The Three Musketeers
Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet · 1844
This book is rated Ages 13+. It isn't available on your library card.
In 1625 a hot-headed young Gascon rides into Paris hoping to join the King's Musketeers. He befriends Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and the four are drawn into a dangerous contest of court intrigue, loyalty and revenge.
Volume 1 of a planned three-volume adaptation is available now; it follows chapters 1–22 through the Queen's diamond-studs intrigue. Later volumes are in production. The full story includes duels, ambushes, assassination, poisoning and execution, shown without gruesome detail.
Characters
d'Artagnan
A hot-headed young Gascon who rides to Paris with an old yellow pony, a letter and big dreams of becoming a Musketeer.
Athos
The noblest of the three Musketeers, grave, pale and brave, who hides a sorrowful past behind perfect courtesy and good wine.
Porthos
A huge, swaggering Musketeer who loves fine clothes, good dinners and a grand show, and never backs down from a fight.
Aramis
A graceful, soft-spoken Musketeer who dreams of the Church but keeps a sword, a secret lady and many mysterious letters.
Milady
A beautiful, golden-haired English lady with cold blue eyes, and the Cardinal's most dangerous and cunning secret agent.
Cardinal Richelieu
The King's powerful chief minister, a brilliant schemer whose spies and Guards reach into every corner of France.
Constance Bonacieux
The Queen's lively, loyal linen-maid, brave enough to risk everything for her mistress, and the woman d'Artagnan falls for.
Planchet
D'Artagnan's gangly, always-hungry Picard lackey, nervous in the dark but faithful when it really counts.
Anne of Austria
The lonely, proud Queen of France, whose gift of twelve diamond studs to an English duke puts her honour in danger.
the Duke of Buckingham
England's dazzling, reckless duke, who dares to cross enemy France in disguise for one glimpse of the Queen he loves.
Louis XIII
The young, moody King of France, who loves hunting and his Musketeers and is easily stirred to jealousy by the Cardinal.
M. de Tréville
The bold Gascon captain of the King's Musketeers, who scolds his men in public and fiercely defends them in private.
About the story
The Three Musketeers follows d'Artagnan, a poor and hot-tempered young man from Gascony, who rides to Paris in 1625 hoping to join the King's Musketeers. On his first day he picks quarrels with three of them, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and agrees to fight a duel with each one. Before the first blade is drawn, the Cardinal's Guards arrive, and the four end up fighting side by side. From that day on they are friends, and they are soon drawn into a dangerous court intrigue involving Queen Anne of Austria, the Duke of Buckingham and the powerful Cardinal Richelieu.
The story is set in the France of Louis XIII. It moves from Paris taverns and the halls of the Louvre to a hard ride for the Channel coast. Its themes are loyalty and friendship, honour and pride, love and ambition, and what it costs to serve people who hold great power.
Dumas wrote the novel with Auguste Maquet, and it first appeared as a newspaper serial in 1844. It has been read ever since for its pace, its humour and its four very different heroes. Their motto, "All for one, one for all," is still known around the world, and the book helped shape the swashbuckling adventure story.
Volume 1 of this planned three-volume picture-book adaptation covers chapters 1–22 in 82 AI-illustrated pages, with about 29 minutes of synthetic narration. The complete original novel is free to read in the public domain.
Adapted from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet (1844), public domain.
Questions
What is The Three Musketeers about?
A young Gascon named d'Artagnan comes to Paris to become a Musketeer, makes friends with three of the King's Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and joins them in an intrigue at court. To save the queen's honour, they have to outwit Cardinal Richelieu and his agents.
Who is the main character in The Three Musketeers?
The main character is d'Artagnan, a brave, proud and impulsive young man from Gascony. Despite the title, he is not one of the three Musketeers when the story begins. They are Athos, Porthos and Aramis, who become his closest friends.
Is The Three Musketeers suitable for children?
This edition is rated 13+. The story includes sword fights, duels, deaths, romantic intrigue and some dark scheming, so it suits teenagers and adults better than young children.
How long does this edition take to read or listen to?
The available first volume has 82 illustrated pages and about 29 minutes of narration. Two further volumes are in production.
Is this the full book?
No. The available first volume is a condensed retelling of chapters 1–22. Two further volumes are planned; the complete original novel is free to read in the public domain.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
