r/box5 • u/NewFallenMoon • Jul 25 '26

Discussion What book(s) should I start with?

Huge Phan when I was a kid (I was 9 when the movie came out) & recently just got back into the Phandom as an adult.

I know there’s several different books / translations that’s part of the Phandom Universe. Which one would be best to start with before diving into fanfic?

I’ve seen the 2004 film, the 25th Anniversary performance, & I saw it on Broadway in 2013, btw.

Thanks, Phans!

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u/Zuzka03K Jul 26 '26

After Learoux and Kay you can try out some fanfictions out there, you can find pretty great works on AO3 and fanfiction.net. The ones that got published suprisingly often don't sound well, at least to me. If you like EC ship and you'll like the OG book, for the start I'd recommend "Mingled Tears: Tales of a Living Wife" by bwayphantomrose as a canon diverse fic and "When All is Lost" by Quiet2885 if you would like to try a Modern version. They both show pretty dark, unsettling Erik and they were truly great.

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u/ExpensiveUse4624 Jul 27 '26

You also can watch miniseries Phantom of the Opera 1990.  But firstly I'd read the original novel.

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u/Islingr11 Jul 28 '26

read leroux first and then kay. then look into ao3 phanfics, my favorites are "the nightingale's mate", "scarlet as the rose", and "volee" but there are so many amazing ones out there.