The Man in the Iron Mask is part of the d'Artagnan Romances, a series which began with The Three Musketeers. This classic adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas is set in the 17th century, and features a young man named d'Artagnan who leaves home to become a guard of the musketeers. The titular characters are Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, yet when d'Artagnon joins them he technically becomes the Fourth Musketeer (which admittedly doesn't have as nice a ring to it). They are four great friends, war heros, booze hounds and womanizers; they save the honor of the Queen, foil dastardly plots, and get mixed up in affairs of state...and though they're called Musketeers, primarily go about using swords.The Man in the Iron Mask comes way down the line, however, and is part of a whole. So don't read it unless you've read the other books, as you won't know what's going on. The order of the d'Artagnan Romances can be a bit confusing. It is as follows: Book I: Three Musketeers. Book II: Twenty Years After. Book III: The Vicomte of Bragelonne (which, because it's massive, is split into three books: 1: The Vicomte of Bragelonne. 2. Louise de la Vallier, and finally 3. The Man in the Iron Mask). The last book is so popular that it's been published separately for years... it is the thrilling conclusion to one of the most amazing adventure tales of all time (but don't read it unless you wan't to be let down).