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Phantom by Susan Kay 'None of us can choose where we will love.' Just over two months ago, I made a quick trip to the downstairs of the library to see if there were any books that caught my fancy. After a quick (but not frivolous) search through the shelves, I came across a tall black book sitting veiled upon the shelf. On it, this most welcome and familiar sight: A mask.
No more than twenty minutes later, I was deep inside the world of Susan Kay’s Phantom. Beginning with the birth of the monstrously deformed child, Phantom follows the life of Erik as he finds himself caged and exhibited in a carnival, a leading architect and stone-mason, a magician, murderer, designer and executioner for the Shah-in-shah, and finally as the rightfully infamous "Opera Ghost."
The emotional tale of his affair with Christine Daae is told through the reading of her diary, coupled with Erik’s own extravagant but stirring accounts. The dazzling chandelier drop, Christine’s dramatic kidnapping, Raoul’s foolhardy rescue attempt and finally Miss Daae’s momentous decision is told through the breath-taking manner in which Susan Kay finely weaves this legend.
No fan, or rather, "phan" of Leroux’s novel, Webber’s multiple award-winning musical, or any on-screen adaptation should overlook this superb novel. Don’t let the black cover fool you into passing; it’s simply a mask.
Batman Begins
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