Let's just say we wouldn't know where modern tales of revenge would be like without this classic. The promising, rich and young sailor Edmond Dantes is flung into jail out of jealousy where he loses literally everything - his fiancee who married one of the men who framed him, his riches, his career, his father who died without knowing what happened to him, and most importantly, his freedom. And after 14 years of exile, Dantes is able to stand up on his feet again. It is a totally satisfying revenge tale that is hard-won and meticulously thought out. As he puts it, “How did I escape? With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With pleasure.”