The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas · first published 1964
49% recommend47% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Gripping, plot-driven revenge adventure that readers return to from childhood; praised as a brilliant story of betrayal and payback, rewarding for anyone wanting classic fiction with a strong plot.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2022–2026The Black Count
Tom Reiss
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 55 recommend · 5 mention5 recommend · 55 recommend
2010–2026Great Expectations
Charles Dickens
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 135 recommend · 13 mention5 recommend · 135 recommend
2007–2025The mysterious island
Jules Verne
Recommended by 32 · mentioned by 5132 recommend · 51 mention32 recommend · 5132 recommend
2007–2026Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy
Recommended by 105 · mentioned by 192105 recommend · 192 mention105 recommend · 192105 recommend
2010–2026The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway
Recommended by 31 · mentioned by 8231 recommend · 82 mention31 recommend · 8231 recommend
Three Musketeers
Alexandre Dumas
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 73 recommend · 7 mention3 recommend · 73 recommend
2010–2024Far from the Madding Crowd
Thomas Hardy
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 41 recommend · 4 mention1 recommend · 41 recommend
Off topic: I have been reading Harry Potter in French as my gateway to French literature. My love for French actually started with The Count of Monte Cristo which made want to learn French just so as to read the original Le Comte de Monte-Cristo. Obviously, my French (starting from zero) a mere year or so later isn't good enough to read something like Alexandre…
on “Harry Potter in Ancient Greek” ↗The Count of Monte Cristo, hands down. Published 1844 by Alexandre Dumas, one of the greatest writers to have ever lived. I’m an avid reader and I always laughed at the idea of having a “favorite” book.. until I found mine. I…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas. I'd read thousands of books, novels, and other literature and never had an answer to "your favorite book?" and thought I just wasn't meant to ever have one... Until I read it. Since…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗The Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged of course), it really rose my bar for great storytelling. Also the sandwich is pretty good.
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗The Count of Monte Cristo If you find yourself HOPELESS (which whole world is experiencing right now), just read this. Because this book is all about HOPE. Edit: Go for the 'unabridged' version to truly experience this novel.
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗…audiobooks, recorded by volunteers. The quality of their readers varies, but there are some surprisingly good readers on there, such as my favorite so far, David Clarke, who did a superb reading of The Count of Monte Cristo.[2] [1] - https://librivox.org/ [2] - https://librivox.org/the-count-of-monte-cristo-version-3-by-...
on “America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books” ↗…- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill Fiction: - The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain - The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin - Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka - Candide, Voltaire - The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗Another Librivox treasure is David Clarke's reading of The Count of Monte Cristo: https://librivox.org/the-count-of-monte-cristo-version-3-by-...
on “Free Audio Books: Download Great Books for Free” ↗Count of Monte Cristo
on “Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?” ↗The Bible. Mysterious Island (1874), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), and other books by Jules Verne. Books by James Fenimore Cooper. The Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London. The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas. Oliver Twist (1839) by Charles Dickens.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗2 years ago, I replied a similar question by saying The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite book in my youth. I finished reading the Chinese version on one day when I was 16. Since that comment my son was given the book (English) at the same age for his English class last year,…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗…attempts at geometric drawings of the structures of cloud patterns are particularly beautiful imo. He's a phenomenal writer, anyway. Mentioned by others elsewhere in the comments, but Candide and The Count of Monte Cristo are possibly my two favourite books. The first one feels incredibly modern, which is quite impressive given that it's basically the first European novel. Second one I've always thought is like an exceptionally…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas, but I enjoyed many other books he wrote — he used to have assistants that wrote part of his books, and, IIRC, one of them claimed that he was the main author…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗I'll second the recommendation of The Count of Monte Cristo. There's a user on HN who learned French just so he could read it in the original, and I can see why. If you read it, make sure to read the unabridged edition, and not any of the many abridged editions,…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗…virtually any of ETA Hoffmann's work -- written in the 1700's. Or Poe (1800's), or Blackwood (early 1900's), or the French Decadents (1890's), etc.. Or the Mahabarate (400 BC or even earlier). Or The Count of Monte Cristo (1800's). Etc, etc, etc.. These works were all far more complex, three-dimensional, interesting, and insightful than the "good guys team up to defeat the big baddie" that LoTR brought.. not that that…
on “Ursula Le Guin Books” ↗