A book by Alexandre Dumas - the noted French novelist, The Three Musketeers has all the ingredients of a great novel. The novel was first published in 1844 in the magazine in a serial form. It was instantly popular.

Set in the days of pre-revolutionary France, the novel revolves around a young man D’Artagnan and his obsession with joining the Musketeers, an elite guard that protects the French King. D’Artagnan reaches Paris from his native province of Gascony with a letter of introduction from his late father. However, due to an unfortunate series of circumstances, he loses the letter of introduction. He manages to meet the three of the musketeers, Athos, Pothos and Aramis; the three are also close friends who live by the novel’s famous motto “One for all and All for one.” Without his letter, though, D’Artagnan is received coldly by the Musketeers who look at him as just another young man with adventurous ideas.

The Musketeers are opposed by Richelieu, the power hungry and Machiavellian cardinal of France and the real power behind the French throne. The French King, Louis XIII, is young and inexperienced in matters of state and is easily manipulated by the wily Richelieu who constantly seeks to curtail royal power and expand his own authority. Since, the musketeers answer directly to the French King and not to him, Richelieu views them as a threat and craftily seeks to disband them and when unsuccessful, schemes to destroy them altogether.

Camaraderie, loyalty, illicit romance and political intrigue all create an atmosphere of intense suspense and anticipation. The collegiality of D'Artagnan and the Musketeers is centred around the famous slogan "One for all and All for One".

As an increasingly assertive Louis seeks to establish his own power, the Cardinal plans to do away with him altogether and sets up an assassin to kill the king. The story dwells on how D’Artagnan and his musketeer friends protect the king, outwitting the powerful Cardinal Richelieu and his sinister spies. Read More

Is that a sun dial on your wrist?

It might have those old school looks, but the GWM5600 G-Shock is every bit the modern timepiece.

As you might expect from a G-Shock, it offers up shock and water resistance, as well as a digital time and timers, viewable in all conditions thanks to the auto backlight. And don't worry about setting the time - Atomic Timekeeping Technology makes this watch super-accurate, even adjusting settings for a leap year or if the clocks go backward/forward.

But that's only half the story - the big selling point here is solar power. Yes, you can forget the batteries, this particular G-Shock works off a tiny panel, in turn feeding a large-capacity rechargeable battery, saving you money and saving the planet too, in its own small way. Expect it in the shops in the coming weeks with a choice of plastic or metal strap, priced well under the £100 mark.

courtesy : www.t3.com

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