Rating: 
Summary: Really Really Well Done
Review: I loved this book! I picked it up at the library discard sale and wondered why they had discarded it when I was done reading it. The characters were well pulled together, the storylines beautifully intertwined, and the prose was fabulous. The reader really gets to love Erik, and wish fate had dealt him a better hand. I got to the point where if I had met him I wouldn't have cared if he were a cockroach. :) Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book to one and all.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Stunning!
Review: I never considered myself a devoted fan of PotO,but the story's always been one of my favorites b/c of seeing the play @ 5 yrs. old and listening to the soundtrack. This book captures everything and anything you could learn or feel for the PotO, Erik.The story is very much tragic, and I know I couldn't help wishing he were real! Kay has obviously put her imagination to good use when giving us the detailed account of Erik's life and travels. She makes him into a full, three-dimensional figure that is human but at the same time curiously supernatural. The second part of the book, with Christine and that ordeal, doesn't hold me as much as the original; usually the first version you see of something remains your favorite. Still, Kay's rendering of Erik falling in love with Christine honestly brought me to tears - and that doesn't happen at all with me. It is amazing how much emotion she has put into Erik! And the surprise ending...I loved it! The story may be told a little differently at the end, but it's still a very powerful, very memorable book that I know I'll read for years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent tale of the struggle between good and evil.
Review: When I read this book it had been over 10 years since I had read the original Gaston Leroux novel of Phantom. I enjoyed Susan Kay's writing immensely. She does an incredible job of portraying a character's struggle between good and evil. The main character, Erik, has the potential to be either an angel or a demon. Because of his genetic disfigurement, he's usually treated as the latter. Nevertheless, he struggles. Susan Kay paints such an excellent portrait, that at the times when Erik's behaviour is most heinous, the reader feels most sympathetic toward him. We come to understand what drives him to the things he does. I really liked the way the author expanded the character of the Persian. Most adaptations of Phantom eliminate his character altogether. Kudos to Susan Kay for knowing when a character is worth keeping. Fans of the original novel should be warned: There are several discrepancies between this version and the original. However, one needs familiarity with the original story (or the Broadway show) in order to really appreciate this book. Susan Kay begins with the Phantom's birth and ends several years after his death. Where there is much detail in the events of Erik's life outside of the original story, she does a very abridged version of the events covered in the original story. I have two other disappointments with this book. (Thus, I could only give it four stars.) One, the author glosses over another four-year period of Erik's life. It is during that four-year period that he apparently mastered the garote and became a vicious killer. Although his later motivations for violence are explained in great detail, she fails to tell where he learned to kill without sensitivity. My only other criticism is that in an afterward to the book (which I read before purchasing the book), the author says that she wrote the book to answer questions leftover from the original. Two of my questions were never even addressed. First, who is the other Phantom with the widebrimmed hat? Second, who is the ratcatcher? However, those two criticisms aside, Phantom is an excellent book. I would love to read more of Susan Kay's literature.
Rating:
Summary: Breath taking... literally!
Review: After I finished the last page of this book I must have sat for three days trying to get my breath back. I have always been interested in the Phantom of the Opera aka Erik and a friend recomended I buy a copy. So I did and I have read it an uncountable number of times.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely stunning..
Review: I got my first copy of Phantom, by Susan Kay, in January 1991, I was always an avid reader and I was just then discovering the story of the Phantom of the Opera, so when I received this book as a gift I was delighted. I have never read anything so..breathtaking, and I must say, working as a receptionist I could read one novel per day sitting at my desk, so I have read enough to be able to compare. Phantome takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions from anxiety to fear and amusement, since then I have read this novel at least a couple dozen times and every time I go through the same emotions, it just captured me to the point I was quite annoyed when I HAD to put it down, it's simply beautiful and hope my copy will last annother decade. I very much recommend this novel, Phantom, and wish its reader a safe trip into its pages.
Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK EVER! READ IT ONCE, THEN TWICE...
Review: One day I was walking near by a bookstore in my country (Colombia) and saw this little book. I placed it on the top of my tv and forgot about it. Finally, 2 years later I decided to give it an opportunity and began to read it. But I didn't expect to be absorbed by such a novel and get involved in such a dramatic tale. I traveled with Erick for days and months, learnt to adore music, beauty, and love. I read it's final page with tears in my eyes and never forgot want I had just passed through. My recomendation to a novel, a best-seller, the best book ever.
Rating:
Summary: Phantom
Review: A friend suggested I read this book and she loaned me her copy. Once I started reading it, it was hard to put down. Once I finished reading it, I wanted to see the muscial again and run out and buy all the "Phantom of the Opera" CDs. The Phantom was so well written--it was more like reading an autobiography rather than a fictional story. It was a beauty story, one that I will read over, and over again. I came to this site looking for a copy of the Phantom, I'm so glad I found it!
Rating:
Summary: Only 5 stars--Why not More!
Review: This is an excellent book. It gives so much more insight into the mind of the tortured man who became The Phantom of the Opera. Definitely a MUST-READ for all Phantom Phans and romantics! The only bad thing about it was that it ended!
Rating:
Summary: words can't describe its beauty...
Review: Everyday I would walk into class clutching my beat-up library copy of Phantom, and my friends would groan. "Reading, AGAIN?" they'd exclaim. "Don't you ever do anything BESIDES reading! " The truth is, I could not put this book down. I laughed, I cried, and I came out with a much better understanding of Erik and his life. I would recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in The Phantom of the Opera. It's suuuuuch a good book. I know I'm gushing but I can't help it; it's now one of my favortite books. To respond to some of the earlier people who left comments complaining about the ending: Does the book actually STATE that Erik and Christine sleep together? I don't think it does. Yes, maybe that's what you're supposed to infer, but it doesn't say that. Secondly, I don't think this book "cheapens" the story at all. it's purpose is to reveal Erik's past and his motivations, and it does that perfectly. the bottom line is, READ THIS BOOK! :-D
Rating:
Summary: True Phantom of the Opera Fans Listen Up!
Review: I consider myself a TRUE Phantom of the Opera fan and was very skeptical of this book. I almost didn't read it because I didn't want anything to taint the original version. As a matter of fact, I didn't buy this book for myself - it was a gift. I had no intention of buying a copy-cat. Don't make the same mistake I almost made. This book if fabulous! A must read! I am back at amazon to order a couple more copies for my best friends. This book compliments the original Phantom of the Opera so well, and it is impossible to put down. Note: Have some Kleenex nearby! Wonderful!
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