The little known, brilliant original text by Gaston Leroux has been immortalized by screen and stage adaptations. One of the greatest horror stories of all time, "The Phantom of the Opera" makes compulsive reading. It abounds with wonderful descriptions, extraordinary events, tragedy, horror, pathos, tremendous humour and a gallery of charming minor characters. Leroux´s portrait of the hideous musician, crazed by his own extreme ugliness, shows compassionate insight into a criminally insane mind. Music infuses the story, enriching the many dimensions of the novel which is steeped in the glamour of life at the Paris Opera.The author´s knowledge of the building itself and the extraordinary history of its construction create a basis of realism in the story. Incredible, seemingly supernatural elements are artfully fused with real facts, with references to real people, places and events, so that the novel becomes a dazzling blend of illusion and reality. It is hard to distinguish between them, and the result is that each chilling moment is intensified. Gaston Leroux was a master of his genre.