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Cover of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre DumasThe Three Musketeers
Classic · Fiction, Adventure, Classics

The Three Musketeers

by Alexandre Dumas
1844 · 624 pages · Fiction
Critics' pick
≈ 16 hours to read · about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

D'Artagnan and three musketeers unite to defend the honor of Anne of Austria against the plots of Cardinal Richelieu.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's the swashbuckling adventure that defined the genre.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's long and episodic, built for page-turning. It's a translation, and newer ones read more easily.

By the numbers

67.5Must-Read Score
  • Readers54 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics30 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller32 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

Reads as

Adventurous, Moving

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

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Quick answers

Is The Three Musketeers worth reading?

Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #1,688 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.5 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Three Musketeers about?

D'Artagnan and three musketeers unite to defend the honor of Anne of Austria against the plots of Cardinal Richelieu.

How long does it take to read The Three Musketeers?

About 16 hours (624 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Three Musketeers?

If you liked it, try The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy or The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope.