News
The Maybe List
Anthologies
Biography
British Mystery
Children's
Comics
Fantasy
General Fiction
General History
General Lit
Horror
Mystery
Online
Romance
Not POTO, but Similar

How I review
Online stores
Add to the List

SECOND GENERATION and A LEGACY OF LOVE, by Sheryl Aumack.

Genre: General Fiction, fanzine

Availability: Write SeaMaid Press, 7438 West 85th St. Los Angeles, CA 90045 for info.

Rating:

Review: The novella, Second Generation, and Legacy of Love, a set of 2 short stories, are nicely-researched, very French-feeling tributes to the Phantom myth. Both seek to answer the question of what happens after the end of Leroux, and they do a charming job of it, too. Neither really ran amuck with my emotions, though, and I was troubled that, for all the obvious care taken in making a beautiful publication, obvious puncation errors and missing word problems still existed in the text.

ANGEL OF MUSIC, by D.M. Bernadette.

Genre: General fiction

Availability: Amazon/BN (self-published)

Rating: NA

Review: NA

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, by David Bishoff.

Genre: General fiction

Availability: probably OP

Rating: NA

Review: NA

PHANTOM OF THE OLD OPERA HOUSE, David or George Caruso.

Genre: General fiction

Availability: known to be available at Barnes and Noble Online.

Rating: NA

Review: NA

LE FANTOME, Brigitta D'Arcy-Hays

Genre: General fiction

Availability: Published by Minerva Press: Unity Distribution, Unit One South Folds Road, Corby, Northamptonshire, NN18 9EU, UK. Tel: 01536 747 628, Fax: 01536 741 766, Email: unity.distribution@dial.pipex.com and Website--http://www.minverva-press.co.uk

Other Info: This is a Phantom sequel. D'Arcy-Hays has been asked to do another book, on the history of the Opera.

Rating: NA

Review: NA

BEAST, by Jonathan Fast

Genre: General fiction

Availability: Unknown

Special Notes: B&B as well as POTO

Rating:

Review: I hesitate to give this one even a single rose. Beast is quite possibly the worst I've yet come across in professional Phantom/B&B fiction. It makes one wonder why the author even bothered. In this story, which has not aged well since its time of publication, a young actress is held by a millionaire out in a hidden fortress home in the California desert. (She sacrifices herself to save her gay agent, who is described in the most offensive ways.) Said actress naturally falls for her captor, and even romps in the sheets with him. (There are quite a few sexual references in Beast--most belonging not even to the main characters.) Meanwhile, the woman who shares her home turns out to be totally two-faced, seeking to overtake our heroine's budding career while she's being bedded down by the millionaire, who has his own secrets, beginning with his mask. The writing is horrid, the ending a total let-down, the plot skimpy, the offensive stereotypes abounding. I felt like washing my hands after reading this one.

PHANTOM OF MANHATTAN, by Frederick Forsyth

Genre: General fiction

Availability: Buy a copy in hardback or audio book at Amazon.com.

Rating:

Review:

Frederick Forsyth's "Phantom of Manhattan" has been blasted as the worst thing possible to happen to "Phantom" since--well, the movie rights were sold. But, really, the book is not worth the energy expended on scathing criticism. Forsyth's novella is a lifeless disappointment that will be quickly removed from mainstream circulation.

Yes, much ill can be said of the book: "Manhattan" is a shallow novel, with an unconvincing storyline, and cardboard characters. It screams of a script synopsis, begging badly for actors to give something minimally believable to the characters in the text. The book is a fast read, and an emotionless one. Who cares about fake people? The ending flops lamely, possessing none of the emotional energy possible in the scene; so too is the reunion moment for Christine and Erik barren of any reader involvement. The "new idea" of the book, that Erik and Christine had a child, is one that has been bounced around previously in more inspired rewrites; the other new characters are sketchy and feel like walking advertisements for Forsyth's other novels, not belonging in this particular tale. Even a gentle critic would admit there is nothing about this book that the best phanfic authors could not have topped.

But to hate this book is to hate Diet Coke--there's nothing in this meaningless, dull little novella about which one should work up a sweat. Forsyth clumsily attempts to portray what we love best about Erik, and if he fails (badly), he at least does not join the small group of writers who portray Erik as a heartless madman. Moreover, the other point of controversy in the text, Forsyth's ploy of undercutting Leroux in order to win over reader belief in his own plot, is ineffective and easily dismissed.

Just five months after its release, "Phantom of Manhattan" has recently joined the bargain bins in major bookstores. Sadly for those who saw an opportunity in the idea of a Phantom sequel, the bargain bin is where "Manhattan" belongs. It is a dead work that offers little to the reader but astonishment of having paid so much for so little.

ANGEL OF MUSIC: TALES OF THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, by Carrie Hernandez.

Genre: General fiction

Availability: Amazon/BN (self-published)

Rating: NA

Review: I haven't read this yet, but from years of contact with Carrie's work, I can only say I would bet this is one of the classics of fan literature.

PHANTOM, by Susan Kay.

Genre: General fiction

Availability: American edition (mask cover) IP, British edition (Erik with head in hands), OP.

Special Notes: dedication to MC's Erik

Rating:

Review: Brilliant. Near-perfection. A tour de force. Could it get any better? Well, I won't go that far. Susan Kay's ending leaves me flat, and I have my doubts about her Christine and a decision on how to explain away some of Erik's mad behavior. For all that, though, there's no doubting the hundreds of pages prior to the end had me cursing my own futile attempts at writing. Her Erik is absolutely sublime; watch your heart when you read this one, because I suspect that after reading this book, you'll fall in love with the Phantom all over again.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, by Gaston Leroux.

Genre: General fiction

Availability: Unicorn edition, illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt-IP; Unicorn edition with Sarah Brightman forward (ISBN: 0-88101-082-0) -ER; Bantam Classic-IP, in bookstores now; for the original French version, Le Fantome de l'Opera is from Brodard et Taupin, Librairie General Francaise, 6 rue Pierre-Sarrazin - 75006 Paris. ISBN 2-253-00950-4

Rating:

Review: Wonderful. Leroux's book is more horror than romance, but this is the fairy-tale that started it all. The actual text is something to make the Disney animators weep in jealousy-this is exactly the kind of book you'd have huddled under the covers with, reading past your bedtime. Marvellous.

Review, Part Two: Breakdown of the editions cited above: the Unicorn illustrated edition is sumptuously drawn, with the added bonus of a "Where's Waldo" game of identifying GH's image in every other picture. The Brightman forward is very short, so you're not missing much by only going after the non-forward edition. The Bantam Classic paperback edition of Leroux sports a new, modern translation by Lowell Blair. By all means, buy this book-the small segments removed from the original Leroux, and restored here, reveal a much more human Erik, a more sensitive understanding of his sexual frustration, and a Christine who cuts to the heart of the tale by lamenting on an ugly man's lot in life.

PHANTASY, by Becky L. Meadows.

Genre: General fiction, fanzine

Availability: Contact OperaGal9@aol.com for information on ordering. You can read more information in the Becky Meadows site

Rating:

Review: Mikey likes it!

Seriously, I was holding my breath when I opened the first pages of Becky Meadows' follow-up to her phanfic novel, Progeny. Progeny was great fun; how many phanfic authors can deliver one such novel, let alone two?

Well, consider Meadows the first to pull it off, then.

What makes Phantasy a success is that it doesn't *try* to be a sequel. It doesn't try to be a typical phanfic, beating its way down the same Leroux story over and again. Phantasy strikes out on its own, creating a new story just as compelling as the foundation story of Progeny. Phantasy begins on a charming premise: did you ever wonder why you, O Phantom Fan, felt so close to Erik...? From there, the story darts out on its own power, following logically but never being easily predicted. This resistance to predictable choices is part of Phantasy's interest and another nice contrast with Progeny. Where Progeny was more romantic and traditional, Phantasy is a very different creation; set in modernity, frank in language and sexual imagery, bold and unconventional in its character portrayals. All-in-all, I enjoyed this fan novel tremendously--my only quibbles with Progeny were minor (a character going by a French title in the US, for example) in comparison to the delight with which I devoured this book. Great job!

(Note: This is an adult novel.)

PROGENY, by Becky L. Meadows.

Genre: General fiction, fanzine

Availability: Contact OperaGal9@aol.com for information on ordering. Progeny is 435 pages and sells for $25 (overseas orders will cost more) from the author. You can read more information in the Progeny site

Rating:

Review: One word: wow.

This, my friends, is quite possibly the best fanfic novel I have read. Progeny, picking up elements from Leroux, ALW, and Susan Kay, seeks to build a sequel for he original tale. While the ideas of Progeny haven't grabbed me in the same way that the "big three" did, the book is nonetheless a compelling, extremely enjoyable read for any fan of the romance underlying Phantom. Meadows' story is highly entertaining, has a superb grasp of Erik (the ALW influence is marked), and is genuinely moving to boot--if you don't cry at a certain point, you're no Phantom fan. There are some problems with the text; Meadows overuses certain phrases (raking hands through his hair, torrents of tears) and her plot wobbles a bit as it asks the reader to follow her through less likely parts of the plot. The ending seems a bit rushed, and the reader is left with a bit of discontent when the final page is pushed over. But the whole works; I devoured the book, rediscovering my joy in Phantom in the process.

PHANTOM OF THE SOAP OPERA, by Judi Miller

Genre: Fiction, possibly horror

Availability: Unknown

Rating: NA

Review: NA

Back to the Categories

JOURNEY OF THE MASK, by Nancy Pettengill

Genre: Fiction

Availability: Amazon.com and other online stores

Rating: NA

Review: NA

Back to the Categories

NOCTURNE, by Joyce Ann Rebaric.

Genre: General Fiction, fanzine

Availability: Write JAR at 13741 Clinton Street, #84 Garden Grove, CA 92643 for info.

Rating:

Review: Nocturne is a fuzzy romantic take on Phantom. Plot and characterization don't matter here; what does is getting the two leads in kissy-luvvy situations for the satisfaction of the reader. The story itself is bland--Christine bolts from evil Raoul & family, runs to Erik, generally constant happiness with slight problem of when to have sex. The scenes are sometimes laughably contrived to create unnecessary sexual tension. (E.g., Erik is called to Christine's aid, shirtless. You get the idea.) As a fanzine, Nocturne is decent enough; it's a pleasant (sometimes unintentionally funny) read, but not much more.

Back to the Categories

ADELINE, DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT, and DEAR ERIK, (together: THE ANGEL IN HELL) by Sarah Russell.

Genre: General Fiction, romance, fanfiction

Availability: All three can be purchased together, as THE ANGEL IN HELL, at online publishing house Lulu, at this link: Lulu.com

Rating: NA

BROADWAY MELODY OF 1999, by Robert Steiner

Genre: General fiction

Availability: OP

Special Notes: features a mixture of themes, including the Phantom as a character

Rating:

Review: Reviewing Broadway Melody of 1999 has to be my greatest challenge in maintaining this Website.

This book, dear Phantom friends, is *weird*.

Broadway is a fragmented, postmodern take on rebellion in fiction--rebellion which has an author writing of his own writing process, rebellion which leads to literary bad boys Drac and Erik partying the night away one Christmas in the Opera, rebellion which generally is out to shock the reader's mind any way possible. (And Steiner certainly accomplishes this.) Broadway features an interesting discussion of how "escapist" fiction can be (or cannot be), the nature of creativity, and sexual perversity as a rejection of reader sympathy.

As a POTO Book, though, I am not sure if I can say it delivered. Did it bring me back to the depths of Phantom, into the romance, the mystery, of Erik's heart? Well, no. This book is more a philosophical debate in novel form than an attempt to bring forth the magic of POTO. While thoughtful (and shocking), the novel wasn't particularly interested in the details of "Phantom," and for that, this Phantom reader was irked.

THE ESSENTIAL PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: THE DEFINITIVE ANNOTATED EDITION OF GASTON LEROUX'S CLASSIC NOVEL, by Leonard Wolf.

Genre: General Fiction, fanzine

Availability: In print

Rating:

Review: Copies of Leroux's text are not rare these days. So it is that when a new edition of the classic text appears on the bookshelves, it is the unique aspects of that edition that will prove its selling point. The Essential Phantom of the Opera: The Definitive, Annotated Edition, edited by Leonard Wolf attempts to sell itself by offering a "definitive" Phantom experience, but ultimately falls far short of the goal.

Wolf's presentation of the text of Leroux is unabridged and meticulous in such details as mirroring the original's cinematic use of the present tense. (The only time this has been done in English translation, he is quick to tell us.) Curious punctuation also drives the text along, an excess of exclamations and all-capital shouts that are not to be found in other translations of Leroux; yet Wolf does not tell us if these are his or Leroux's additions. But, regardless of punctuation and present tense, the translation is mundane in word choice and frequently embarrassingly awkward in style. (Wolf translates a section where Raoul and Christine are both said to have "the dreamy, calm soul of a dreamer," and later on in the text, again falls into the same bad English style of repeating a word within the same sentence.) The roots of this awkwardness may lie in the French text, but it is the hallmark of a good translator not to sacrifice his own language in making a translation come across faithfully.

As an annotator, Wolf frustrates the reader. He drops a footnote to tell us that this moment is Erik's first appearance in the text, but avoids comment on real curiosities in the text, such as when Leroux gives a false first name for the Opera architect, Charles Garnier. He can double-check for the existence of certainly personalities in the book, but fails to note, in explaining the goddesses listed on the Opera's dome, an extremely Phantom-reminiscent version of the myth of Galatea. He does nothing to straighten out Leroux's casual descriptions of the Opera interior, assuming, like Leroux, that one has been in the Opera, one might suppose. Thematically, he scores points by tracing the use of words relating to maturity, but he adds confusion to the mix by an unnecessary and inconsistent footnoting of Leroux's asterisked notes to say they were Leroux's, versus his, notes. As a commentator on Gothic fiction, Wolf is quick to align "Phantom" alongside other Gothic greats, but his citations from his own "Essential Dracula," "Essential Frankenstein," and "Essential Jekyll and Hyde," provide little insight and smack of a lazy researcher.

Which he just possibly could be. Wolf's edition of "Phantom" rounds out with a bibliography, a list of Leroux's works, and "Phantom" incarnations in visual media. (Why he skips "Phantom" incarnations in print is beyond me.) A quick skim of his bibliography will demonstrate that Wolf relied heavily on dictionary-style references, nice but hardly in-depth research, and generally worked from books not directly written about "Phantom" or the Opera Garnier. (I could come up with three-to-four valuable additions to his bibliography, just from my in-print research!) His biography of Gaston Leroux, a full twenty pages, is well-written but offers little that George Perry's "Complete Phantom of the Opera" didn't tell us first.

Leonard Wolf's "Essential Phantom of the Opera" is thus hardly essential. It does offer scattered intriguing thoughts and research on the text, but Wolf's work is not the comprehensive , constant commentary and inspired unabridged translation necessary to claim the title of the "Definitive, Annotated Edition of Gaston Leroux's Classic Novel."

DECEPTION by Shirley Yoshinaka.

Genre: General Fiction, romance, fanfiction

Availability: May be purchased via online publishing house Lulu, at this link: Lulu.com

Rating: NA

THE VOICE UNMASKED, by Sharon Young.

Genre: General Fiction, fanzine

Availability: Was a self-published novel, but unfortunately no longer in print.

Rating:

Review: The Voice Unmasked lacks direction and likable characters. The plot skitters all over the place--first, Native-American born Ami goes to the Opera and, not being known for cowtowing to local specters, issues a challenge to the resident Ghost. The Ghost, who has suddenly become utterly incompetent and downright doltish, is whipped in the contest by young Ami. But then, everyone is conquered by Ami. The "wild Indian of the Opera," as she is frequently and annoyingly dubbed, is young, brilliant, beautiful, the world's most wonderful voice (forget Erik!), powerful, a quicker thinker on her feet than either MacGyver or Sherlock Holmes, etc., etc. The European characters are helpless before her brash naturalness. As is evident just in the opening scene (where Ami, dressed in male traditional Native American wear, gets a job from the Opera's managers simply because they don't want to see her disappointed), realism does not factor into this work. The pictures (by author Young) are vivid and well-done, but the text simply doesn't cut it.

Back to Phantom Books