Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved The Three Musketeers, try The Count of Monte Cristo, Twenty Years After, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Captain Blood and Scaramouche. Each one offers swashbuckling adventure, sword fights, loyalty and daring heroes.
Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel follows young d'Artagnan, who travels to Paris to join the King's Musketeers. He befriends the three musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and together they battle the schemes of Cardinal Richelieu and the dangerous Milady de Winter. Readers love its humor, its duels and its friendship. These books share its swashbuckling energy and its heroes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Setting | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexandre Dumas | France | readers who want more Dumas |
| Twenty Years After | Alexandre Dumas | France | readers who want the sequel |
| The Man in the Iron Mask | Alexandre Dumas | France | readers who want the final musketeer story |
| The Scarlet Pimpernel | Baroness Orczy | France and England | readers who like secret heroes |
| Captain Blood | Rafael Sabatini | Caribbean | readers who like pirates |
| Scaramouche | Rafael Sabatini | France | readers who like revenge and fencing |
| The Prisoner of Zenda | Anthony Hope | Ruritania | readers who like royal adventures |
| Ivanhoe | Walter Scott | England | readers who like knights |
| Treasure Island | Robert Louis Stevenson | Caribbean | readers who like pirates |
| The Princess Bride | William Goldman | Florin | readers who like comic swashbuckling |
| The Lies of Locke Lamora | Scott Lynch | Fantasy | readers who like clever rogues |
| Captain Alatriste | Arturo Pérez-Reverte | Spain | readers who like Spanish swordsmen |
| Kings of the Wyld | Nicholas Eames | Fantasy | readers who like old friends reuniting |
| Robin Hood | Howard Pyle | England | readers who like outlaws |
| Cyrano de Bergerac | Edmond Rostand | France | readers who like swordsmen poets |
1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
A wrongly imprisoned man escapes and takes revenge.
Best for: readers who want more Dumas.
2. Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas
The musketeers reunite decades later.
Best for: readers who want the sequel.
3. The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas
A plot involves a masked prisoner.
Best for: readers who want the final musketeer story.
4. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
An English nobleman rescues aristocrats.
Best for: readers who like secret heroes.
5. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
A doctor becomes a pirate captain.
Best for: readers who like pirates.
6. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini
A lawyer becomes a swordsman.
Best for: readers who like revenge and fencing.
7. The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
An Englishman impersonates a king.
Best for: readers who like royal adventures.
8. Ivanhoe by Walter Scott
A knight returns to England.
Best for: readers who like knights.
9. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
A boy sails for buried treasure.
Best for: readers who like pirates.
10. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
True love faces swordfights.
Best for: readers who like comic swashbuckling.
11. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Thieves run cons in a fantasy city.
Best for: readers who like clever rogues.
12. Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
A veteran swordsman in 17th-century Madrid.
Best for: readers who like Spanish swordsmen.
13. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
Retired mercenaries reunite.
Best for: readers who like old friends reuniting.
14. Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
Robin Hood and his merry men.
Best for: readers who like outlaws.
15. Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
A poet helps another man woo his love.
Best for: readers who like swordsmen poets.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Three Musketeers: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to The Three Musketeers. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Continue with Twenty Years After and The Man in the Iron Mask, or read The Count of Monte Cristo. For more swashbucklers, Captain Blood and Scaramouche are classics. The Princess Bride gives you the fun in comic form. Fantasy fans will love The Lies of Locke Lamora.
Related: The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope: Summary and Key Takeaways · Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Three Musketeers about?
A young man joins three musketeers and battles the schemes of Cardinal Richelieu.
Who are the three musketeers?
Athos, Porthos and Aramis.
Who is Milady de Winter?
A dangerous spy working for Richelieu.
Is there a sequel?
Yes. Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne.
What is the musketeers' motto?
“All for one, one for all.”
Is it hard to read?
It is long but fast-moving and funny.
Is d'Artagnan a real person?
Yes. He is based on Charles de Batz de Castelmore, a real musketeer.
What age is The Three Musketeers for?
Confident readers from about 12 can enjoy it, and abridged editions suit younger readers.