The Phantom of Manhattan [Paperback]

Frederick Forsyth (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: St. Martin's; Advance copy edition (1999)
• ASIN: B000VAP770
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (201 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Frederick Forsyth is the author of fifteen novels and short-story collections. He lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Garbage, December 12, 1999

By 

ravenl4 (Birmingham, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phantom of Manhattan (Hardcover)

I was so excited to find this book, hoping for another like Phantom by Susan Kay. Oh, how I was sadly, sadly mistaken. Please, don't be fooled by the pretty cover of this book or by Andrew Lloyd Webber's review saying it "captures the spirit and style of Gaston Leroux's novel, and the romance and thrills." Ha! That's laughable, and one can only wonder was Mr. Webber serious? He did *read* the book, right?

The book is a disgrace, it's terrible. I am just so sorry that I wasted my money on this garbage. Are you getting the picture here? The book is beyond terrible.

First the insults in the preface and I quote "The way poor Gaston tells it is a mess." And he goes on and on about the mistakes that were made in the original novel. And all I can say is it is you Frederick Forsyth who made the mistakes, and turned the story of Erik, into a mess.

Where do I begin? The first chapter had me PO'd, as Antoinette Giry tells her tale of how she rescues Erik from a cage at the age of sixteen, and of the history behind Erik. The rest of the book goes on to describe Erik as a tycoon (for lack of a better word) money hungry, and hooks up with some other money hungry soul.

The book had no feeling, and absolutely no trace of the Phantom we have come to know and love. None at all. Let me make it clear again. None.

So if you are thinking of reading the book, buying it, getting it for someone else. Don't. Don't waste your time, your money, and save yourself the disappointment. You would be so much better off to read or reread Susan Kay's brilliant novel Phantom. In fact, I'm going back to my well worn copy just to repair the damage Mr. Forsyth caused.

Don't read this book. And if you still have the urge to read it, look at the other reviews. I don't think there is a positive one to be found.

Oh and Amazon, I really wish you would let is have 0 stars... That's what I would rate this one.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Phans worst nightmare..., December 1, 1999

By 

Crysania (Syracuse, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phantom of Manhattan (Hardcover)

I would have given this 0 stars if Amazon.com would let me.

First of all, I would like to say that Forsyth's arrogance never ceases to amaze me. In writing a sequel to a classic book, perhaps he should have considered the debt he owed to the author of the original novel. Gaston Leroux has written not some obscure "slim little volume" (as Forsyth seems to think), but rather a wonderful and tragic story that has touched the hearts of millions of readers. There is no mention of Leroux in his acknowledgment section, and his preface is nothing but an explanation of why he (Forsyth) is correct and Leroux was wrong. An author of a fiction novel cannot be wrong, as these are his *own* characters. But Forsyth sits back and explains everything he finds to be incorrect in the Leroux during this preface. Erik (the Phantom) cannot have had a varied life, he explains, because surely he would have come to accept his deformity. Erik therefore must be younger...The list of things Forsyth thinks are wrong is absolutely endless and completely horrifying. He takes away everything that made Erik who he was in the Leroux and turns him into exactly what he claims he is not: a monster with no humanity. As for the book itself: The writing comes from several, unnecessary viewpoints and is often hard to follow. These characters, some who don't even play a major part in the book, really don't have any purpose in narrating this. There is too little of the story to go on. Put simply, this book was supposed to be about Erik, and there is very little of Erik in it. None, if you consider this isn't even the Erik most phans love, but rather some perversion of his character, one who only worships gold. Truly, this book is an awful read with no emotion attached. It's the first time I've ever read a book about Erik and not had tears brought to my eyes. If you want a good book about this wonderful man, read the original (The Phantom Of The Opera: Illustrated And Unabridged Edition), Susan Kay's Phantom, or An Wallace's Letters to Erik: The Ghost's Love Story. Those books, not Forsyth's, captured Erik's soul.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably BAD, November 16, 1999

By 

RuthAnn Anderson (Downey, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phantom of Manhattan (Hardcover)

Do not waste your money on this book. If you want to read a more expanded version of the Phantom story, do yourself a favor and read, (or re-read) "Phantom" by Susan Kay. The "corrections" made by Forsyth are just plain maddening. (How can anyone have the nerve to correct fiction is just beyond me.) This is the proposed "sequel" to Phantom of the Opera? Where is Eric? Where is his passion, his pain? Who cares about this Phantom who lives in Manhattan? I certainly did not! This book is nothing more than bad melodrama. Save your money!