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 | 1866. After the disappearance of their master, Colonel
Bozzo-Corona, fourteen years earlier, the Black Coats are a mere travesty
of their former selves. Taking advantage of the situation, young Saladin,
nicknamed the "Sword-Swallower," the son of Similor, a gang
member, now the wily Marquis de Rosenthal, steps into the void and becomes
the new Godfather. His ambitious plan to restore the once-powerful criminal
empire to its invicible criminal glory consists of stealing the fortune
of young Justine, kidnapped as a baby and turned into a rope-dancer with
the name of Mademoiselle Saphir. Justine, in reality the daughter of the
wealthy Justin de Vibraye, is also desired by the evil Duc de Chaves,
a deadly adversary for the Sword-Swallower...
Written third, but chronologically last in the series, The Sword-Swallower
(1867) was intended by Paul Féval to be the final tale in the
criminal saga of the Black Coats. "It is a unique work, which
might arguably benefit from being read in isolation, without any reference
to its companions," notes Brian Stableford.
Cover by J.-M. Ponzio
Published by Black Coat Press in 2011
ISBN: 978-1-61227-024-1
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