This is one of those biographies against which any adventure novels pale. Here is the biography of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the father and grandfather of two famous writers, who lived during the French Revolution. The son of a black slave and a French aristocrat made a dizzying career in the army, rising to the rank of general. The revolution elevated him, but it almost threw him under the guillotine. He was close to Napoleon, commanded the cavalry in the African campaign, survived a severe defeat, was imprisoned in a fortress, miraculously escaped, and before his death he managed to write his biography and produce a future classic of world literature. In addition, Alexandre Dumas never hid who the real prototype of the Count of Monte Cristo was and whose story inspired him all his life.