Book Review: The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers is written by Alexander Dumas, around 1844. Set in the late 1620s, it revolves around the friendship of 4 men: D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis. The adventures of these friends are continued in Twenty Years After and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. These three novels are known together as D'Artagnan Romances.
D'Artagnan, a young man from Glascony, leaves his hometown in search of a better life as a Musketeer in Paris. Upon arrival, he got into trouble and was challenged to three duels with three Musketeers by the names of Athos, Porthos and Aramis respectively. However, neither of the Musketeers know that the other had already challenged D'Artagnan to a duel. D'Artagnan realised that they were friends and together they fought off the guards of The Cardinal who were attempting to arrest them for illegal fighting. The four became friends after the incident. Then, he met Constance Bonacieux, the pretty wife of his landlord, and fell in love with her. Constance Bonacieux was the personal assistant of the queen, who was in a fragile position, and D'Artagnan volunteered to help the queen in order to gain love from Constance. Soon, he was drawn into a complex power struggle involving the queen, the Cardinal, who was attempting to remove the queen from power, and the lover of the queen, the Duke of Buckingham. He quickly developed a crush on Milady de Winter, whom he then known to be the Cardinal's agent. He unintentionally found out that Milady was a felon and Milady wanted him killed, for she did not want anyone to know of that. Meanwhile, Constance was captured by the Cardinal but the queen managed to rescue her and hid her in a Covent. Milady tried various methods to kill D'Artagnan, but her plans were foiled by the three Musketeers (Athos, Porthos and Aramis). She was then ordered by the Cardinal to assassinate the Duke of Buckingham, but the Musketeers overheard their plans and sent a letter to the Lord de Winter, warning him of Milady. Lord de Winter then had Milady captured and placed in a prison, but Milady managed to seduce the prison guard, and manipulated him to assassinate the Duke. She then escaped back to France, and coincidentally to the Covent Constance was in. She poisoned Constance as an act of vengeance against D'Artagnan. D'Artagnan and the Musketeers the had her caught, tried and executed. The four then broke up and led the lives of their own.
This story is worth reading as it combines love, friendship and battles of wit. It also has a historical setting which appeals to readers interested in France and England in the 1600s. Furthermore, parts of the story showcase the witty remarks made by the characters, some of which can be hilarious.