''The Phantom of Manhattan'' is a 1999 novel by British writer

Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', '' The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', ''The Devil's Alter ...

, written as a sequel to the 1910 novel ''

Le Fantôme de l'Opéra ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...

'' by

Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, ...

. Forsyth's literary concept is that Leroux had recorded factual events but, in review, had apparently not checked his facts or viewed his sources with a critical eye. The novel can therefore be read as both a tribute to Leroux's novel, and also a satire of period novels. The beginning of ''The Phantom of Manhattan'' is narrated by an ailing

Madame Giry Madame Giry is a fictional character from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel ''The Phantom of the Opera''. She is a fairly intermediate character in the novel, although her role is much increased in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. Madame Giry is als ...

, and set in the early 1900s. Famous individuals of the time, such as

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, are mentioned in the novel. The 2010 stage sequel to the 1986 musical ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

'', '' Love Never Dies'', is based partly on ''The Phantom of Manhattan''.

Characters

* Erik Muhlheim "The Phantom" - Former Phantom of the Paris Opera, now an important New York impresario. * Christine Daaé, Vicomtesse De Chagny - A famous soprano, and the Phantom's main love interest. She is married to Raoul and has one son, Pierre. * Raoul, Vicomte De Chagny - Christine's husband. * Antoinette Giry - Former ballet mistress of the Paris Opera, rescued Erik from a circus when he was a child, and years later helped him come to the United States. * Darius - Erik's partner. * Pierre De Chagny - Young son of Christine and the Phantom. Assumes Raoul is his father, but doesn't know his biological father. * Charles "Cholly" Bloom - New York American reporter who wants to discover the truth about the Phantom. * Father Joseph "Joe" Kilfoyle - Irish Priest and Pierre's tutor, who is secretly attracted to Christine. * Meg Giry - Madame Giry's daughter. She was a ballerina at the Paris Opera before a crash ended her career. * Armand Dufour - Lawyer contracted by Madame Giry to carry the letter to Erik in New York. * Taffy Jones - Coney Island's animator, accidentally hears a revealing conversation between Erik and Christine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom Of Manhattan, The 1999 British novels Novels by Frederick Forsyth The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) Fiction set in the 1900s Sequel novels Bantam Books books