Phantom
by Susan Kay
List Price:
Our Price: $21.69
You Save: $8.26 (28%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.90 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Susan KayEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-03-15
ISBN: 1933626046
Number of pages: 468
Publisher: Llumina Stars
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9781933626048
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Phantom
Book Review: Worthy companion to original "Phantom of the Opera"
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book many years ago when I happened to pick it up on whim at the bookstore. Who knew that years later this book would be hard to find and expensive as well! However, it's worth the price.
"Phantom" is beautifully written novel that gives us more background on the Opera Ghost who haunted Christine Daae in Leroux's Phantom of the Opera (POTO). While POTO was about told in somewhat of a reporter-like fashion, Kay's novel really brings us closer to what made the phantom into the monster he ultimately became. The book starts with Erik's birth and paints a portrait of a childhood filled with isolation, abuse, neglect, and revulsion, all from his own mother. What I appreciated about Kay's imagination, however, is that she doesn't completely make it seem like Erik was an angel who was warped by people's fear of his deformity. Instead, he was clearly a child whose awesome talents already marked him as something apart from the human race and he was already lacking in the human morals of society. The tragedy of Erik's childhood is that given the right attention and acceptance, his darker nature may have been overcome, but neither he nor those around him were strong enough.
The story then shifts gears and explores what happens to Erik after he leaves home. Episodes in his past that were only hinted at through third parties in POTO are explained in more detail. His time as a circus freak is told by him. His time in the Middle East is told by the mysterious Persian. Once Erik arrives in Paris, the story is told between him and Christine Daae. Here, we finally begin to realize the horror that Erik has become and how the obsessiveness which has characterized him throughout his life finally accumulates and focuses on Christine. Through this part of the novel, we also learn more about Christine, who remained a somewhat damsel-in-distress and empty figure in POTO. The characters are much more filled out and the climax is heart-wrenching in its understatement.
Some may not like how this novel ends, but without giving away the details, I found it fitting and somewhat relieving. Fitting because Erik, who was always a master of illusion and sleight of hand, manages to pull off one last ultimate switch. Relieving because this creature who was so completely tormented and repulsed, so filled with both despairing arrogance and self-loathing, was finally granted an iota of peace.
Overall, this book was a wonderful read and should be considered a worthy counterpart to POTO. What the original novel lacked in intimacy, this novel adds. The draw of the original POTO was the very mystery of the phantom, who remained an enigma to the very end. That novel offered only glimpses through others. This novel brings that all to the forefront. It's the story we were all imagining in our heads even as we read the original "Phantom."
Summary of Phantom
"Powerful.moving tour de force." says Publisher's Weekly, Phantom "adds.new depth to the [original story].. Haunting and unforgettable.a sensual and.poetic exploration of a man's internal conflict between good and evil and of a search for love amidst darkness and despair."Literary Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literary Books
Island (Perennial Classics)by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
Angelsby Marian Keyes
William Morrow; Published: 2002-05-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.16
Price in other shops:
A Tree Grows in Brooklynby Betty Smith
Harper; Published: 2001-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.17
Price in other shops:
The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptationby Paulo Coelho
Harper; Published: 2006-07-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Boonville: A Novelby Robert Mailer Anderson
Harper Perennial; Published: 2003-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
Carameloby Sandra Cisneros
HarperAudio; Published: 2002-10-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Headhunterby Timothy Findley
PERENNIAL PUBLICATIONS; Paperback; Book
The Crimson Petal And The Whiteby Michel Faber
Harcourt, Inc./Harvest; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.50
Great Expectationsby Charles Dickens
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
This Side of Paradiseby Fitzgerald
Scribner Paper Fiction; Published: 1988-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops: