Phantom by Susan Kay is a wonderful, and extremely well written novel. It is Susan Kay's vision of what took place before the story of Phanton of The Opera by Gaston Leroux. The story is much longer, a lot more interesting, and the writing style is a lot better than Leroux's story. It follows Erik from infancy until he becomes the Phantom of The Opera. I first read this story a few years ago in Grade 11 English class, and have read it many, many times since then. I wanted to include some quotes on here, as there are so many amazing quotes from the novel. The story is not a light read, it is very long and the vocabulary and writing is at an adult level, but it is a must read for any serious reader.
Quotes:
'Perfect pitch, a crystal clarity of tone, no weakness in either register . . . this girl possessed a near perfect instrument!
And lacked the inner will to play it!
I had never heard a voice so sweet and true, nor one as utterly negative. Her boundless potential lay almost wholly untapped, like a rich vein of gold buried deep beneath the dead weight of strangling indifference. There was nothing there except faultless technique. She sang without soul . . . no expression, no joy, no sorrow . . . nothing! . . .
There was something wrong with this girl, a near extinction of spirit that made her voice affect me like a cry in the dark. She was slowly dying on that stage, drowning in my ears . . . I must not think what I might have made of that lovely, lifeless voice had it been entrusted to my care.'
-Erik's first impression of Christine
'My mind has touched the farthest horizons of mortal imagination and reaches outward to embrace infinity. There is no knowledge beyond my comprehension, no art or skill upon this entire planet that lies beyond the mastery of my hand. And yet, like Faust, I look in vain . . . for as long as I live, no woman will ever look on me in love.' -Erik
'The thought of that white rose filled me with bitter shame... Yearning to turn and reach out to him, I remained unable to conquer that inner fear; it was a chasm I dared not cross. And so I sat there, like the little mouse in Aesop's fable, not daring to look upon the lion bound by cruel ropes. Chained by fate and shackled by pride, he starved in silent pain; and because I lacked the courage of a rose, I could not set him free.' -Christine
'Happiness is like the first blissful intoxication of morphine.
It doesn't last very long' -Erik
..."Ah, well..." he mused with a sort of dreamy, distant sadness, "...hell is full of burning boats, did you know that Nadir... I daresay that's what makes it so bloody hot." -Erik
'I do not languish in his power like a pale prisoner, denied the light of day, but I grow ever upwards beneath the benevolent sun of his genius. Where once I was content to be a wilting marigold, I now aspire to the glorious height of a sunflower. He has captured all the wonders of the universe, enchanting baubles that reflect shafts of incandescent light. And like the child, starved of toys, I reach out eagerly with both hands, turning my back gladly on the world I left behind.' -Christine
Keep reading →
