The Phantom of the Opera (Bantam Classics) Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 1990

This is the REAL Phantom of the Opera story by Gaston Leroux, to which Andrew Lloyd Weber was true. Any version-movie, play, cartoon, etc-previous to Lloyd-Weber's musical is not the true story, but a very loose adaptation. The REAL story is far more edge-of-your-seat and amazingly thrilling and dramatic than these pretenders. Gaston Leroux's Phantom is not a pathetic, hunch-backed, limping, weak-willed pervert. Leroux's Phantom-named ERIK- is part-Batman, part-James Bond, part-Beast (as in Beauty and the Beast), and a "dark twin" -if you will- to the Elephant Man (the true historical figure Joseph Merrick who was severely disfigured by a combination of neurofibromatosis type I and Proteus syndrome). In fact, Erik's early life story resembles that of the Elephant Man's in that Erik was born with hideous facial disfigurement and was given his first mask by his mother. He runs away to join a band of Gypsies who put on sideshows for their living and thus employs Erik who gives himself the freakshow name of "Living Dead Man". Under the Gypsies care and training, he develops into a highly skilled magician, illusionist, and ventriloquist. He gains a sort of underground cult-fame for his eccentric skill to combine singing and ventriloquism which produces a beautiful "other-worldly" voice--so intriguing is his skill that Shah of Persia demands to hear it and commissions a visiting fur trader to bring Erik to Persia. Just as was true with the real-life Joseph Merrick, Erik is a brilliant self-educated man. Leroux amplifies his character by turning Erik into a Leonardo di Vinci renaissance man-artist, poet, scholar, architect, scientist; a man who had mastered several languages, played several instruments--all this in addition to his famous, though elusive speaking and singing voice. And if that's not enough? He's a martial artist, too, with a particular talent for the "Punjab Lasso"-his preferred method of assassination. See what I mean about part-James Bond? Under the patronage and auspices of the Shah, Erik is commissioned to design a palace. The plot thickens at this point--so deliciously so that it's a dizzying, spine-tingling adventure that will not disappoint. In fact, this book is TWO amazing stories in one novel: BEFORE Erik's escape to the Paris Opera House and AFTER he designs, then builds the most intricately sophisticated secret lair underneath the Opera House, the mastery of which the world would never see again after his death. It is this AFTER that builds up to his infamous abduction of the soprano Christine Daae and the dramatic story that follows. If the AFTER appeals to the romantics out there, it's the BEFORE story that will thrill adventurers and action-story aficionados. To say more than this would be a spoiler alert. But GET THE BOOK! Definitely!

I've been binging on Phanfic all year and decided it wouldn't be right to close the year without reading the original again, as it's been decades.Maybe you're used to the commonly portrayed Phantom, a reasonably good looking, athletic, fit man with a bad sunburn, fortunately covered by his mask. (Gerard Butler? Lovely, handsome, rock star voice, but not my Phantom of choice.)Or perhaps it's a musical Phantom, romantic and sweet with a touch of rage and mommy issues. (Andrew Lloyd Weber? I'm looking your way while swooning at Michael Crawford.)Or so many of the Phanfics where he's truly a sweet, caring, misunderstood man deeply in love with Christine, a musical genius with his first crush, unsure of how to act, while Raoul is a simpering idiot swooning for her affection, or a cruel man not worthy of her. (Phanfic writers? Keep 'em coming, I can't read them fast enough.)None of these are the Phantom, the Opera Ghost, you'll find in this book. He's most often referred to as a monster, an evil cruel demon torturing people for fun, hideously deformed to the point of needing a mask to remotely resemble a person. Christine is surprised to feel pity for him, her daddy issues melding with his mommy issues temporarily until she sees the psycho...***Wait, spoilers.****ahem* Until she sees the psychotic, twisted man ready to blow up the Opera House and everyone in it unless she capitulates to his demands. Sweet, caring romantic? Not this Gothic horror story. Here he's a homicidal freak living in the cellars that he helped build, a hideaway from the world while he plays on a young dancer's emotions, teaching her to sing to fulfill his own desires and turning mad with rage when she's not agreeable to his plan to wed. And yet... There's still a touch of sweetness, of desperate pleas to just be like other men, to just be happy and accepted. You can see it in his words to Christine, and in the Persian's interview years after the fact, once the fright of one of the worst evenings of his life has worn off.Some other familiar characters are in this version that may or may not be in other versions. Mme Giry, who helps Erik, much to the consternation of the theatre managers, unaware of what they've purchased. The Persian, telling his story of what happened in the cellars, and how they barely escaped. Raoul, sweet boy of Christine's childhood turned into the man of her dreams while Erik is probably still, decades later, giving her nightmares.The style is of an expose newpaper writer, sharing the scandalous tale while citing references and trying to remain detached. Romance? Hardly, even if only seen from Erik's view. Elegant story that launched countless remakes and tributes? Absolutely. It will remain one of my favorites because of that.

It is more than a love story, it is a study in psychology. Leroux makes us search the depths of his creations' souls. Who is really wearing the masks? Is there a single, universal definition for evil or is it based upon our perspective? And as we search for these answers, we begin to ask questions about ourselves. What would we do for love? How do we define evil? Are we hiding behind a mask so that our true character can't be seen?Gaston Leroux did the unimaginable, he created the first loveable psychopath. Unlike his contemporaries, whose "bad guys" were really "bad," The Opera Ghost is relatable. We understand his need to be loved leads to his obsession and his ultimate demise. We pity him. We love him. At times, we love him to the point that we despise Christine for her unwillingness to love him as we do. It is nearly impossible to garner sympathy for Comte de Chagny because he is the antithesis of the Opera Ghost.However, we do not go into the book expecting to side with the Opera Ghost. He is the villain, the bad guy, the one we expect to despise. Yet Leroux's masterful creation of his character leads us naturally to change our perspective and preconceived notions of who is really the villain.