The Voice Unmasked

Zine
Title:	The Voice Unmasked
Publisher:
Editor:
Author(s):	Sharon Young
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	1995 or before
Medium:	print
Genre:	het
Fandom:	Phantom of the Opera
Language:	English
External Links:
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The Voice Unmasked is a het Phantom of the Opera 234-page novel by Sharon Young. Color cover & 13 illustrations, 3 in color.

A review in Beneath the Mask #10 calls it a "vanity press" publication that could be purchased directly from the author.

Summary

"The arrival of an American in the Costume Dept. of the Paris Opera sparks conflict with the Phantom. But Erik has a new dilemma- does he love Christine or this irritating foreigner? The Phantom with a happy ending."

Reactions and Reviews

The Voice Unmasked lacks direction and likable characters. The plot skitters all over the place--first, Native-American born Ami goes to the Opera and, not being known for cowtowing to local specters, issues a challenge to the resident Ghost. The Ghost, who has suddenly become utterly incompetent and downright doltish, is whipped in the contest by young Ami. But then, everyone is conquered by Ami. The "wild Indian of the Opera," as she is frequently and annoyingly dubbed, is young, brilliant, beautiful, the world's most wonderful voice (forget Erik!), powerful, a quicker thinker on her feet than either MacGyver or Sherlock Holmes, etc., etc. The European characters are helpless before her brash naturalness. As is evident just in the opening scene (where Ami, dressed in male traditional Native American wear, gets a job from the Opera's managers simply because they don't want to see her disappointed), realism does not factor into this work. The pictures (by author Young) are vivid and well-done, but the text simply doesn't cut it.

This work of 234 pages includes twelve illustrations, four of which are color plates. The quality of the artwork is, for the most part, very high. It is interesting to note that work on this version began in 1973, the author basing it upon Leroux with some elements of Chaney. There is little, if any, of the Lloyd Webber interpretation represented in this piece, though Young admits that it was the appearance of the musical which gave her the impetus she needed to finish.

In essence, the novel is a retelling of the Leroux story with the addition of a new character, Ami, a young woman of partial Native-American heritage, who works around the opera house (much as Kopit’s Christine, though his version came by years later!). The first half is an ingenious juxtaposition of story lines in which the reader learns Ami's story and observes her interacting with all the main characters, but in which none of the details of the original novel are disturbed.

The second half is more loosely constructed and alterations to the original plot do occur. In the end, this might still be considered a work in progress as Young has expressed interest in creating additional drawings. For those of you who have seen Greg Hildebrandt’s illustrated version of Leroux, this, says Young, is the look she would like to achieve.