"Account Unavailable

Your account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance. It should be available again within a few hours. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Originally I intended to continue reading the stories of Les Hommes, but out of curiosity I started this instead and couldn’t put it down. I’ve always wondered who Scaramouche was since I first heard his name in Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Raphael Sabatini’s novel, written in 1921, provides no answers into that mystery per se, but weaves an entertaining and melodramatic tale set at the beginning of the French Revolution.

The book is divided into three sections, which follow the main careers of Andres-Louis Moreau: law student, stage actor, and fencing master, as well as his perpetual involvement in revolutionary politics after the death of his best friend by an evil nobleman. Seeking justice, he manages to offend the corrupt King’s Lieutenant, and is forced to flee lest he be hanged.

Immediately I noticed a similarity with one of Sabatini’s other protagonists, Captain Blood, who likewise possesses a quick wit and low tolerance for authorities who abuse their power. Andres-Louis seeks refuge with a troupe of actors specializing in Commedia dell'Arte , an Italian form of improv theatre that utilizes stock characters. He assumes the role and namesake of Scaramouche, a witty yet trouble-making rogue and sometimes buffoon.

Both Captain Blood and Scaramouche are fun reads, but the latter book has a bit more depth. Sabatini introduces some philosophical concepts (freedom vs. social order, honor vs. ambition, self-actualization vs. nature) without getting heavy-handed.  What really impressed me is how he manages to gradually add gravitas to the story, which at first seems to be a light, romantic adventure, until the end unfolds into an existential musing on fate.

I give the book 4 stars, with a special commendation for the ending. You can download it for free at Munseys.com or Gutenberg.org.

The second member of Les Hommes Mysterieux, like Fantomas, is a thief and a master of disguise. To be honest, when it comes to disguises, Fantomas seems more like the student and Lupin the master. Lupin comments that he is disguised so often he has trouble knowing who he really is. Fantomas is more of a criminal mastermind in the evil sense: his schemes take years to come to fruition, and often involve murder; whereas Lupin’s are sometimes impromptu, and he never kills. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if Fantomas or Inspector Juve was the hero in that book. Lupin also has a sometime-nemesis, Garimand, but the two of them seem more like old friends than enemies!

I enjoyed Lupin much more than Fantomas. Lupin has a sense of pride and style that to my American mind that seems unmistakably French. He can’t commit a crime without leaving his calling card or claiming responsibility after the fact in the Paris newspapers. He steals for thrills rather than greed, and his good nature extends to the point that he will thwart other crimes while he commits his own!

Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar was written in 1907 by Maurice Leblanc, who would go on to write 21 sequels. The first book is more of a collection of short stories than a true novel, bouncing around chronologically, which isn’t as confusing as it sounds. The last story in particular is particularly interesting: a meeting between Sherlock Holmes, the world’s greatest detective, and Lupin, the world’s greatest burglar.  The idea is so perfect that an entire sequel was written, Arsene Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmes. Yes, you read that right. Sir Arthur Canon Doyle was unhappy that Leblanc borrowed his character, so Leblanc was forced to misspell it in the sequel.

If you like modern day “caper” movies like The Saint or The Thomas Crown Affair, then you’ll get a kick out this book. Lupin is the perfect portrayal of “thief as hero” concept, and I must admit he’s my favorite of the Victorian heroes so far.  These stories aren’t literary masterpieces, but they do make you smile.

I give Lupin 4 stars. You can download it for free at Munseys.com or Gutenberg.org.

In Alan Moore’s graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentleman it’s mentioned that France has its own group, Les Hommes Mysterieux, consisting of Arsene Lupin, the sky pirate Robur, The Nyctalope, and Fantomas. When I saw the preview for the movie, I vowed to read (or re-read) all of the books featuring the main characters before the movie hit the theatres. So last week I thought, why not tackle Le Hommes? 

Orginally, Fantomas was the creation of Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, who (together or alone) authored 43 books describing his adventures. Extremely popular in France, Fantomas spawned numerous films and comic books, as well as several imitators. So I was curious why I’ve never heard about him. 

Some French critics regard Fantomas as “the modern Aeneid” and “one of the richest works that exist.” I think that’s a bit of an overstatement. While I enjoyed the book, I didn’t like it as much as some of the others from The League. 

So what’s it about? Fantomas is a criminal genius and master of disguise, who conducts crimes in Paris and the surrounding countryside. He’s pursued by his nemesis, Inspector Juve, who possesses a keen intellect and is no slouch in the disguise area himself. Unlike some of the other members of the League, Fantomas doesn’t have any superhuman powers, but he is definitely the epitome of cool. Nothing ever disturbs his composure or escapes his notice. 

The main weakness I felt with the book is that it’s ostensibly a mystery, actually a series of mysteries that tie together, yet it’s done from a third-person omniscient point of view rather than third-person limited. It would have made more sense to me if the story was told from Juve’s perspective, either first or third person. And to be honest, the mysteries were a bit transparent (but how they all tied together was interesting.) 

Still, I found the book enjoyable enough to finish. If you haven’t yet read some of the other books featuring the Victorian heroes, I’d recommend reading them before Fantomas. I’d give the master of disguise three stars out of four, but underneath the mask it’s really only two.

You can download Fantomas for free at Munseys.com or Gutenberg.org.