Later, in Persia he is offered a 15 year old girl from the harem to be his wife, though he declines. SOME SPOILERS: Young Erik is attacked by a child predator. The suggestion is made that romantic love transcends death.Įrik is a murderer, and in Persia his job is to invent 'amusing deaths' for the shah's mother to observe. At the end though, he recognizes the devil as a liar. Late in the story, Erik decides to follow the promptings of the devil, though it's not stated quite that bluntly. One of his early mentors tries to gently lead him to the faith. In Persia, under the direction of the shah and his sadistic mother, he performs many executions and 'amusing deaths', as well as planning and attempting at least one assassination against a rival.Įrik is raised Catholic and struggles throughout his life with whether there is a God, and if so, whether that God would hear him. He controls his friends and others using his nearly-hypnotic voice. While he first kills in self-defense, he later learns to enjoy it. This is a retelling of the story of the Phantom of the Opera, beginning before his birth, and carrying us through his childhood, youth, and adulthood.Įrik doesn't have much morality.

Then, one day, he hears the exquisite Christine sing for the first time, and will risk everything in his obsession to make her love him in return.

Escaping, he makes his way through a difficult life, as a stonemason's apprentice in Rome, a magician in Russia, an executioner in the dangerous Persian court, and finally on to Paris, to become the mastermind behind the construction of the Paris Opera House.ĭetermined to hide away from humanity, he fashions an underground house for himself below the building. Unwanted by his mother, he runs away only to find himself exhibited as a freak in a gypsy carnival. Great retelling of a classic story, but contains violence and sexual contentĪ baby, Erik, is born with a horribly disfigured face.

Phantom by Susan Kay