About this title: From the author of "Legacy", winner of the Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize and the Betty Trask Award, this novel re-interprets the 1911 novel by Gaston Leroux which tells the story of Erik, facially disfigured from birth, who falls in love with a young soprano.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Island Books
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780440211693ISBN:0440211697
Description: Acceptable. Overall below average used book. May have highlighting, underlining, notes, price sticker on cover, or be an ex-library book. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Island Books
Date Published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780440211693ISBN:0440211697
Description: Acceptable. Moderate spinal, cover creasing. Tanned pages. Name written inside. Fold out front cover and book mark still attached. read more
Description: Very Good. 0440211697 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Corgi
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780552137584ISBN:0552137588
Description: Acceptable. OCCASIONAL INKED ANNOTATION. MAJOR SIGNS OF WEAR AND TEAR-VERY WELL READ-READING COPY ONLY SECURE DAILY POSTING FROM UK. 30 DAY GUARANTEE. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Media Creations Inc
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781933626000ISBN:1933626003
Description: Good. 121-W-Add Books rated "Good" may have some notes, underlining, or highlighting. These books also may contain the previous owner's name, stamp, sticker, or gift inscription, or may be library discards. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Island
Date Published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780440211693ISBN:0440211697
Description: Fair. No dust jacket as issued. Spine creasing, hinge crease, edge wear. Bookmark is included, but no longer attached to back cover. Last 100 or so pages have some rippling/damp damage at top corner. Teaser page is corner clipped with no text missing.... Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 544 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Very Good. 0440211697 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Description: Very Good. 0440211697 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Island
Date Published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780440211693ISBN:0440211697
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 544 p. Audience: General/trade. Good///Paperback///spine creasing--pages tight B0563 read more
Edition: First Edition/First Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Dell Publishing, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780440211693ISBN:0440211697
Description: VG+ to Near Fine. No Jacket (as issued) First edition thus of the mass market paperback. Included bookmark is detatched but present. Nicer than usually seen copy. read more
Description: Very Good. 0440211697 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Description: Very Good. 0440211697 Great condition paperback book, clean pages, mild creases to spine, some edge/corner rubs, bookmarker in back of book is missing, this book is GREAT! Shop & Save With US. read more
Edition: 1st Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Island Books/Dell Publishing, United Kingdom
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780440211693ISBN:0440211697
Description: Near Fine + A beautiful copy that still has the perforated return flap on the back side of the wrap. read more
Edition: 1st Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Island Books/Dell Publishing, United States
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780440211693ISBN:0440211697
Description: Near Fine. A real nice copy that is complete with the wrap-around wraps on the front and back side of the book. read more
Edition: Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780385302968ISBN:0385302967
Description: Odom, Mel. Near Fine Condition in Near Fine jacket. EAN: 9780385302968. 458 pp. Full size book club edition. A few pages are ever-so-slightly corner bent, else fine. Dust Jacket has light crimping to spine ends. Now protected in a New Mylar Cover. A child is born. His mother's only gift is a mask. Precocious and gifted, he will live friendless and alone. Caged as a freak in a Gypsy carnival, a disfigured outcast flees, becoming a stonemason's apprentice in Rome, a dark magician at the Persian ... read more
"i'll admit, the numerous fanfics i have read completely prepared me for this book...
Kay follows Erik's descent from a child starved for love to the cold-hearted monster he becomes with soul-wrenching presition. The only areas she strayed from the original plot are the parts where she created a fluffy, disturbing romance between Erik and Christine. As it says in the book, he's old enough to be her father!
But the Phantom's back story was worth all that stalker romance buisness. I had always been curious about the rosy hours of Mazanderan..."
"I want to know how the hell I finished a book with the week I've had, but I'm glad it was this one...I fairly devoured it last evening.
This is Kelly Creagh's fav book of all time. Despite the deplorable cover art (gag!!!), this is NOT a Harlequin Gothic romance story...but a dark retelling of the The Phantom of the Opera. Like all good retellings, it begins with the birth of the main character and illuminates the childhood of Erik (the Phantom) to give an understandably pathetic introduction to his dark and genius ways. By the end of the story, I was able to visualize what his face may have looked like (which was kinda hard for me to do throughout most of the story...probably the author's intention?).
A VERY good read, just remove the jacket so you won't be embarrassed reading it in public. hahaha."
"Wow--I never expected to love this book. I was skeptical when it was chosen for book club. Although I enjoy the musical, I am not passionate about it. However, I loved this book and could see myself reading it again, looking for things I missed in my first reading. While Erik's life is mostly dark and tragic, I found myself wishing I knew him personally. What would it be like to know someone like that? I just kept hoping and cheering for him up to the end. And even though some of his choices were really bad, I found myself saying, "Well, how do I know what I would do if I were to walk a mile in his moccassions?" And, "Glad I'm not the judge!""
"Awesome find in the Half Price Bookstore clearance section! So far it's a lot more romantic than the Leroux version.
*EDIT*
Okay. I'm actually not very sure how I feel about this book. I love love love the Leroux version of POTO, and I'm one of those crazy purist types who can't stand to see canon abused...however, I'm very much in favor of character backstory development...provided that it's done well.
So. The good parts of Phantom...I really enjoyed Kay's depiction of Erik's life prior to the Opera House. It was suitably dark, very horrible, and altogether believable. Poor little Erik really needs a hug. :( I was also very happy to see Nadir and to hear how he met Erik. I've always, always wondered about the Persian, almost as much as I've wondered about Erik!
The parts I didn't like about Phantom...okay, the thing I really love about Leroux's Phantom is that he's so bizarre, so crazy, and yet so starved for love that I can't help but feel sorry for him, while being fascinated by the horror of it all. Kay's Phantom...he's so close to being just an ugly person that the mystery is lessened, at least for me. Plus, he has a strange sort of attractiveness throughout the book. The Leroux purist in me completely resists the idea of an attractive Erik!! (Which is why the movie perturbs me immensely...) Kay's Phantom barely seems insane at all. He's just very angry and angsty and misunderstood. (And drugged...) I still can't decide whether I prefer a lunatic Phantom or a psychopath Phantom...but I just wish Kay's Phantom had been a little less attractive and a lot more spooky.
I liked about five-sixths of this book, up to the part that Christine comes into the story. She seems like a total idiot in this...although I guess she does in pretty much any POTO rendition. But she was so annoyingly smitten with the Phantom in this...I thought Raoul was very unfairly portrayed in this version. Yes, yes, I know, nobody likes Raoul, tell the Phangirls to sit down and be quiet. But seriously, there was almost zero chemistry between Christine and Raoul. Most of the time, she was being ditzy, and he was being oblivious...they barely seemed like they even knew each other. I thought the Christine/Raoul romance in Leroux's version was very sweet...and honestly, I don't like the Christine/Erik pairing. Leroux's is too nutty for Christine to get stuck with him, and Kay's is too cool to get stuck with Christine.
I HATED the ending!! With a deep, unrivaled passion, I hate the ending to Phantom more than I've ever hated a book ending in my life. There is so much hatred that it leaves me speechless. It...I...he...she...yeah. Basically, it RUINED one of the best tragedies of all time. And I love tragedy.
So. To sum up...the beginning of this book was completely worth it for me. Erik is one of my favorite literary characters of all time, and I loved hearing the whys and hows of his past. But...the ending...after I write this, I must wash my mind out with soap or something, due to the sheer awfulness. But everything that *didn't* have to do with Christine was acceptable (says the POTO snob).
Um...by the way...this is not for kids or sensitive readers. Not quite as graphic as Wicked, but it's pretty up there. Speaking of which, I really want Elphaba and Erik to get together and chat. Musical junkie fantasies..."
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