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"The exhilarating zip of the plot, sweeping you along to a conclusion that is thoroughly unexpected. A case study in sleight-of-hand on several levels." (Helen O'Hara EMPIRE )
"A narrative full of twists, turns and revelations. Behind all the surface trickery lies an intelligent and thoughtful novel about the nature of illusion and secrecy." (OBSERVER )
"A narrative full of twists, turns and revelations. Behind all the surface trickery lies an intelligent and thoughtful novel about the nature of illusion and secrecy." (OBSERVER )
Product Description
Two 19th century stage illusionists, the aristocratic Rupert Angier and the working-class Alfred Borden, engage in a bitter and deadly feud; the effects are still being felt by their respective families a hundred years later. Working in the gaslight-and-velvet world of Victorian music halls, they prowl edgily in the background of each other's shadowy life, driven to the extremes by a deadly combination of obsessive secrecy and insatiable curiosity. At the heart of the row is an amazing illusion they both perform during their stage acts. The secret of the magic is simple, and the reader is in on it almost from the start, but to the antagonists the real mystery lies deeper. Both have something more to hide than the mere workings of a trick.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
I wasn't expecting this to start in the present day, so that was a surprise. At first I thought I might be a little disappointed at not getting straight into the thick of the magic aspect (which I knew was set in the 19th Century), but it's written in such a way that I was hooked from the start. It then quickly switched to the past in the second part, going from being narrated by Andrew Westley, to the personal memoirs of Alfred Borden himself.
It was all rather tantalising. Every time Borden seemed on the verge of making a revelation, he drew back, focusing on the back story and just touching on the beginnings of the feud between Borden and Angier...
The further I read, the better it got! The world of stage magic and illusion is fascinating at the best of times, but this was chock-full of mystery on top of that. I loved how the author kept coming back to the fact that the story was being related through Borden's notebook, throughout which Borden left little notes to himself, and even used the standard tricks of the illusionist (stating the whole "nothing up my sleeve" gambit when making a revelation, in order to relate that he's not hiding anything in the retelling).
In part three, the narrative was continued by a third character - this time one of Rupert Angier's descendants - who was also trying to fill in the blanks where The Great Dante (Angier's stage name) was concerned and who is also intrigued by Borden's descendent and her contemporary.
A fourth part, a fourth voice - now Rupert Angier's side of the story was told from his own diaries, revealing the reasons behind the old enmity between him and Borden that caused them both harm and spanned generations of both the families.
The plot twisted and turned like a twisty-turny thing. Strangely, despite being given every clue, I didn't work it out, which is rather unusual for me (if I say so myself) - I usually cotton onto things, whether it's early on or right before the "big reveal". The finale switched back to modern-day and wrapped up beautifully. I have to say this was quite an extraordinary read and now that I'm finished with it, I'm even more desperate to see the film!
(A big thank you to Marcus J who recommended this book to me - I've now found a new author to collect!)
It was all rather tantalising. Every time Borden seemed on the verge of making a revelation, he drew back, focusing on the back story and just touching on the beginnings of the feud between Borden and Angier...
The further I read, the better it got! The world of stage magic and illusion is fascinating at the best of times, but this was chock-full of mystery on top of that. I loved how the author kept coming back to the fact that the story was being related through Borden's notebook, throughout which Borden left little notes to himself, and even used the standard tricks of the illusionist (stating the whole "nothing up my sleeve" gambit when making a revelation, in order to relate that he's not hiding anything in the retelling).
In part three, the narrative was continued by a third character - this time one of Rupert Angier's descendants - who was also trying to fill in the blanks where The Great Dante (Angier's stage name) was concerned and who is also intrigued by Borden's descendent and her contemporary.
A fourth part, a fourth voice - now Rupert Angier's side of the story was told from his own diaries, revealing the reasons behind the old enmity between him and Borden that caused them both harm and spanned generations of both the families.
The plot twisted and turned like a twisty-turny thing. Strangely, despite being given every clue, I didn't work it out, which is rather unusual for me (if I say so myself) - I usually cotton onto things, whether it's early on or right before the "big reveal". The finale switched back to modern-day and wrapped up beautifully. I have to say this was quite an extraordinary read and now that I'm finished with it, I'm even more desperate to see the film!
(A big thank you to Marcus J who recommended this book to me - I've now found a new author to collect!)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I watched the movie ("The Prestige" directed by Christopher Nolan) before reading the novel. They actually differ on several points, and I don't think watching the film spoiled the reading. The novel spans a longer time period and is framed by a story set in today's world (a meeting between descendants of Borden and Angier, the two rival magicians). The plot alternates between different times and persons, like a puzzle where the pieces are different perspectives on basically the same events. In this the novel is really effective: it made me sympathise with the different narrators, although two of them are enemies. Also, even though I had watched the movie the story kept me guessing about some things until the very end. The movie is very good, but I actually like the book a little bit more as I think it makes some things more 'believable'.
The Prestige is very well written and hard to put down, and I will definitely read more novels by Christopher Priest
The Prestige is very well written and hard to put down, and I will definitely read more novels by Christopher Priest
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Hmm, the title just about sums it up. I saw the film first (although I have read and enjoyed other Christopher Priest books), and picked the book up recently. I was really hooked and think this is one of the best books I've read (out of quite a number, let me add!). It does have some weaknesses, but the book's originality and brilliance more than make up for those.
It's not really science fiction, it's more like a Victorian melodrama written by a great modern writer. I recommend this book wholeheartedly, and shall be buying more of his books in the very near future!
It's not really science fiction, it's more like a Victorian melodrama written by a great modern writer. I recommend this book wholeheartedly, and shall be buying more of his books in the very near future!
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