Dumas brings his epic saga of the end of chivalry to a dramatic close, with moments of intense grandeur and nobility intermingled with poignant and bittersweet leave-takings. Aramis's plot, hinted at since the early pages of The Vicomte of Bragelonne, finally comes to fruition, blazing gloriously to light but leaving charred wreckage in its wake. Not even the bravery and friendship of the four musketeers can withstand this final challenge.Considering that The Three Musketeers, in which we first meet these characters in the glory of youth and strength, was published in 1844, a mere three years before this final novel was begun, Dumas does an exceptional job of aging his characters and exchanging the promise of future days for the reflective sorrow of time gone by. Old age and the inevitability of death are odd topics for an adventure novel, yet this focus produces several scenes of deep emotion that heighten the artistry of what would otherwise be "just another adventure book". Though none of Dumas' books (at least that I've read) are truly vulnerable to that claim; rather, they reveal the artistry of a born storyteller and point toward greater truths.
Here I am waxing eloquent, when this book offers much more in its generous breadth. Humor, prison, defiance, war, escape, chases, and political usurpation make the conclusion of The Vicomte of Bragelonne a roller-coaster of classic storytelling. Even if it's unclear why we had to focus so heavily on Louis XIV and Louise de la Valliere in the middle section, and even though many subplots turn out to be superfluous to the final outcome of the book, the final Musketeers novel stands as an impressive epic of intrigue, suspense, and friendship. While it is not a perfectly constructed plot like The Count of Monte Cristo, it offers its own charms as it chronicles the end of an era and the last grand actions of yesterday's heros.
Arbitrary rating: 4.5 out of 5 plots blazing gloriously to light
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