The Last Cavalier

Being the Adventures of Count Sainte-Hermine in the Age of Napoleon

By: Alexandre Dumas

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

The story of France from the Renaissance to the 19th century, as Dumas vibrantly retold it in his numerous enormously popular novels, has long been absent one vital, richly historical era: the Age of Napoleon. But no longer. Now dynamically, in a tale of family honor and undying vengeance, of high adventure and heroic derring-do, The Last Cavalier fills that gap.

The last cavalier is Count de Sainte-Hermine, Hector, whose elder brothers and father have fought and died for the Royalist cause during the French Revolution. For three years Hector has been languishing in prison when, in 1804, on the eve of Napoleon's coronation as emperor of France, he learns what is to be his due. Stripped of his title, denied the honour of his family name as well as the hand of the woman he loves, he is freed by Napoleon on the condition that he serve in the imperial forces. So it is in profound despair that Hector embarks on a succession of daring escapades as he courts death fearlessly. Yet again and again he wins glory, against brigands, bandits, the British, boa constrictors, sharks, tigers and crocodiles. At the Battle of Trafalgar, it is Hector's bullet that fells Nelson. But however far his adventures take him, from Burma's jungles to the wilds of Ireland, his destiny lies always with his father's enemy, Napoleon.

Public Domain (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

It is rousing, big spirited, its action sweeping across oceans and continents, its hero gloriously indomitable. This newly discovered last novel of Alexandre Dumas, lost for 125 years in the archives of the National Library in Paris, completes the Dumas oeuvre.
"Absolutely wonderful....Alexandre Dumas remains, now as ever, the Napoleon of storytellers." - ( Washington Post)
"James Bond, Indiana Jones, and many others owe a deep debt to Dumas, who stuffs his tales with thrilling exploits and exotic locales. No one with a pulse will be able to resist Dumas's lost classic." ( Christian Science Monitor)

DUMAS RIDES AGAIN

I think Alexandre was squeezing the most out of his research notes with this one. If you like Dumas you will forgive his meandering plot, if you're new to Dumas start with The Count of Monte Cristo.

masterful storytelling and performance!!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. and whether in print or by audible the reader will find a complicated, joyful, soul-searing, ironic and mischievous plot. The vocabulary will leave you weak in the knees and you will see the characters in your mind's eye long past the last page. Our deareset Dumas does not fail even in his last efforts. I found the introduction though exceptionally long, of critical import and interest and i was much informed by it, making the whole read that much more enjoyable. Brava for the reading performance, it is the best I've heard.

great last book from dumas

Lacking perhaps in humor, it is nevertheless a classic adventure tale. Bandits, pirates, Napoleon, Nelson, beautiful ladies of the court - what else does one need?

This isn’t The Count of Monte Cristo...

...or the Three Musketeers...in fact, it is a somewhat unimaginative, if not tedious (clearly serialized) tome that wanders endlessly and comes to naught...That said, it is Dumas and thus worthy of a listen. Ignore the impossibly fabricated tales of hunting (pythons that suffocate elephants and packs of tigers) a hero half Tarzan half Zorro, and simply enjoy a master story teller!

Alexandre's last hurrah!!

While this audio book doesn't have the je ne sais quoi of Dumas's well known masterpieces, it is nonetheless a rich story, full of the familiar style and substance that I find absolutely captivating. The story is complex (perhaps a little contrived), but entertaining and easy to get drawn in to. Dumas steps outside Europe here, as his protaganist sails into the Indian Ocean in seach of adventure and reward, then back headlong into Italian intrigue and banditry, all in the name of pennance and honour.

The reading was excellent, well paced with good characterisations and easy to listen to. It's quire long, and as Dumas wasn't able to complete the project himself, it has been finished off faithfully and without any real change in style.

I rate it 4 stars.It doesn't compare with The 3 Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo, but it does not embarass them either. Recommended.