I can 't believe how much I've been enjoying my rash of Dumas novels lately. I've read the first three D'Artagnan novels in quick succession and cannot recommend them highly enough. This is Volume One of the last book (sometimes referred to as Ten Years Later) to be followed by Louise de Valliere and The Man in the Iron Mask. Of course the novel wasn't originally intended to be split in this way, so the ending tails away a little as we leave the intrigues of Athos and D'Artagnan to put Charles II back on Britain's throne behind and begin the court shenanigans that will comprise volume 2, so I can understand why some will be bemused by this book, but of course unlike The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After this isn't ever supposed to be a complete work, like reading part one of War and Peace and complaining that there wasn't a proper ending. The heroes are all much more world weary now, D'Artagnan is bitter, Porthos is over-settled, Aramis is neck deep in intrigue and Athos is intent on setting his son out into the world properly. Their enemies are small and petty now, compared to Milady and Richelieu of the first book, but that's not the fault of our heroes, and of course taking out your sword to solve a problem can now cause many more problem,s than it solves. Okay - can't wait to start Louise de Valliere now.