The Count of Monte Cristo

I love Alexandre Dumas! I read The Three Musketeers (Oxford World's Classics) in high school and loved it for its fast-paced plot and adventure.

The Count of Monte Cristo (Signet Classics) is just as good, the ultimate tale of prison break and revenge. Our protagonist, Edmund Montes, is like one of the first super heroes. Dumas takes an innocent young man with a budding romance and throws him in prison, the victim of despicable political machinations. While he's rotting away, Montes meets a wide old man who educates him and bequeaths to him the location of a secret treasure.

Upon escaping from the prison, Montes acquires all of the dubious skills he'll need to become a demon of vengeance and the story follows him as he utterly demolishes the men who screwed him over. This, my friends, is a fantastic book to read when you're contemplating all of the horrible things you wish you could do to someone who hurt you in the past. Glorious fun!

Yet Dumas seems to get slightly self conscious of his protagonist's vengeful endeavors. Toward the end of the book, Montes seems to have some slight doubts, a hint of regret that he dedicated his life to the destruction of these evil men. He is seemingly redeemed by new love and the promise of a better future, but really, the audience of this book isn't as concerned with Montes' future dealings as we are with the brilliant annihilation of his sworn enemies.

Dumas is tawdry, exciting and delicious. This story reads like an action movie. It's well worth a few hours of your time.