1850
The Man in the Iron Mask
Alexandre Dumas · 1802–1870 · France
Originally The Man in the Iron Mask (French)
Why it matters
A mysterious prisoner's face is locked forever behind an iron mask while Aramis schemes to swap him for the king of France himself: the Musketeers' operatic last stand, and the source of one of fiction's most famous unsolved mysteries.
At a glance
historical fictionpicaresque
Difficulty 3/10fast pace450 pagesDense court intrigue sits inside otherwise fast, dialogue-driven serial prose.
Where to go next
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Alexandre Dumas · 1845Twenty Years AfterLvl 3Fast paced
Alexandre Dumas · 1845La Reine MargotLvl 4Fast paced
Alexandre Dumas · 1850The Black TulipLvl 3Fast paced