Erik's Tale

The Phantom Saga #0.5

by Jessica Mason

Before he became a Phantom, he was simply Erik. Before he found the Opera, he wandered the world. In this companion novella to the love story of The Phantom Saga, Erik, the legendary Opera Ghost, tells the story of his life in his own words.

Born deformed to a mother who despised him, the bastard son of a cruel noble, then sold into a freak show to perform as "The Living Death," Erik's Tale is one of tragedy and loss. But it is also the story of hope found in the darkest of moments through music and an unquenchable desire to survive.

A wanderer in search of belonging, Erik journeys from the musical grandeur of Vienna and the debauchery of Carnivale in Venice to the mystic hills of Ireland and the dangerous underground of India. Erik searches for hope that his life can be more than ugliness and death, joining the commune of Paris and serving the paranoid Shah of Persia on a perilous journey marked by catastrophe, triumph…and love.

Erik's Tale invites readers into the Phantom's life before the Opera, with diverse characters, surprising twists, rich historical detail, and heartbreaking romance.

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Jessica Mason has been a storyteller all her life, whether as an opera singer, an attorney, a journalist, or a podcaster, her passion has always been connecting with people through art and the written word.

She lives near Portland, Oregon with her wife, daughter, and corgi. When she's not writing she enjoys, travel, cooking, history and witchcraft.

Reviews

[Lumina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an extremely advanced copy of Erik's Tale and through it, I found myself wanting nothing but to embrace a fictional character. In this imaginative and wonderful retelling we come to find out how Erik became to be the omnipotent, and rather reclusive person he came to be within Jessica Mason's Phantom Saga. It is a rather lovely and dejective tale which starts not with Erik, but with his mother, one who has her own misfortunes.
The story is told through Erik's point of view as though he is recalling it from deep within him to a rather curious person (Christine). He travels to many countries, learns multiple languages, and skills and even finds love along the way. However, if he had yet to have a happy ending by the time book two, Angel's Kiss, was released, one could conclude what happened to his once upon a time love. Apart from the delightful story, it seems as if Mrs. Mason did a lot of research to make this come to life. There is a lot of history throughout the book that I found myself actually googling said occurrences as I am rather daft in history.
Highly recommend this book as it is the perfect read for those who wish to learn more about Erik and the man that he was and is. Once again, Mrs. Mason was able to capture our hearts with yet another retelling.

[Zephyr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this 🥹 I love how it explores Erik's travels (specially how he felt in each country) and everything about his past. I'm in love with this entire saga 💜😭 I hate that he lost so much and was forced to kill and steal in this novella. But somehow, that only makes me sympathise with him in the present time of the story instead of making me dislike him. He's the definition of "morally grey". And that ending! 🥲🥲 I can not wait for the next book!

[Eris Reads Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A prefect little novella/ companion book to go with this beautiful series. Being able to see Erik's story laid out, beginning to end in all its splendor and horror and sorrow is truly something special. The Opera Ghost is just so completely and utterly human. He is just Erik. As much as I love the mystic and dark allure of the Phantom, Erik is who I fell in love with when I was first introduced into the world that is The Phantom of the Opera. And he is who I continue to love for all his faults, and all his humanity.

[L. Alex A Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Erik's Tale expands on the tragic backstory that Erik recounts to Christine in Angel's Kiss. While it’s interesting to see the details of how Erik became the Opera Ghost at the Palais Garnier fleshed out, the novella doesn’t offer much that’s new. Every major event and story beat in Erik's Tale is already covered in Angel's Kiss, making the novella feel like a redundant expansion rather than an essential addition.

Reading Erik's Tale left me with the same emotional impact as simply reading the chapter in Angel's Kiss where Erik tells his story to Christine, but with less narrative suspense (again, because we read the same thing in the sequel already, where Erik's backstory there is edited down to be tighter narratively, which at the end of the day will be more effective and valuable for the series). This raises the question of whether this novella was necessary at all.

[Audrey S · Rating 4 out of 5]

colour me intrigued - bisexual and AroAce characters?? nice

[Alisa Locke mehlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved the Phantom Saga so I was thrilled to get this novella about Erik’s life. I normally would’ve been able to read it in one sitting, but I happened to be having a crazy week so it forced me to take more time. Taking time was nice, but I was always itching to get back to reading! I loved spending more time with this Erik and getting to know him more. I loved following him to different places and experiencing the world with him even if it wasn’t always kind. This book also made me cry, but I forgive the author because it was beautifully done! I had just done a reread of Leroux’s novel so it was fresh in my mind, and I could really feel and appreciate the influences on this and the other books in the series so far.

[Brit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this series but the editing errors just ruin the entire experience.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica Mason has a unique and beautiful talent for world building that is so perfectly reflected in the first two installments of The Phantom Saga and is only further heightened in this splendid little novella that MIGHT hold over dedicated readers until the third full installment of the series is ready. I will admit that I am nit picky when it comes to any Phantom-related novels; as a writer, historian, and musician with a love for rich, authentic detail, I often find myself distracted by glaring inaccuracies and painfully purple prose in both the world of Phantom Phic and historical romance. However, in Erik’s Tale, I never found myself distracted by picking apart inaccuracies or wading through clichéd drivel; instead, I felt safe to settle into the lush and fascinating world of Erik before he became The Phantom of the Opera. Without giving away specific plot points, I will say I was incredibly impressed with the author’s use of the first-person voice with Erik as our narrator in this novella. First, it establishes Erik’s true humanity which is revealed us in other ways through the first two novels. Here we find the compounding elements of a life that drove a very real man to hide in the shadows and chronically doubt his deserving of being treated like a human, and even further his deserving of love. In his own words, we learn the nature of experiences within diverse cultures and locations that shaped the man behind the mask, and we can clearly feel the author’s sensitivity towards avoiding clichés and stereotypes often embraced in less well thought out attempts at telling Erik’s story that lazily fall into the use of flat and often offensive caricatures. Mason does not fall into this trap, and her focused research is both evident and appreciated. It is always evident when an author respects the intelligence and valuable time of her readers, and neither of these is squandered in this lovely morsel of a novella that will only leave you wanting more.

[Renee Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this little novella just last night. I don't really know what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised to find myself turning each page enthusiastically to learn more about the enigmatic protagonist of Jessica Mason's phantom series. It is told in Erik's voice; from his perspective. It was sweet, touching, sad, maddening, horrifying, and altogether enthralling. I feel like I know and understand Erik sos much more now, and I am anxious to read the final book of the series to know his final fate.

[Chloe Coffield · Rating 3 out of 5]

as a phantom enthusiast, this was enchanting.

it brings me back to the quote from ‘wicked’; “are people born wicked? or do they have wickedness thrust upon them.” it’s something that i’ve thought a lot about over the years, erik’s story. i really loved how mason brought his trauma to life (as horrible as that sounds). it only proves the point that people are not born with melodious intent.

as for the story itself, magical. being brought back into the phantom world is something i definitely needed. can’t wait to read the rest of this series!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erik was my first “literary boyfriend.” Intelligent, clever, cunning, and a heart full of love he directed toward someone who couldn’t appreciate him. Erik’s voice shines through in this novella recounting his past that brought him to the moment where he meets Christine. This entire series will be my newest comfort read. Five stars aren’t enough.

[Michelle Grimison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been in love with Erik since as long as I can remember, and this book gave me all the amazing, heart wrenching, rollercoaster of a back story adventures for him that I could ever have wanted!
10/10! Amazingly well written, wonderful details of history and the multitudes of cultures that he interacted with! So good! Can’t wait to start the rest of these books!

[Monster Goddess of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving Erik the in depth background was amazing. I read this after Angels Kiss so I could get his full back story before starting Angels fall and I think that was the best choice. Here’s to the rest of the series being amazing just like the first few books!

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved reading about Erik's past. Very well written and a quick read!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love getting to know Erik in this novella. Made me love him even more.

[Savannah Aderholt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short intro to series. Kinda gay tho lol

[Lisa Conant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella POV of Erik telling his past to Christine. it was a lovely way to take a journey down memory lane with him, even though the path is riddled with pain and heartbreak for him. It helps us understand how he's been shaped, hardened, sharpened as a man of many talents. highly reccomend reading this after the first 2 books to have a better sense of him as he tells Christine and us his past.