Phantom of the Paradise

by Bjarne Rostaing

Vintage movie tie-in paperback

Genres: Horror, Fiction

140 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1975

About the author

Bjarne Rostaing was an editor at the SoHo Weekly News, won a First Place AFI Award for a sports video, taught at two universities, worked in army intelligence and appeared with Uma Thurman in Kiss Daddy Goodnight.

As a sports writer, he covered the emergence of Americans in professional cycling and exposed the 1984 US Olympic blood doping scandal in Sports Illustrated.

His books include Breeders (St. Marks Press), Phantom of the Paradise with Brian DePalma (Dell), Bill Walton's Book of Bicycling (Bantam) and Epstein's Pancake, a finalist in the 10th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Political Thriller Category (2016).

Reviews

[Shane James Bordas · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an enthusiast of the film it is based on, this is a lovely little artifact to have. However, it is also the worst book I have ever read.

[Renee Koppelman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fan of all things Phantom of the Opera related, I came across this movie years ago. It baffled me then, and it baffled me years later when I revisited it recently. Finding a novelization of the movie I got excited hoping reading it in prose form would help clarify some things. It did not. It absolutely did not. If anything I am MORE baffled, and confused as ever. But was entertaining and a quick read that I can say I have experienced.

[Matt Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I went through every stage of grief reading this book. As a big fan of the source material, I was excited. That excitement soon turned to abject horror, horror that metamorphosed into despair.

My first stage was denial- Denial that they had turned Winslow Leach, the tormented musician from the movie, into a whiny 18yo man from Maine with daddy issues.
Then it was anger, undeniable anger that I both was forcing myself to read this dribble, and that I could not bring myself to put it down.
Bargaining, mentally bargaining with myself that finishing would be worth it somehow. That this would satiate the hole in my heart that would be left if I chose not to finish this book.
Then came depression. As I closed in on the final pages. A depression that book would have nothing left to surprise me with, in it's odd adaptation of the movie.

Finally acceptance. I had to accept this book for what it was. It wasn't some literary masterpiece that could change my life. It was a shoddily written movie novelization from the 70s, with all the quirks that came with it at the time. Any offering of adding depth to characters was thrown out the window, instead we learn about how Winslow wears thermal underwear. Throughout the book, Winslow eats numerous sandwiches (both ham and corned beef), 3 jelly doughnuts, 4 twinkies, 2 coffees, and so so much coca-cola; that is what we are given for this character.
I do not regret reading this, but I cannot bring myself to ever read it again.

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Phantom of the Paradise is one of my favorite movies of all time, I’ve seen it a bunch of times of the years and the songs get stuck in my head all the time. This feels like a sloppy and rushed version of the screenplay, I assume adapted from a first draft? Some of the added details and I do think it adds some interesting notes to Swan and Phoenixs character that we don’t get in the movie. But Winslow as an 18 year old is just odd, and there’s some very dated descriptions and dialogue as to expected by a 70s writer. I’m glad I read it, but such a good movie deserves a better adaptation.

[Antiquechainsaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man what the hell

[Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a terribly written little book, but I'm such a fan of the movie that this managed to entertain me all the way through.

[N Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written book. The main character and most of those surrounding him are loathsome.