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Angel of Music: Tales of the Phantom of the Opera
Three stories, based on characters from the original Phantom of the Opera novel. Three stories, revisiting that universe. A phantom who lives in hiding. An angel heard in dreams. There are ¿Phantoms of the Mind, ¿ that send a lonely rape victim spiraling off into madness. There¿s ¿The Portal, ¿ a place where darkness meets light. There is ¿Little Lotte, ¿ the child who hears an angel sing. Unlike any stage or screen version, the focus is angel, not phantom. Ever present, he unites the threads of these tales.
- GenresFictionRetellings
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 7, 2009
To be honest, my favorite story in the book was :Phantoms of the Mind". I love the character of Carlotta and she is definitely worth discovering.
March 26, 2020
Here's a general trigger warning for some dark elements in this book including a brief rape scene, references to child abuse, and some period-typical ableism. While I wholeheartedly recommend this book otherwise, I understand that those can be unacceptable turnoffs for some.
And with that said, HOLY MACKEREL DUDE THIS IS SOOOO EFFING GOOD. At long last all of my sufferings with really bad printed phanfiction has come to an end.
I'm giving this five stars and I didn't even give the original The Phantom of the Opera, which I own six copies of, just for the record, that high a rating (most of my problems with the original POTO have to do with the mystery elements, the manager chapters, and the non-chronological order of events).
This book has three separate stories, all of which are unique and interesting in their own right. They're bound together by the presence of the Angel of Music, of course, and Little Lotte. Each have a different interpretation on these characters, from the otherworldly, saintly take on the angel to a very real caged Erik to having Lotte as a young girl in one story and turn out to be in another.
Like with many great stories, I feel like I can't get into the specifics of what makes this so good without spoiling crucial elements. Suffice it to say that I binge-read it all in a night and a half because I had a hard time putting it down. The writing style and content are just THAT good.
Erik is, as always in the hands of a skilled writer, absolutely fascinating. In the latter two stories where he's less angelic and more temporal, he's a piteous figure but extremely dangerous, even if not especially for the people that he cares about.
Lotte's characterization differed pretty wildly as she's effectively three different characters, the Lotte from the original tale spun by Daddy Daaé, Each take was very different but equally engaging and even when I felt like the respective Lottes were doing some morally repugnant things, I never felt truly upset enough to disconnect from the story. They all felt flawed and real, even the shining example from the first story briefly contemplated and thankfully came to the conclusion she didn't.
As a resident Christine Daaé stan I took some umbrage with how she was characterized, particularly in the second story, but I understood that the POV character influenced how she was perceived. In the third story so her strange attitude made sense there, too.
Raoul wasn't truly noteworthy here, brushed off more than anything, which I personally thought was unfortunate since he'd add another interesting element to the mix but there was already a lot for the author to handle. Also, just a stupid little side note, I thought that this book purposefully referenced Love Never Dies for a brief second by mentioning that Raoul was in Monte Carlo but then I realized it came out years before LND. Weird, right? Gotta wonder if ALW was taking notes...
There were some easily forgivable technical errors in the form of a missing quotation mark here, a homonym there, the fault of which I feel rests more on the editor's shoulders than anything.
I REALLY loved this and can see myself revisiting it in the future, especially the second story.
And with that said, HOLY MACKEREL DUDE THIS IS SOOOO EFFING GOOD. At long last all of my sufferings with really bad printed phanfiction has come to an end.
I'm giving this five stars and I didn't even give the original The Phantom of the Opera, which I own six copies of, just for the record, that high a rating (most of my problems with the original POTO have to do with the mystery elements, the manager chapters, and the non-chronological order of events).
This book has three separate stories, all of which are unique and interesting in their own right. They're bound together by the presence of the Angel of Music, of course, and Little Lotte. Each have a different interpretation on these characters, from the otherworldly, saintly take on the angel to a very real caged Erik to having Lotte as a young girl in one story and turn out to be in another.
Like with many great stories, I feel like I can't get into the specifics of what makes this so good without spoiling crucial elements. Suffice it to say that I binge-read it all in a night and a half because I had a hard time putting it down. The writing style and content are just THAT good.
Erik is, as always in the hands of a skilled writer, absolutely fascinating. In the latter two stories where he's less angelic and more temporal, he's a piteous figure but extremely dangerous, even if not especially for the people that he cares about.
Lotte's characterization differed pretty wildly as she's effectively three different characters, the Lotte from the original tale spun by Daddy Daaé, Each take was very different but equally engaging and even when I felt like the respective Lottes were doing some morally repugnant things, I never felt truly upset enough to disconnect from the story. They all felt flawed and real, even the shining example from the first story briefly contemplated and thankfully came to the conclusion she didn't.
As a resident Christine Daaé stan I took some umbrage with how she was characterized, particularly in the second story, but I understood that the POV character influenced how she was perceived. In the third story so her strange attitude made sense there, too.
Raoul wasn't truly noteworthy here, brushed off more than anything, which I personally thought was unfortunate since he'd add another interesting element to the mix but there was already a lot for the author to handle. Also, just a stupid little side note, I thought that this book purposefully referenced Love Never Dies for a brief second by mentioning that Raoul was in Monte Carlo but then I realized it came out years before LND. Weird, right? Gotta wonder if ALW was taking notes...
There were some easily forgivable technical errors in the form of a missing quotation mark here, a homonym there, the fault of which I feel rests more on the editor's shoulders than anything.
I REALLY loved this and can see myself revisiting it in the future, especially the second story.
July 22, 2012
This book captured the special atmosphere that I love about Leroux' Phantom: disturbing and dark but also filled with an melancholic kind of love. Other Phan books sometimes failed to create this atmosphere.
What I liked most about these three stories was that Christine remained mysterious while Eric's character evolved and deepened. This book is the best book about the Phantom that I've read so far.
What I liked most about these three stories was that Christine remained mysterious while Eric's character evolved and deepened. This book is the best book about the Phantom that I've read so far.
July 6, 2020
Would have liked half stars on this one for a 3.5 but Since I cant it’s going to rate a 3. The first two pieces had my attention, Phantoms Of the Mind more so, I like the direction the author explores. Honestly based on those two and the lovely appendix at the end I wouldn’t have hesitated to give a 4. However, The Portal, to me at least, was something that left me.... I don’t know. Aside from
being outraged by some of the characters’ actions they did not fit in the characterization that was built up to this point and relied on a lot more telling than showing which felt more like an issue of convenience maybe. Also I did the math and the titular character would be like easily in his 60s at that point which doesn’t really fit conventions of that time period, nor to have him seemingly at the peak of manhood. However, setting that aside for the sake of story I like where the author went with the deformity, giving an impression of Hansen’s Disease (leprosy in those times) however I will be seeing if this author has any other Phantom related works to read.
being outraged by some of the characters’ actions they did not fit in the characterization that was built up to this point and relied on a lot more telling than showing which felt more like an issue of convenience maybe. Also I did the math and the titular character would be like easily in his 60s at that point which doesn’t really fit conventions of that time period, nor to have him seemingly at the peak of manhood. However, setting that aside for the sake of story I like where the author went with the deformity, giving an impression of Hansen’s Disease (leprosy in those times) however I will be seeing if this author has any other Phantom related works to read.
October 3, 2017
I remember reading this during my POTO craze and liking, which is something that can be hard to say especially sense A LOT of phantom fiction sucks. My favorite being the one that involves Carlotta and the Phantom, there story (which wasn't about romance) but about how they helped each other. Really sad as I recall. Charlotta is one of those characters that I think was improved by Webber's musical and his movie (that is otherwise horrible, the movie that is) this story really brings out her sadness and how much of a great character she is. Even though admittedly it is pretty one note.
June 16, 2008
One of the best books that I have read lately! I am a crazed Phantom Phan and loved this book to death. It has some mature content, but is a great book and gives a whole new prespective to a certian main character! Get through it you'll be glad you did! With this book there was never a dull moment!
September 15, 2013
Incredible. Astounding.
The stories are very intriguing and it's next to impossible to put the book down.
My emotional connection and love for Erik/Phantom is still what it was, if not more so.
I still think it is a shame that he is not more involved, but i just think his character and persona is wonderful.
Needless to say.
Fantastic book.
The stories are very intriguing and it's next to impossible to put the book down.
My emotional connection and love for Erik/Phantom is still what it was, if not more so.
I still think it is a shame that he is not more involved, but i just think his character and persona is wonderful.
Needless to say.
Fantastic book.
August 13, 2009
It was interesting to read someone else's perspective on the POTO story. I love the show, and have read the novel several times.
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November 6, 2010theres an angel in the music.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews