Rating: 
Summary: (Spoilers) HORRIBLE READ, DONT BUY IT!
Review: I am a DIE HARD phantom phan. I read nearly anything I can get my hands on that has to do with this beloved book/musical. First off- the book was miserable. I couldn't even finish it- thank god I borrowed it at a library. I was appalled to see any mention of ALW- this doesnt even portray the characters of his musical well, so I was pretty shocked to read he colaborated on it. Erik is turned to power hungry- something I would NEVER place him as. He seemed more like a phsycopathic maniac than an actual man with one hell of a horrible past. He even dresses up as a CLOWN to hide his face and get money. Christine gets shot, its just all in all miserable and yes, it lacks emotion too- unless you count power hungry and greedy as an emotion. Arogance can also be placed in this book. It is APPALING. If you must read this, go to a library and then if you like it enough to buy it, go for it. But dont PURCHASE the book until you are absolutely certain you'll like it. I do recomend that you check out Phantom by Susan Kay (as so many others have mentioned) instead of this. I loved that book and I think it is still one of my all time favorites. Some stated this book is like Kay's- I dont see where they are coming from at all. Susan Kay's is wonderful (I liked it more than the original work), I also loved ALW's musical both on screen and on stage, and the original work.
Rating:
Summary: Disgrace to the original work!
Review: I am appalled after reading this book. It completely throws out the original book, and bases the whole story of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical. Not only does he bash the original story, but then tries to disprove it! I find it sort of a paradox, trying to disprove a work that one is writing a sequel to! Apparently, trying to impress Lloyd Webber, ALW's name is even mentioned at least 10 times in the preface! Forsyth goes even farther and says at the end of the preface - "This is the story of the Lloyd Webber musical and it is the only one to make sense." I think you should compare his book to the original and see which one makes sense.
I don't even recommend this book to a NON-Phantom fan, as it will probably even make the world hate "The Phantom of the Opera." Negative infinity stars would be the best rating.
Rating: 
Summary: too contrived? maybe
Review: I am writing this review as a fan of Frederick Forsyth's novels, not as an avid or thoroughly knowledgeable theatregoer or Phantom devotee. Compared to his other novels, Phantom of Manhattan stands out because it is extremely fast-paced. It is by far his shortest book and it is a quick read. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different narrator who happens to play a role in the development of the story, sometimes pivotal and sometimes merely observational. What Forsyth does with the Phantom character and the story in this book may or may not be true to the original novel and what people think of when they think of the Phantom, but I thought what Forsyth did was enjoyable for its own sake, even if it might be too superficial and too contrived in some respects. Simply what he chooses to do and how he takes the reader there was enough for me for the book to be worth the short amount of time required to read it. The Phantom of Manhattan is by no means Forsyth's best book, but it's not his worst either, and readers familiar with Forsyth from his other works will probably enjoy how he takes up the Phantom elements and creates an interesting tale in line with Forsyth's fiction regarding his take on human nature and human drama.
Rating:
Summary: too contrived? maybe
Review: I am writing this review as a fan of Frederick Forsyth's novels, not as an avid or thoroughly knowledgeable theatregoer or Phantom devotee. Compared to his other novels, Phantom of Manhattan stands out because it is extremely fast-paced. It is by far his shortest book and it is a quick read. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different narrator who happens to play a role in the development of the story, sometimes pivotal and sometimes merely observational. What Forsyth does with the Phantom character and the story in this book may or may not be true to the original novel and what people think of when they think of the Phantom, but I thought what Forsyth did was enjoyable for its own sake, even if it might be too superficial and too contrived in some respects. Simply what he chooses to do and how he takes the reader there was enough for me for the book to be worth the short amount of time required to read it. The Phantom of Manhattan is by no means Forsyth's best book, but it's not his worst either, and readers familiar with Forsyth from his other works will probably enjoy how he takes up the Phantom elements and creates an interesting tale in line with Forsyth's fiction regarding his take on human nature and human drama.
Rating:
Summary: This one needs a '0 star' option
Review: I found it in the dollar store, if that tells you anything. I bought it out of curiosity and, when I was done, I wanted a refund. This book does *not* capture the spirit of Leroux. I don't know what Lloyd-Webber was smoking/snorting when he said that, but this is the kind of thing that sets authors to rolling in their graves. The plot is thin, the characters undeveloped, and there are situations that make me roll my eyes they're so implausable. The way Erik is portrayed is an insult to Leroux's work and Christine comes off as a wide-eyed, nervous, flighty woman who wouldn't be able to function without a man there to hold her hand, make her decisions, and fight all her battles for her. The Christine of this novel is *not* the Christine of Leroux's work or Webber's musical. She was naive and clueless, but did have some semblance of a spine when she needed it. Here, Christine goes to pieces when she has to face conflict without someone there to fight for her. It's pathetic. The ending was very hard to take seriously because I couldn't see Christine's son doing what he did. The author engages in regular name-dropping in a way that reminds me of someone at a party trying to impress people with who he knows.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, if not wonderful...
Review: I gave this one four stars if only because I thought that it had a reasonable plot and stuck pretty well to the spirit of Leroux's original characters, facts that made me unable to give it three. However, although the plot is reasonable, it is hardly a page turner. The idea of Erik luring Christine in with a new opera house opening only to discover that she had a son, his son, not Raouls, is good but not original. Pierres instant ditching of the only father he's ever known for one he's never met is rather, well...unrealistic.
On the good side, it does make for an interesting idea about what happened after Christine left Erik, and it sticks to Leroux's original writing style, that of mapping out the story strictly from the point of view of people who came in contact with Christine and Erik (i.e. the family priest, the intrepid reporter, Erik's servant, etc.), a perspective you don't usually find in Phantom sequels/prequels.
All in all, if your a Phantom Phan, it makes for an interesting read. If your not a phan, start with the original novel and Susan Kay's Phantom first, then hit this one.
Rating:
Summary: I've read better Phan Phic
Review: I think that says it all.
But being a Phantom Fan I decided to give it a shot.
Early we find out that Erik has fled France for fear of his life and has traveled to America. That's possible. So many thousands fled their native country for a new start.
Erik is a fish gutter at first and works his way up. Again I can believe this. It is our beloved Phantom after all. He's a cleaver guy..he's a genius. Surely, if anyone can work himself up from poverty it's him.
He partners with Oscar Hammerstein(can you see where this is going later) to help fund the creation of a grand Opera. Next, he needs a diva, so he invites Christine and other famous names. Of course Christine comes. They meet, trouble brews..blah blah blah.
I could believe most of the plot. Hell, if it had been written better or by someone else and they actually put a little more effort into I think I would have enjoyed the book. But the accident that Raoul suffers is laughable. It reminds me of a bad piece of fan fic written by a teenage girl who wants to get Erik and Christine together. I mean seriously who would believe it? It's too convenient. The different perspectives would have worked a little better if there were more depth to them. But then again I am left wondering why we were given the journal account of a toyshop owner. Couldn't this have been done from Christine's perspective instead? Maybe the book should have been written through Christine, Meg and Eirk's eyes-only.
When Erik and Christine meet it was unexciting and uninspiring. And this is the moment I had waited for? I was expecting these sweeping emotions. All I got was a whole lot of nothing.
The last chapter was a recap of the entire novel and as I sat reading it I wondered "why the hell did I have to read the book if I could have flipped to the last chapter and read the summary?"
The book is hastily written, and it shows. There is no emotion. And the ending left me shaking my head. What 13 years old would make such a decision? Does the author know many 13-year-old boys? I wonder.
The book falls flat and it seems as if this is a first draft that was throw to the printers and published without question. But with 177 pages I'm not sure what I was expecting. No, I was expecting more and this book failed to produce that.
If you have a burning desire to read this then I encourage you to get a copy from your library. However your time would be better spent reading Susan Kay's novel Phantom, and some phan phic that is on the web. And maybe one day someone will write an interesting story of what could have happened to the phantom after the incidents in the Opera house.
Rating:
Summary: Love conquers all!
Review: It is 12 years since 'The Phantom of the Opera.' Erik is in New York, successful and wealthy. But he still pines for Christine. He has restored the Manhattan Opera House and calls for Christine to sing there. She arrives in New York, unbeknownst that Erik was the one who sent for her. She also brings with her a secret. A secret that will reunite the two of them one last time. A secret that proves love conquers all. Forsyth's novel is excellent. He writes Erik just I would like to see him after the Opera House; with his hatred of people, loathing of himself, and love for Christine. He captures it all. And makes this one of the best sequels I have ever read. If anyone is looking for closure from the original novel, look no further. 'The Phantom of Manhattan' is wonderful. A must-have for any Phantom lover.
Rating:
Summary: Love conquers all!
Review: It is 12 years since 'The Phantom of the Opera.' Erik is in New York, successful and wealthy. But he still pines for Christine. He has restored the Manhattan Opera House and calls for Christine to sing there. She arrives in New York, unbeknownst that Erik was the one who sent for her. She also brings with her a secret. A secret that will reunite the two of them one last time. A secret that proves love conquers all. Forsyth's novel is excellent. He writes Erik just I would like to see him after the Opera House; with his hatred of people, loathing of himself, and love for Christine. He captures it all. And makes this one of the best sequels I have ever read. If anyone is looking for closure from the original novel, look no further. 'The Phantom of Manhattan' is wonderful. A must-have for any Phantom lover.
Rating: 
Summary: Let your mind start a journey to a strange new book.
Review: This novel is perhaps one of most fascinating, page turning I have ever read. The story is kept along great, the new characters are beautifull (Good olf Chooly Bloom, the haunting Father Joseph, and the grotesque Darius, not to forget Pierre!)and the old have kept, if not obatined, the same old charm (Meg's friendly servatude, Giry's guilt, ect.) It all leads up great to a superb clash of the Titans, yet, while the final whim is good, it is a bit detailess. Perhaps a more detailed, albeit creepy end would be more fufilling, though the idea is good. Overall, quite a pageturner for the music lovers, and for those Leroux fans (I, myself love all mforms of Phantom, sans the awfull Dario Argento flick) it keeps a well platformed story, full of rich Phantom tradition and new, beloved culture. What a show!
|
