After my reading of "The Three Musketeers", I wanted to read more of Dumas' material. So I found out about this other book of his. I had seen some movies: the story of a man who is unjustly imprisoned who escapes then gets revenge.
The plot is quite simple and today has seen a lot of copies. That said, I received it as a gift one Xmas. What a great gift!
Page by page, I devoured this book, enjoying every word, wondering what would come next.
I cannot recommend this book enough to the prospective GM and writer. Why? Because it taught me that good revenge stories took time. Unlike in every movie I saw before and since reading, the Count is not someone who is nice. In any way. I mean the Count from the book is. Wow. He is a charming man, but also one who completely obsessed with his mission. To the point that you almost begin to root against him.
But when the chits fall down, the Count's revenge is complete, merciless and total. One cannot help but savor the brutality of the finale. The awesome evilness of it makes my skin crawl to this day.
This is a complex story that is being developed here. Perhaps a little too long, but great nonetheless.
As a gamer, this book taught me to slowly set up the events so that when you reach the conclusion they make sense to the reader/player and that it makes you both curious and scared to see the ending. This is something I've always tried to put in my games since: a strong finish.
Unfortunately, I did not always succeed. But I always tried to.
A massive work that will keep you reading for hours.
Revenge is a dish best served cool.
Cold and calculated.
JP
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