The Corsican Brothers

Alexandre Dumas · 1802–1870 · France

Originally Les Frères corses (French)

Why it matters

Twins separated at birth by surgery still share one nervous system: when one dies violently in a Paris duel, the other feels it instantly and rides for vengeance. Dumas compresses the vendetta novel into a short, feverish shock of a book.

At a glance

Very short and simply told, built for one sitting.