Edmond Dantes lives a charmed life. He is first mate aboard the Pharaon, a merchant ship. His crewmates love him. His boss is ready to promote him to captain. His beautiful fiancee can't wait to be married and dedicate her life to him. His father, though poor, is honest and loves Edmond with all his heart.
It just isn't fair. So that's where things get nasty.
Imagine your dreams at your fingertips, to be yanked away for a lifetime of solitary confinement. When the going gets tough, what do you do? Wallow away in misery? Go mad with anger? Or toughen up and go kick some ass? This is the same guy who invented D'Artagnan, so guess which Dantes picks.
If you like adventure and vengeance, this is the best I've ever read. The greatest thing to me was that Dantes never descended into vileness. Usually when you read books or see movies about revenge, you get a story about how revenge turns you into an evil person that eventually dies or kills yourself. Not so here! The Count of Monte Cristo is vengeance with integrity. Vengeance with passion. Vengeance with true Dumas flair. And that's definitely the best kind.
Drop me a line and let me know what you think.