Rating: 
Summary: The Musketeers Part II
Review: Ah, yes they are back, after twenty years D'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos are reunited. D'Artagnan is still a Musketeer. Athos is living at his country estate, no longer the drunkard of earlier days he finds happiness through his Son Raul. Aramis is now a priest, but becoming a priest he is even more so a cavalier. And good Porthos is rich. This is every bit as good as the Three Musketeers, and it is great to see our old friends again. Their charaters deepen, and we see them aged, but still themselves. In this book we see that last time the four are all united together for a common cause. The great thing about these novels is that it has its share of swash-buckling action, but there is more to these charaters than their strong sword arms. They are clever, and each uses their own stengths to the advantage of the entire group. They are true friends, and realize that though they may champion contrary causes, they are never enemies of each other.
Just to coment on the total of the D'Artagnon Romances just to clear up something for those reading some of the other reviews. Some reviewers refer to them as a trilogy, while there is, indeed, 5 books in the series. It is still a Trilogy. There are three complete stories, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte De Bragelonne. The last of these stories is broken up into three volumes which are The Vicomte De Bragelonne (part 1), Louise de la Valliere (part 2), The Man in the Iron Mask (part 3).
Rating:
Summary: Great, but not as good as the last one
Review: All right, I haven't read many of Dumas' books but he is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers (He's nowhere near as good as Tolkien.) I first read "The Three Musketeers" just because I loved the movie and it was a famous book, and I couldn't stop reading it.
This one picks up 20 years after the first one, with only D'artagnan still in the musketeers and Athos, Porthos, and Aramis having gone on to different lives. I won't describe the plot much except to say that, as before in the series, it is an intriguing adventure full of unmaskings, betrayals, trickery, and so on. It's much longer then "The Three Musketeers", and it's not quite as fast-paced, nor as consistently exciting. It makes up for that, however, by having moments of such unbelievable suspense that I absolutely couldn't put it down.You should definitely read "The Three Musketeers" first, though, otherwise this will be hard to follow.
Overall, this is a spectacular novel, with a few small dull moments here and there but some truly moving points, too. It's a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: The Musketeers at Middle Age
Review: At the end of the Three Musketeers, the reader is left with the feeling that these young heroes can only go on to greater heights. As this book opens, twenty years have passed since the death of Milady. The Musketeer's youthful dreams have not quite panned out. They are now in their forties and the world is much more complicated.
The most brilliant of the four friends D'Artagnan, is still only a lieutenant in the Kings Musketeers. His talents have never been recognized. Although wealthy, Porthos is unhappy because his neighbors do not hold him in high esteem. Although now an abbe, Aramis still is drawn to the world of the sword. Only Athos seems to have found some peace as a country squire.
The four close friends have gone their separate ways. They have not spoken or seen eachother for many years. However, France is on the verge of a civil war. D'Artagnan's desire for recognition and fortune leads him to bring the four old friends back together again for one more grand adventure.
I thought the Three Musketeers was one of the great adventure stories. It is hard to believe but Twenty Years After is an even better book. Dumas has the advantage of creating four great characters in the Three Musketeers. Twenty Years After, gives Dumas another 800 pages to develop these memorable adventurers. What made Dumas such a genius, is that he knew how to build a story to a high pitch and keep that high level of tension and excitement going for hundreds of pages. This is truly a remarkable book. The only down side to Twenty Years After is that I now have another 2100 pages to go before I end the five part Musketeer series.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes, second parts are better
Review: If "The three musketeers" is a magnificent novel, "Twenty years after" is a remarkable continuation. The adventures and intrigues are just as exciting, but this novel has a more strongly epic side. Our friends are now in their forties, and have not seen each other frequently at all. Athos is in his country estate, trying to give an education to his beloved son, Raoul. Porthos is an important landowner, thanks to a profitable marriage, and lives for hunting, eating and drinking.Aramis is supposed to be a churchman, one with a lot of involvement in dark political intrigues. And D'Artagnan, well, he's an official in the Musketeers, a loyal and dedicated servant of Queen Anne and his young son, Louis XIV. So two of the musketeers are completely retired, and the other two are somehow involved in politics. And difficult politics it is, for England and France are in turmoil: in Britain, Oliver Cromwell has launched the "Glorious Revolution", intent on deposing king Charles I. In France, the "Fronde" movement is fighting against Cardinal Mazarin, a Machiavellian succesor of Richelieu. Dumas puts Mazarin in a much lower level than his predecessor, as a villain. Richelieu alaways commanded respect and fear; Mazarin is a despicable and avaricious man, a disloyal servant. So, D'Artagnan is in charge of a very special secret mission. For that, he tries to recruit his three friends, but he is only successful with Porthos. The other two refurse for unexplained reasons. But when they travel to England, they find Athos and Aramis are fighting on the other side. After many adventures, they get reunited on the same side: the English royalists. I'm not going to spoil the rest. I'll just add that the other subplot is also amazing: the fight against Milady's wretched and diabolical son, Mordaunt. This novel is full of memorable scenes, characters and situations. And it is not just adventures: Dumas is really good at creating characters with full personalities, with virtues and vices. Every musketeer is a great example of this. And the book contains subtle and frequently ironic reflections on human nature, love, politics and, above all, friendship.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, Lots more history, maturity
Review: It is twenty years after the first Musketeers saga and Athos, Aramis, Porthos and d'Artagnan have all gone their separate ways. Midlife has mellowed the musketeers and definitely complicated their perceptions. Porthos has been indulging himself with his widow's money and working himself up the caste ladder but is still not entirely accepted but the upper crust he wants to become. Aramis has gone into the church and, although he dreams wistfully of the days that he was a musketeer, his scheming has become more of a way of life than a troublesome quirk. Athos is the only one who still closely resembles the man he was in his youth. Even the hot tempered, rambunctious D'Artagnan has settled in to his career as a professional soldier. He is now a musketeer for the paycheck instead of the glory. Yet all deep down reminisce of 'the good old days' - the only question is what will they do to recapture them. Mazarin has replaced Richelieu as Cardinal and the queen, once persecuted by the previous Cardinal, is now in league (or at least in bed) with the despised Italian Mazarin. Though Mazarin is popularly hated by the people, D'Artagnan jumps at the opportunity for advancement when Mazarin commissions him to reassemble the foursome ostensibly for the protection of the prince regent and queen. But the others have their own ideas about working for Mazarin and Dumas maintains a delicate balance as the four eventually do come to work together though not entirely on the same side. Twenty Years After is more grounded in history than the first and I highly recommend this particular book for the notes in the back. For all the criticism that Dumas plays fast and loose with history, it depends on where you place your yardstick. He moves events around a bit with people coming back from exile a year or two early and a battle being fought several years later but, over all, this is really grounded in history. The bulk of the plot is the siege of Paris by the Queen (and Mazarin) in the late 1640's. The death of Charles I and the peasant revolt are more substantial historical events than the retrieval of the Queen's diamonds in the first novel so expect a lot more complicated plot as far as people and events. Dumas knew his history (judging by the degree of deviation suggested by the notes) and though he might move or bend it, he still tried for plausibility. We also have a new arch enemy in this one - Lady DeWinter's son, Mordaunt, who has come to seek revenge on the men who executed his mother in the first book. While still a superb adventure story, this is a more adult tale with more emphasis on psychological motivations and the effect of time on a man's ideals and motivations. I enjoyed the first one more because of the less complicated plot and swift action but that is not to suggest that Twenty Years After is lacking in any way. When taken in conjunction with the first, the idea is brilliant and brings out many more elements that a simple 'more of the same' sequel just couldn't do.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Sequel To An Action-Packed Classic!!
Review: It's been 20 years since D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers (Athos, Porthos and Aramis) triumphed over Cardinal Richelieu and the venomous Milady. However, civil war endangers the throne of France and in England, Oliver Cromwell threatens to send Charles I to the scaffold, causing them to cross swords with the malevolence of men and the forces of history. The half, though, has not been told: Milady's son is out for revenge and he's deadlier than his mother. Won't say anymore about the plot, but the above is it in a nutshell. Dumas KNEW what his readers were looking for and they GOT it: swashbuckling action, heart-pounding suspense, tender romance and of course, deadly villains. The Musketeers ride again in this heart-pounding sequel to "The Three Musketeers." Rated PG for violence.
Rating:
Summary: The One With The Happy Ending
Review: Out of all of the Alexandre Dumas novels I have read, this is the only one with an upbeat ending. I say this because I have run into more than one person who claims that s/he would like Dumas novels if only things ended well for the heroes once in a while. If you're that sort of reader, this book is for you. If you do like the other Dumas novels, this book is also for you. Twenty Years After is the second part of the Musketeer Cycle (after The Three Musketeers and before The Vicomte of Bragelone/Louise de la Valliere/The Man in the Iron Mask). It contains everything that makes Dumas, Dumas: unmatched adventure writing, wonderful prose, and beautifully developed characters. I can't recomend this story enough.
Rating:
Summary: In some ways better than the first
Review: The great thing about "The Three Musketeers" is that you can read it at any age and you can get something different out of it with each rereading. "Twenty Years After" is better appreciated by a more mature audience. Having said that, I myself read it for the first time at the ripe old age of 11, and loved it just as much as when I reread it as an adult. Dumas has a gift for making his characters so human and so believable, filling them with as many faults as valorous qualities, yet making it impossible for us not to love them. In this book, each of the main character's personalities are delved into more deeply with astounding results, without failing to swash the mandatory buckle. It's just as action packed as "The Three Musketeers" but the story is actually more coherent, more human, and more intensively charged. I believe this is Dumas at his peak of narrative eloquence. Read it and love it!
Rating:
Summary: Pure fun... and a glimpse of true friends in action!
Review: The sequel to Dumas' "The Three Musketeers," this story is set, as the title suggests, 20 years after the events of the first novel. D'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos and Aramis are in top form as they reunite to help change the course of French history. But, aside from the historical intrigue, there is a personal interest that evolves in this novel as we learn the true depth of friendship and loyalty that these four heroes share. Although Dumas is not a profound thinker, it would be hard to find a writer to equal him in sheer swashbuckling fun!
Rating: 
Summary: Book was great, but other reviewers please know your subject
Review: This book, like most of Dumas' work is wonderful. His adventure stories still evoke a sense of wonderment and raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Most movies of the same titles do not portray the events as he wrote them, but I have found that most accomodate the tempo or the 'feel' of his novels. I would additionally like to set the record straight on the trilogy argument that I see in most of the reviews in this page. The series was originally published as a trilogy, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and Vicomte de Bragelonne. The Vicomte de Bragelonne is now published by most in three volumes: Vicomte de Bragellone, Louise de la Valliere, and finally The Man in the Iron Mask. I have seen it split into four parts with Ten Years Later being placed in between the Vicomte de Bragellone and Louise de la Valliere. This splitting was done because when the three are combined, or rather not split, the novel is large and cumbersome to read. I hope that all this literary information does not detract one from the greatness of this series however, it is truly a wonderful tale to read about, and the story endures through to modern times with the same ferver in which it was released.
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