The Phantom Returns by Stefanie Cole
|
Our Price: $427.26 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $27.50 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Phantom Returns
Book Review: Not without its flaws, but still a very satisfying read.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the first piece of Phantom fiction I've ever read. I didn't want to have to sail through a sea of smut to find a satisfying sequel that was decently written, so when I read the reviews here, I just went for this. I gotta say, it was worth it. As a sequel to the musical/movie, it's pretty cool. If you want Erik to have another chance, then this is a very good choice. I thought it was surprisingly well written, even in spite of the painfully obvious absence of proofreaders... 'cause... no one proofread it, right? It's got about two dozen mistakes. Pretty much what you expect in your average fic; not so cool when you're paying good money for it. I couldn't stand it, so I was correcting mistakes as I read. Very distracting! But even so, I enjoyed it immensely. Wonderful style, rich descriptions, very little smut, and everybody is mostly in character. Some of the original characters are quite memorable, too. I love Alfred... I mean, Ducray. And Marie. La! She's awesome. As for the plot, it is not as thin as the number of pages would have you believe, although you do end up wishing some parts had been more fleshed out. At times I really felt like I was being cheated out of a fantastic, complex part of the tale. It often happened with conversations. I also thought the whole business with the Earl of Chester felt way too rushed, and later on I kept expecting a checkmate that never came.
In regards to the dialogue, the language is very adequate for the setting (at least to me it never sounded out of place). Some characters burst briefly into song a couple of times throughout the story (I liked it, it's used very effectively). Some lines are quite witty, and I thoroughly enjoyed the banter. My favorite line (Erik's): "Quiet, Christine. I am interested in hearing this duet." Ha! By the way, I didn't have any trouble at all discerning which character was speaking at any point, even in spite of the rather alarming lack of commas.
And now, the bad. Well, in my opinion, the cover is hideous and doesn't do the story justice. If you think it looks cheap here, wait till you actually lay eyes on it. You won't want to be seen reading this in public. The typos I already talked about at length. The cheesy/cliched/ludicrous scenes... Well, there are some parts I really could've done without; however, I admit I'm not a romantic, sensitive person. Evidently, most people here love that stuff (and babies. Most people love babies). But if you're anything like me, you'll know which parts I'm talking about, 'cause it's precisely at those moments when you'll want to check the hideous cover again to make sure a shirtless Fabio look-alike didn't sneak into it while you were busy reading. If you're nothing like me, though, and love that stuff... then you'll be OK. You'll be great. But personally, I'll say there's cheese in this. Not enough for a fondue party, mind you, but you could make a nice quesadilla. To be honest, I wish the story had ended before it jumped the shark (see Chapter 27: "You Saw This Coming in Chapter 18"), but in a sense that's my own fault, 'cause I kept reading. I literally could not put the book down. Because in spite of all of the above, I repeat, I enjoyed it immensely.
So there you go. I've read all the comments here, and now that I've read the story, I'd say most of the positive ones are spot on, so I won't add any more to that (some of the negatives are right as well!). Suffice to say that I'm glad I bought this. It's very light reading, yet it's changed the way I see the movie now. And although in the end I do think Phantom works better as the tragic tale it's always been, "The Phantom Returns" is a very interesting and satisfying "What if...?" for those who've sometimes felt Erik's pain as their own.
Book Review: A Phantom sequel true to character
Summary: 4 Stars
I started "The Phantom Returns" right after seeing the 2004 film again on the big screen in all its glory in November - the perfect time to begin a book that continues the story after the movie ended. I've read a few such tales in the past but I felt that this one was the best I've encountered at staying true to the characters as they were developed in the film. We learn of Christine's life as the Vicomtesse de Chagny and the struggles of going from opera performer to member of the aristocracy in Paris, an uneasy transition at best. We learn of Erik's life-changing experiences after he went through the mirror (his story was particularly touching and satisfying to me). Madame Giry is there as surrogate mother to Christine and life-long friend to Erik. She suffers no fools and her honest and unflinching approach to Christine's plight and its impact on Erik is pivotal to the story. Meg stands by Christine as the sister she so desperately needs. The plot is tightly woven, and Stefanie's writing evoked the emotions in me that I believe she was striving for. I was sometimes angry, sometimes frustrated, and sometimes confused by certain actions of each central character, but then ultimately pleased with how it all played out. Christine is still young and immature in some ways, but struggling to be a woman, while dealing with feelings for two men and the realization that she may have chosen wrongly. Does a childhood sweetheart make a good lifetime partner? Can an Angel of Music be a man and not a Phantom or a ghost? Some very important lessons are learned by Raoul and Christine about the lengths to which one may be driven in the name of "true love," and what makes a "monster" of a man. How it all unfolds should keep any reader and lover of our Phantom quite enthralled right to the very end (which came too soon and left me wanting even more - the only reason I rated it 4 stars rather than 5)! Thank you for a very enjoyable read, Stefanie! I highly recommend it for all others who love The Phantom of the Opera as I do!
Book Review: The Eternal Triangle.
Summary: 4 Stars
Initially I was distracted by a couple of facts that were jarring my subconcious as I read this novel, so I had to stop and leave it for a while then continue.
The contact with Erik came too early in the marriage for me
to get totally onboard with the idea that Christine had become
so dissillusioned with her life and Raoul. It also took me a while to warm to the 'Earl of Chester' theme, but it was a necessary contrivence for the plot.
(Also the journey across the continents would have taken years not months..... Russia then Ireland).
I read on after a while and I am very pleased I did so, for taken
as a continuum from the ending of the 2004 movie the strong sense of character remained.
I could, with imagery, follow the destruction of the once 'fairy tale' life with Raoul and witness the triumphant Erik claim his 'bride' at long last.
A must have book for Phantom fans, it's a novel that will give pleasure to many readers. Well done Ms Cole.
Book Review: Indeed The Phantom Returned.
Summary: 4 Stars
I received this book at the beginning of the week and starting reading it night before last. It is compelling and takes us on a discovery of veiled happiness, redemption, loss of hope, despair and at long last true love.
We follow Raoul and Christine on their journey after marriage. Raoul wants society to accept his bride, but they can not forget how she is and how beneath them her station is as a former singer. We follow Erik through his own struggles and wonder if he will change his life for the better and a devoted butler Ducray. We watch as Christine is pulled in many direction, trying to find her true self, with the help of Madame Giry and Meg.
It is a very good read and one that I didn't put down tonight until I was finished. If you are a Phan of the Phantom, then I think you will enjoy this book. It pulls your emotions and your heart strings.
Book Review: A Phantom Review
Summary: 4 Stars
Stephanie Cole's Phantom sequel more than earns its status for being a very good continuation to the 2004 film. It definitely stands alone on its own merit, but if you are an admirer of the Joel Schumacher/Andrew Lloyd Webber interpretation then "The Phantom Returns" keeps some of the film's tangible sense very well, without sacrifice to its own originality.
There are some moments that feel so curiously perfect that they made me literally 'stop'. There is a little of the contemporary in the characters that slides in, without which this would have been an excellent first triumph. I'm looking forward to Stephanie's next book & only hope that it will be Phantom related.