Through Phantom Eyes by Theodora Bruns

I started reading this book a little tentatively, as I am pretty particular with how I like my beloved Phantom of the Opera characters portrayed. However, after finishing the book, I must say that this is the most well-written and well thought out piece of POTO fiction that I've read so far. The book begins with Erik as a child, and takes you all the way until he sees Christine for the first time. The depth, and truths in this book are excellent. UNlike so many of the Phantom fiction books, this one is not just "fluff." I also VERY much appreciated it for the fact that it wasn't muddled with excessive profanity or sexual content. I have an overactive imagination without the help of that!

GREAT book, this is my favorite of the Phantom books I've read so far. I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Laura

I haven't had a chance to read this one yet but it is definitely on my list.
thank goodness there isn't a lot of sexual content. i think you know how i feel about that...

Unfortunately, I have not read this one either. Sounds interesting. I will have to get add this one to my Phantom collection.

How did you come to read this one? Was it a gift?

Tell us about the characters. Were they very much like Leroux's?

This book is a fairly new release, and (Hooray for me!) is soon to be continued as a series. The next book is due to release sometime in June I believe. I *cough* have an addiction to POTO phan fiction, and I ran across this book as I was browsing Amazon. The reviews were excellent, and the book seemed to be cleaner than most POTO books. This is what interested me first.

It is difficult to say whether or not the characters were similiar to Leroux's, because in this book it begins and ends all before the point where Leroux's book picks up the story. As in: the entire book tells of Erik's childhood, all the way up until he first sees Christine. Erik is portrayed in a believable manner--he has issues, but he is still likeable.

Did that help?

Laura

you helped me!
a series!!! i love series-es!(how do you spell the plural form of series?)

That helped me as well. Now I've got to read that book.

How would you compare this to Susan Kay's Phantom?

How would I compare it? Hmm...

Well frankly, I liked this book MUCH better than Kay's Phantom. Kay's book echoed with bitterness, despair, and darkness. By contrast, Through Phantom Eyes, while not ignoring the bleakness and despair Erik experiences, was for me a much more positive experience. When I got to the end of the book I was left feeling uplifted, not depressed. I like Kay's book, but I love Through Phantom Eyes. To me, the portrayal of Erik was so much more balanced. Yes he has weaknesses, yes he is a complex character, but TPE also gives him a heart, and makes you feel real empathy for him. At the end of Kay's Phantom, sure I felt sorry for him, but he was portrayed to have such a blackened soul that it just wasn't the same.

How's that?

Laura

Beautiful comparison. I definately want to read this one.

A couple more questions:

Do you feel the author portrayed Erik, Christine and Raoul in character with Leroux's novel?

Did the author give an account of the events in the opera house?

This was said in an earlier post

Ange de Musique wrote:

It is difficult to say whether or not the characters were similiar to Leroux's, because in this book it begins and ends all before the point where Leroux's book picks up the story. As in: the entire book tells of Erik's childhood, all the way up until he first sees Christine. Erik is portrayed in a believable manner--he has issues, but he is still likeable

does that help?

WAIT!!!! do you mean that the book stops when he first sees Christine???? or am i just having ablonde moment?

I read this book some months ago and well, I liked it, but not completely.
I think Erik's childhood was cruel and hard. That's why he is the way he is in the future.
But here all is too tender for me.
His father is just sweet and his mother is not so cruel as Madeleine (his mother in Kay's novel) and his little sister just seems to adore him.
Too tender for Erik's childhood, in my opinion.
Ladyghost.

Looks like the two books go to the extremes. I wanna know the truth!