The Count of Monte Cristo is probably the greatest revenge story ever written.
I say that with complete and total sincerity – no hyperbole, no exaggeration. Penned by Alexander Dumas in 1844, it’s a legendary saga of betrayal, adventure and intrigue that follows its protagonist for two decades across half of Europe. There’s no other story like it, and probably never will be again.
A brief synopsis for those not in the know: our tale starts with Edmond Dantès, a young, good-hearted French sailor, being framed for treason by four men who all stand to gain something by his disappearance. Labelled unfairly as a traitor, poor Dantès is sent to the island prison of the Chateau d’If, left to rot in a cell barely bigger than himself. His only respite comes when he makes friends with the wise old Abbé Faria in the next cell along, and through him learns about science, history, culture, language, mathematics… and the location of a massive treasure trove that Faria had discovered shortly before his imprisonment, but never managed to get his hands on.
