confused names and places; did other editing, and, after debating it, wrote three chapters based on Dumas's notes to complete the novel. This new material was printed in italics to distinguish it from Dumas's work. The novel was released on June 3, 2005, by Editions aklas. The novel, issued with a run of 2,000 copies, immediately became a bestseller in France, quickly selling 60,000 copies. In 2007 Pegasus Books in New York published an English translation entitled The Last Cavalier. Le Salut de l'Empire, a sequel written by Schopp incorporating additional Dumas materials, was published in French in 2008. Similarly, in 2002 Reginald Hamel, a Canadian scholar, found Dumas' unpublished five-act play The Gold Thieves in the Bibliothèque Nationale. It was published in 2004 in France by Honoré-Champion. Plot "It's vintage Dumas, in the same vein as the vengeful hero of The Count of Monte-Cristo." —Claude Schopp (Bell, 2005) The swashbuckling historical novel takes place after the events of the French Revolution and during the subsequent rise of the Napoleonic Empire. The protagonist is a French aristocrat who is torn between the old and new ways, and seeks vengeance for two brothers killed during the course of the preceding novels. Dumas imagines his main character killing the British admiral Horatio Nelson after his victory during the Battle of Trafalgar against the French and Spanish navies. Historically, Nelson was killed by an unknown sniper. Another historical character to appear in the story is Fra Diavolo. References Anonymous (March 23, 2005). Novel reveals mystery. News 24.com. Retrieved March 30, 2005. Susan Bell (March 23, 2005). Dumas's trilogy completed as novel unearthed 135 years on. News.Scotsman.com. Retrieved March 30, 2005. External links The Companions of Jehu online from Project Gutenberg (also in French) 1869 French novels Novels by Alexandre Dumas Novels published posthumously Novels set during the Napoleonic Wars Unfinished novels Unfinished literature completed by others Novels first published in serial form Works originally published in French newspapers Cultural depictions of Horatio Nelson Cultural depictions of Fra Diavolo Battle of Trafalgar Novels set in the 1790s Novels set in the 1800s Male characters in literature Literary characters introduced in 1869