doesn't have a dark side? What Dumas did was portraying people. The narrator was obviously "Team Musketeers", he praised their horrible wrong deeds and justified them under the words "honor" and "revenge" but don't forget that the narrator is supposed to be human too. I try to be objective as much as I can when I review. I may not agree with the protagonists' policy on justice and may even despise them, but this book has a fantastic story, a great plot, an exciting writing-style, and an awesome villain.. Would you ask for more?
Dumas till the end:
I think that Dumas is a genius. He created such interesting characters with real human personalities, full of flaws, and extremely interesting and fun to read. He is able to make you empathize with a villain, Milady, who is molded with lethal traits. Sometimes I wondered what was the real intention of Dumas when he made the 4 main characters do such terrible things, did he do that in purpose? I bet he did. And I imagine him being seduced by his beautiful monstrous Milady while writing her. Final thanks must be paid to the Translator who has to be acknowledged for his more-than-beautiful translation. I couldn't have enjoyed this book THAT much if it wasn't for his fabulously rich-yet-smooth translation.
glkrose's review
4.0
Technically 3.5 stars.
It's a sequel to The Three Musketeers yet none of the Musketeers feature in the book at all. Still Richlieu's obsession with power is fun to read.
It's a sequel to The Three Musketeers yet none of the Musketeers feature in the book at all. Still Richlieu's obsession with power is fun to read.