Whew! This very long yet unfinished book gets four stars because it's Dumas in adventure mode, which is always fun. The first half of the book focuses on Napoleon; the second, on the title character, Count Hector Sainte-Hermine. Saint-Hermine is ineffective and unengaging when we first see him. Because of his family's vow to uphold the right of the Bourbons to rule, Sainte-Hermine ends up on Napoleon's bad side and is imprisoned for three years. While in prison, he learns everything there is to know and manages to physically train himself to perfection also. When he gets out, he's Superman without the cape, which makes him somewhat of a bore. However, he takes part in such exciting historical events that even in the midst of historical fact regurgitation, you keep reading, eager to get to the next adventure. Sainte-Hermine spends time as a corsair, a hunter in India, the man who killed Admiral Nelson, and a bandit hunter in Italy, among other occupations, before the book draws to a premature close. The Napoleon section at the beginning snaps along. What a fascinating person, surronded by equally interesting and calculating characters!