The Angel of the Opera: Sherlock Holmes Meets the Phantom of the Opera

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The Angel of the Opera: Sherlock Holmes Meets the Phantom of the Opera

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 299 ratings · 32 reviews

The unforgettable place: Paris, 1890. The glittering scene: the labyrinthine Paris Opera. The irresistible premise: what if Sherlock Holmes, lured across the Channel by the beleaguered managers of the Opera House, unlocks the true secrets motivating the infamous Phantom? As the hunchbacked Quasimodo was the soul of Notre Dame, so is Erik - shadow ruler of the Opera's nethe...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published June 1st 1994 by O. Penzler Books

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The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

The Seven-Percent Solution by Nicholas Meyer

The Untold Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Luke Benjamen Kuhns

Best Sherlock Holmes Fiction (Pastiches)

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The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera Companion by Martin Knowlden

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Apr 11, 2010 Cen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, phantom, historical-fiction, mystery-suspense, classic-adaptation, adult-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 10, 2013 Devon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I admit at first I was a little turned off by this novel. As I have seen one reviewer quite passionately derail, I also did not quite like the way the narrator (Dr. Henry Vernier) trashed Dr. Watson. I also didn't like the stipulation that Watson and Holmes had never been quite close. If they had not been close, why on earth would Watson write the stories and follow him around? He could have easily been his flat-mate and kept well away from him; I know if I did not have quite a good relationship...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Hannah rated it 1 of 5 stars

I love Sherlock Holmes and I love the Phantom of the Opera. So you can imagine my interest when I found that someone had written a Sherlock Holmes/Phantom of the Opera crossover book in which Sherlock and Erik go head-to-head. Instantly I knew I had to check this book out. Even though a friend warned me that this book was actually really bad and that I shouldn't read it unless I wanted a really good laugh I carried on and read the thing anyway. My friend was right. 'Angel of the Oper'a IS a bad...more I love Sherlock Holmes and I love the Phantom of the Opera. So you can imagine my interest when I found that someone had written a Sherlock Holmes/Phantom of the Opera crossover book in which Sherlock and Erik go head-to-head. Instantly I knew I had to check this book out. Even though a friend warned me that this book was actually really bad and that I shouldn't read it unless I wanted a really good laugh I carried on and read the thing anyway. My friend was right. 'Angel of the Oper'a IS a bad book. Wait, no, it isn't. It's an awful book. It didn't even make me laugh and I hated it more than I hated Susan Kay's Phantom! This particular book made me very angry indeed and my reasons for hating it so much are many. And now I'll try to explain why in a way that hopefully won't be incoherent and rambling!

Now the major issue that most Sherlock Holmes fans tend to have with this book is that John Watson, the loyal sidekick/best friend/faithful chronicler of Sherlock Holmes, isn't even in it. Instead the book is narrated by Dr Henry Vernier, Sherlock Holmes's half-French cousin. Now before I carry on with this review, I will give this book's author, Sam Siciliano, some credit. He obviously did some research before he wrote this book because Vernier is actually a legitimate Sherlock Holmes character. In one of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories there's a reference to Watson selling his medical practice to a man called Verner, who later turns out to be a cousin of Sherlock's. I suppose Siciliano changed the name from "Verner" to "Vernier" in order to make the name sound more French. Sherlock Holmes is part-French after all and changing "Verner" to "Vernier" isn't too much of a stretch. Siciliano also seems to have read Gaston Leroux's Phantom as well because the Persian and Raoul's brother Philippe are both in this story. These characters don't often feature in Phantom of the Opera adaptations. However, despite the fact that Siciliano has obviously done some research he messes so much stuff up! Now as most authors would surely realise it is NOT a good idea to anger your target audience right from the first page but that's precisely what Siciliano does when he disses Watson on the very first paragraph! Why would you do that?! After all, who would be likely to read this book? Sherlock Holmes fans of course. Didn't Siciliano think that slagging off Watson, the much-loved narrator of the Sherlock Holmes stories, might not be such a good move?! Did he not think that he might annoy a few people by doing that?! But that's exactly what he does. Siciliano's narrator Henry Vernier claims that Watson's writings are "foolish" and inaccurate. Watson himself is depicted as being petty and stupid. Here's a direct quote:

"Watson had little imagination and was extremely conventional in the stuffiest British sense...I cannot forgive him for parading so distorted, so petty a rendering of my cousin before the public for all these years. Since I, too, was trained in medicine, I can state that his failings as a physician were even greater than those as a writer. I encountered several examples of his incompetence firsthand!"

I swiftly realised just why exactly Siciliano (through his narrator) had chosen to portray Watson in this way though. It was so he could go completely against the Sherlock Holmes that is depicted in the Arthur Conan Doyle stories, so he could create his own Sherlock Holmes by changing aspects of the character's personality. I did NOT care for these changes at all.

The first change that Siciliano makes is that now Sherlock is capable of romantically loving women and isn't asexual. This was really annoying. The second change that Siciliano makes is when he has Vernier state that all of the quotes and incidences from the Conan Doyle stories which suggest that Sherlock believes in God were just an invention of Watson's and that Sherlock is actually a firm agnostic. This was another really annoying change that I didn't care for. Sherlock being an agnostic has no relevance WHATSOEVER to Angel of the Opera and I suspect that Siciliano only put this in because it happens to be his own personal belief. The third change that Siciliano makes is that Sherlock now has material greed. He demands an enormous amount of money from the managers for his services. Yet again this was a really annoying change because it makes Sherlock seem greedy and selfish. Sherlock Holmes doesn't solve crimes for money in the Conan Doyle stories! He solves crimes simply because he loves solving crimes! Siciliano then attempts to justify his decision to have Sherlock demand such an outrageous sum of money by claiming that the only reason why Sherlock is asking for such a huge amount of cash is because he's never had a client as wealthy and illustrious as the Opera Garnier before. What?! What a load of rubbish!!! Anyone who's read the story A Scandal in Bohemia will know that's not true! You don't get much more wealthy and illustrious than ROYALTY do you?! I was not happy with the changes that Siciliano made to Sherlock Holmes's character! Siciliano also makes Sherlock Holmes sickly-sweet and touch-feely in this story. He's always banging on and on about his feelings and his emotions. This got old very quickly!

Yet another issue that I had with this book was with Siciliano's narrator. You'd hope that if an author is going to assassinate a character as well-beloved as Dr John Watson that the author would then provide a likeable narrator in his place. But Henry Vernier is not a likeable narrator. At all. In fact he's extremely irritating. He badmouths Watson. He's extremely biased and declares his opinions on practically every single character in the story whether we want to know what he thinks or not. Believe me, I didn't! It really has you longing for Watson's more subtle narration. Vernier also keeps banging on and on about some woman called Michelle who he's in love with back in Britain. I did not care about this Michelle chick! Stop going off-topic! Vernier also comes across as a complete Gary-Stu which didn't exactly improve my opinion of him.

Up until now I've only mentioned how Siciliano ruins Watson and Sherlock's characters but if you think the characters from Leroux's book fare any better then think again. Philippe is sleazy, arrogant and callous. Raoul is turned into a whiny, snivelling, cowardly villain. In fact Siciliano even invents a completely new character just so he can have Raoul kill him and make him look like even more of a villain! Siciliano also depicts Christine as being a shallow, pouting Barbie doll who rejects Erik solely because of his looks. This isn't true! In Leroux's book Christine was afraid of the Phantom from the moment she actually met him face-to-face. She went through the mirror of her dressing room expecting to find her Angel of Music only to find a lonely, older, slightly creepy, mask-wearing MAN. Rejecting Erik doesn't make her shallow! I'd be put off by him too! Another character who is changed is The Persian. In Leroux's book - and even in Susan Kay's novel - the Persian is depicted as a noble, decent, dignified sort of bloke. He's horrified by Erik's murders and his kidnapping of Christine and is determined to stop him. But at the same time he has genuine pity for Erik and he doesn't want to kill him unless he has too. The final scene between them in the book is really moving. But in this book he's depicted as an evil, lecherous dude who leers at the ballerina girls and wants Erik dead! Siciliano also misspells Erik's name as "Eric" a couple of times and gets the Grasshopper and the Scorpion mixed up in the torture chamber scenes. Again, he messes so much stuff up!

Now it's my understanding that some Sherlock Holmes/Phantom of the Opera fans have been able to forgive Siciliano's book for its MANY faults simply because they found the conversations between Sherlock and Erik entertaining. Well, I can't. Erik and Sherlock's conversations and interactions were too contrived to be entertaining. Basically Sherlock takes an immediate liking to Erik simply because he's so impressed with how he plays the violin. He then completely ignores the fact that Erik is mentally ill, the fact that Erik is a murderer, the fact that he's terrorising and extorting an opera house, even the fact that he's deformed. Yeah! When Sherlock and Vernier see Erik's face they don't seem all that affected by Erik's deformity. Vernier even thinks to himself that Erik's face isn't too bad and that he's seen worse. No, no, no! Erik's face isn't tolerable, Erik's face isn't slightly ugly. Erik's face is terrible to look at, he is REPULSIVE, he is HIDEOUS. He even smells like death. If Erik's face isn't too bad then why has be been forced to hide himself away from the world? If his face isn't too bad then what's the entire point of his character? And the ending of this book, my word, the ending! I won't give it away but it's completely stupid because it gives Erik a happy ending. Oh my word, I hated this book so much!
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May 13, 2009 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-book-challenge, library-books, phantom

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book set up an interesting plot: What if Sherlock Holmes was hired to ferret out the Phantom? He is originally hired by the managers, but then Count Phillipe attempts to procure his services to prevent Raoul and Christine from marrying and Raoul attempts to procure his services to end the Phantoms's reign. There is much to enjoy here in this book. I think the author did very well with the characters from two different worlds. The Sherlock Holmes here resembles what I know of the character (...more This book set up an interesting plot: What if Sherlock Holmes was hired to ferret out the Phantom? He is originally hired by the managers, but then Count Phillipe attempts to procure his services to prevent Raoul and Christine from marrying and Raoul attempts to procure his services to end the Phantoms's reign. There is much to enjoy here in this book. I think the author did very well with the characters from two different worlds. The Sherlock Holmes here resembles what I know of the character (which, admittedly is drawn from random TV references and the show featuring Jeremy Brett). Watson (who is really rather disparaged in this book) is discarded in favor of Sherlock's cousin, Henry Vernier, and the two set off to Paris in search of the infamous Phantom of the Opera. The character of Erik (the Phantom) is done rather well, as are Raoul and Christine.

There are some minor plot alterations to fit in Holmes and Vernier, but none that really detract from the original Phantom of the Opera story.

The major beefs I had with this book, and here starts some of the spoilers:

1. The character of the Persian. I always got the impression, from the original Leroux and then Kay's extrapolation from that, that the Daroga was a fine, upstanding citizen and someone who genuinely liked Erik even though he was not willing to discard his morals in order to let Erik get away with his murders and kidnapping of Christine. In this book he's depicted as a leering monster, the head of the Persian "secret" police and someone just as willing to kill as Erik is. I felt the characterization was far off when it came to the Persian and it always left me with a sour taste in my mouth.

2. The book begins with a piano concert by a young woman. She is, of course, a brilliant musician, everything Erik could ever want in a woman. And she also happens to be blind. This if often a plot device that authors use. No seeing woman would be able to stand Erik's face; they would of course turn away in horror. So let's make this wonderful amazing smart musical woman blind. It irritates me to no end, as does the need to pair Erik up with someone other than Christine.

Other than those two elements I did enjoy this book.(less)

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Sep 24, 2012 Monica rated it 2 of 5 stars

I could have rated this book higher if not by the annoying replacement of Dr. Watson as the default narrator. Instead of Watson we get a "Dr. Vernier", a supposed French cousin of Holmes.
Yes, he is a Doctor as Watson and … that’s it. Dr. Vernier thrashes Watson’s narrations saying these are full of inaccuracies and false notes and that actually Holmes and Watson broke their friendship and as a result Watson invented his friend’s death.
I would happily accept this “deviation” from the canon if Dr....more

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Jul 04, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Okay, so, my first review of this book was that it was so terrible I had to put it down. I've finished it now and feel I can give it a better review. Saying that though, I will give it two reviews - one as a Sherlock Holmes story and one as its own detective story.

1. As a Sherlock Holmes story this book is awful. I am a huge Sherlock fan and this book changes his character, his motives, and his style - essentially everything that makes Sherlock such a lovely character. I would venture that while...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Dave Higgins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

As with the other novels in the Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series this fuses Sherlock Holmes with a classic of horror, science fiction, or fantasy. In this instance the Phantom of the Opera.

The novel opens with an explanation that it is written by Doctor Henry Vernier, Holmes’ cousin, and not Watson. This seems a sensible method of justifying the different style needed for the more gothic and romantic elements; however, instead of merely freeing himself from Watson’s voice, Siciliano...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Rachael Cecere rated it 4 of 5 stars

I did enjoy this book, probably more than I anticipated. But I have always enjoyed reading Sherlock Holmes and his many adventures. Even though in this novel, Holmes isn't accompanied by Dr. Watson, his cousin Henry almost makes a proper substitute. But I think the reason why I enjoyed this book so much is because Sam Siciliano, the author stayed close to the original plot of The Phantom of the Opera, and kept the characters the same. It was honestly reading The Phantom of the Opera all over aga...more

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May 12, 2013 Rog Harrison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an interesting book. I would not say that I enjoyed it but I could not put it down and read it in one sitting. I am not familiar with any of the author's other books but he takes a different approach from other writers of Sherlock Holmes and indeed a very different approach from Conan Doyle. Dr Watson does not tell the story but rather the narrator is Holmes' cousin, Dr Henry Vernier. Holmes comes across as a much more human character. The point of the book is that Holmes is investigatin...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Kat rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Kinda fun to read a crossover fanfic of Sherlock Holmes/Phantom of the Opera in pro format . I liked this story more than I thought I would after reading the prologue (where the current narrator states his dislike and disrespect for John Watson). Now, dissing Dr. Watson is not the way to get you on my side, but I put it aside for reading the story (go me ).

This is basically a retelling of Phantom of the Opera from the perspective of Sherlock Holmes and companion, his cousin Dr. Vernier. The acti...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2006-or-before, own, phantom-of-the-opera, mystery, disfigurement, historical-fiction

It's been several years since I read this book, so my review is probably going to be vague since I don't remember a lot about it.

I do remember that I wasn't impressed with the characterizations. I've never really read anything with Sherlock Holmes in it, so I can't comment on him. But Christine, Raoul, and Philippe were all horribly done. They were as two-dimensional as could be and nothing like their counterparts in Leroux's original novel. Christine is obsessed with money, Raoul is a foolish j...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Jemera Rone rated it 4 of 5 stars

A pleasant riff on Sherlock Holme, this time accompanied not by Dr. Watson (for whom the author has kittle sympathy) but by Sherlock' cousin, another doctor. They visit Paris at the lavish expense of the Opera management to solve the poroblems, among them murder, caused by a believed ghost. Luckily, Sherlock is fluent in French. He and his companion attempt to see through a bizarre cast of characters, including one holing up stories below the Opera in a hidden home, to get to the bottom, literal...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Dianne Landry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sherlock Holmes and the Phantom of the Opera, what's not to like? A lot of other people have trashed this book because the narrator doesn't like Dr. Watson and tells us that Holmes didn't like Watson's telling of their adventures. This is really no problem for me as I remember many times Holmes telling Watson as much.

The new narrator is Holmes' cousin, Henry, and when the great detective gets hired to investigate the Phantom he is brought along because he speaks accentless french. The story is t...more

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Jan 13, 2013 LA rated it 1 of 5 stars

Retells the original Phantom of the Opera (by Gaston Leroux), only from the POV of Sherlock Holmes' cousin. Disses Watson. Holmes instantly knows everything for no apparent reason. Cliches galore. Annoying shallow observations of women. The OPPOSITE of romantic. Butchered original Phantom characters (and Sherlock). Hysterical laughing or rage at the oddest moments. And too many waxed mustaches. I actually hated reading this, but dutifully always finish if I plan to leave a review.

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Jan 03, 2009 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not the awfulest Sherlock Holmes/Phantom of the Opera crossover I've ever read. The fact that I've read more than one says that I'm nutty enough to subject myself to some pretty weird stuff. This wasn't terrible though. There's some revising of the POTO plot to make Holmes fit in there, but it wasn't anything too shocking and the characterization of Christine was pretty spot on to what I think she SHOULD have been like.

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Jul 30, 2012 Katrina rated it 4 of 5 stars

We adore Holmes, we serenade Erik. But why, why must we despise Watson so? Is it right? Is it necessary? Lovely book, you lose a star. Now go watch some Edward Hardwicke, and let the shame teach you.

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Jan 03, 2013 Shannon Burrows rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was back and forth on liking this but the ending was worth it! It was well written but part of me thought it was too easy to basically resell a story with an extra character twist, but he pulled it off.

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Oct 16, 2011 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This "Sherlock Holmes vs. the Phantom of the Opera" is the best of the series I've read thus far. In the Phantom, Holmes meets a dark genius and worthy opponent. Written with far deeper thematic elements and character development than the other books in this series, the novel imagines a Holmes internally divided and in great struggle with himself. Contemptuous of the wealthy Parisienne aristocrats who have hired him and in great awe and admiration of the Phantom's dark genius, Holmes is seen as...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Tammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dude, when I was fifteen, this hit all the right spots. Epic crackfic. You need this. You don't know you need this, but you need this.

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Sep 27, 2012 Dona rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you like Sherlock Holmes, you will love this book. It was well written and gave a different view of the Phantom of the Opera.

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Dec 20, 2010 Jeshu rated it 3 of 5 stars

I only read it because it said Phantom of the Opera, and I was in my Phantom of the Opera obession. It was entertaining :)

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Jun 12, 2010 SuperBen rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fun Sherlock Holmes/POTO crossover novel.

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Jan 20, 2012 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read and reread this one enjoyed it both times

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May 02, 2008 Iris rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I heard of this book I wondered what would happen if Sherlock was given the case of the phantom of the opera. These are two great geniuses and its like superman and batman, you don't know who is going to win and you can't pick. This book is a little different though because Holmes is not with Watson but instead with his cousin. I like how the author was able to compare Holmes to Eric and read the epilogue.

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Jan 12, 2013 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cross-overs

This is one of my favorites from my high school years. It's a nice cross over and I appreciate what the author did with the Phantom.

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Jun 27, 2007 Elf rated it 5 of 5 stars

Yes, the title is exactly what the book is about. Again, well done and the fourth Phantom related novel I got my hands on. It's pretty good and manages to combine both characters in a way that was imaginative.

Then again, I might be biased. It is Phantom related.

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Oct 11, 2012 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Just re-read this and upgraded it a star. It has definite strengths and some aspects that still bother me. Worth a look for Phantom fans...can't speak for Sherlock fans since I haven't read many of those.

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Aug 20, 2008 Deb rated it 3 of 5 stars

this is sherlock holmes meets phantom of the opera, but with a musical twist. I like this Sherlock better than the other pretend Sherlocks I've read. plus it has some great opera jokes.

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May 18, 2010 Deranged Pegasus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

A smooth blending of worlds that is seamless and faithful to all characters involved. The detective aspects were insightful and the deviousness of the phantom exquisite.

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Feb 20, 2012 Isis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

A fun, easy read, though unrealistic as can be. I think I read this in my freshman year of high school, since it involved 2 of my favorite literary men.

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