Erik – the man known to many as little more than a Phantom – reveals himself to Christine before Raoul de Chagny has the chance to claim her heart. But even once he wins Christine’s affections, Erik finds himself yet again fleeing scorn and hatred. There’s a new life waiting in Argentina in this romantic adventure that reimagines the characters and story of Leroux’s classic novel.
The Most Dangerous Dream
By kelseybrickl
The Most Dangerous Dream by Kelsey Brickl is one of the best Phantom retellings I’ve had the pleasure of reading. “Leroux’s Phantom Reimagined” is a perfect description of it because that is exactly what it is.
Brickl’s book starts off in the Opera Populaire just as the original novel does, but instead of taking the exact same turns that the original novel does, The Most Dangerous Dream takes a few unexpected twists and spins – dare we say better twists and spins than the original? Not to dishonor the memory of Leroux, but I quite enjoyed this reimagined version of the classic tale.
The Story
Without giving too much away, I’ll say that this is one for the Erik/Christine lovers. If you’ve always wanted to see Erik get the girl, then this is the read for you. Erik does a couple of key things differently in this book that make it plausible to believe that Christine was able to return his affections. Raoul gets his shot, but pretty boy can’t hold a candle to her mysterious, darkly alluring Angel of Music.
Unfortunately, a chance encounter with Meg puts everything in jeopardy, causing Erik and Christine to flee the Paris Garnier, leaving behind their lives there to build a new one in…Argentina of all places. Don’t cry for me, Argentina… (I’m sorry. I always break into that song from Evita when I hear “Argentina.” LOL)
I’m not going to reveal any more of the plot at this point. I’ll just say that it’s an exhilarating read that will leave you needing a box of tissues handy at the end of it.
The Characters
Of course, we have Erik (The Phantom) and Christine. Meg, Raoul, Madame Giry and even the Daroga play their own little parts in Brickl’s reimagining. I love the liberties the author took with the characters. For instance, Christine is still innocent and naive, but she isn’t stupid. She can indeed have a backbone when she needs one. That was a nice change for this reimagining because Christine, bless her heart, I love her dearly, but I usually find myself wanting to scream at her, “Stand up for yourself every once in a while, will you?” I didn’t have to do this in Brickl’s book. Don’t misunderstand. Christine is still a kind, gentle soul, but she doesn’t let Erik walk all over her either.
Speaking of Erik…I love how Brickl really captured what I call “my” Erik. The way I imagine the Phantom is dark and dangerous to the world but not to Christine. He’s got a temper, and he’s a strong, dominant male. Too many authors want to turn Erik into a lovesick pup (“He’s the Phantom of the Opera, for God’s sake,” I always want to scream.), but Brickl doesn’t do that. She works with Erik’s flawed, broken character to illustrate his humanity in a way that leaves the reader understanding and even sympathizing with him.
Monsieur Lefevre gets a larger role in Brickl’s reimaging, which I also liked. I like it when authors use characters that previously didn’t receive much love and explore them more. There are also a few new characters introduced to the plot. I won’t spoil them for you. You’ll meet them soon enough. *wink*
The Verdict
Overall, this book is very well-written. Sometimes it’s hard to find Phantom books that use proper grammar, punctuation and so on, but Brickl is obviously a good writer. She weaves plenty of facts into her fiction. She also has some great symbolism and uses witty metaphors in her writing that make it that much more fun to read. What is the most dangerous dream? You’ll have to read her book to find out…