The Angelique Story

Angelique (what a name) begins as the child of an impoverished rural Baron.  She runs wild through the countryside, becoming quite confidant and independent.  Overhearing a poison plot against the young Louis the 14th, she steals a casket that will cause her trouble for a decade. 

She is married off to a scarred lame older man Jeffrey de Peyrac) who turns out to be brave, scientific, poetic, and loving.  Perhaps a last Renaissance man...  He mines gold, breeds mules, organizes intellectual parties, etc.  And he is based on a real person.

Shortly, his wealth threatens the young King, who arranges a fake trial and has his burned as a sorcerer. Angelique falls into poverty and discovers a local Parisian underworld leader is a former childhood friend (far under her former station, of course).  She sinks into the underworld of Paris, but of course rises up again after her childhood friend's gang is wiped out.

It sounds stupid, but it does go along well with the history of the times.

Angelique narrowly escapes death a few times.  Being around Angelique is almost as certain a death sentence as being a red shirt security guy on the original Star Trek.

When she escapes the underworld live, she does a grill-restaraunt makeover and recovers her fortune.  Alas, nothing in Angeliques life is ever settled.  Noblemen crash the place and burn it to the ground, killing her manager and a child.  But not until she recognizes most of them from her days at court.  She plans revenge!

That's when The Poet appears.  He lives in the underground too and writes the most scurrilous poems attacking Bad Guys!  Out of love for Angelique, he writes condemnatory poems of each of the noblemen, to be ended with the one (The King's Brother who actually killed the child), on the last day. 

He is of course, caught and hanged before that and Angelique is forced to turn over the last days accusatory poem in exchange for her life and some kingly business favors. 

Being around Angelique is usually fatal...  And If I had been around her I would have gotten the hell out of Paris fast!

But there is no escaping Angelique!  If you ever knew her, you are doomed.  Every person she meets dies.  Every friend, co-worker, and servant...  Basically, you might as well just throw your self into the Seine. 

I make light of it but death DOES hang around her neck like an albatross.

And that's just the first 3 books of 13!  The person around her that lives (and whom I admire) is a detective with a talented dog who actually just stays "a friend". 

Spoiler alert for the rest of the series as I know it (those darn 3 books not published in English)!!!  If you want to read the books, don't read further.

OK, Angelique marries her cousin a nobleman Field Marshall.  He gets killed in a battle.  From her new title though, she gets access to the Court.  There, she gambles at cards with a sad old Prince.  The wager becomes if Angelique wins the hand she gets his castle and if she loses, she will become his mistress (she wins of course).

This brings her to attention of Louis 14th.  After some danger, she ends up in his personal chambers.  He knows who she really is.  He remembers her from Jeffrey de Peyrac's court, from her days as the Red Mask Tavern that was the site of the child murder, and as Field Marshall-General du Plessis's wife.

In a wonderful scene, the King talks about his younger days trying to fight for his Kingshipe.  Many long years of living as a paesent stoking fires to stay warm at night.  As he stokes the fire in his private room's fireplace.  He explains that he had to put down noblemen with greater riches and influence than he had.  He explains that he needs a queen to match his boundless ambition for France to rise again.  He needs Angelique.

Quite frankly, in a moment of both hope, tenderness, and utter stupidity, he gives Angelique the official reports of Jeffrey de Peyrac's "death".  Jeffrey slipped over the side of the boat bringing him to burning site.  The  report says the death was certain.  Angelique says to the King "He Lives".  She leaves the King  to search for Jeffrey.

OK, after that, she foments rebellion in Southern France loses, gets raped and with child, ends up a captive of an Arab Sultan, escapes with the help of an Englishman, hides among Parisian Houganots and helps them escape onto a pirate ship.

Guess who's the captain of the pirate ship?

Jeffrey.  He survived the escape into the Seine, made his way to Arabia through his science contacts, and he has been wreaking vengence on French ships while his spies tracked Angelique!

She doesn't recognize him at first because the Arab doctors has rebroken then repaired his crippled leg, gebnerally fixed his lifelong facial scars (yeah right), but he wears a mask anyway, and even partially repaired the damaged vocal chords.

Bad things happen on ship.  The Hugonauts mutiny just as a terrible storm makes them help the ship's crew to brace the mast.  All seems good.  No, nothing is ever calm in Angeliques life.  Just as she is loving Jeffrey again, she learns that he had kidnapped her sons (remember them?) and not told her. 

It was a test he said, to see if she cared what happened to them.  Never mind that she went nuts and did crazy things saving them many times.  She hadn't asked HIM about them fast enough after she learned who he was.  I think she faints from shock.

Anyway, they eventually make up and go to Canada.  It gets weirder after that.  They are happy, then that Englishman who carried her out of Arabia shows up, and some Jesuit and some Demon woman sent to destroy her. 

But all turns out OK.  Every man in Angeliques life eventually succumbs to Jeffrey's leadership and admirable skills. 

But there are Indians AND the King of France who has never forgiven Angelique for rejecting him (or forgotten Jeffrey as being a threat).  And who wants control of Canada.

Two bad books made fast, the Englishman, the leader of the Hugonauts, and an Indian leader make up to Jeffrey and Angelique, and Jeffrey kills a mysigonist (but sturdy) Canadian Frenchman in a snowy swordfight.

All is wonderful again, but there is still an angry King of France and I won't bother you with the rest of it because the last couple books got really stupid.  It happens in series.  I'll just say that at the end of one of the last books, one of Angeliques son's leads his pet wolverine into the forest after the demon woman and he returns shining in Arthurian brightness.

In spite of all that, it's worth reading the series.  I've been a bit sarcastic because historical fiction/romance novels are not my usual fare.  But I liked this one.

I mentioned all of this because there is FINALLY (after 45 years) an English-dubbed version of a 1960s French movie series about Angelique available.  I am enjoying it thoroughly.

You should give it a try.  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013XZ6MU/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

I get nothing from this recommendation...