Christopher Priest

The prestige

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. Winner of the World Fantasy Award for best novel, 1996

The Prestige

Bella Koch

This was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while. Probably my favorite thing about this story was the way that it was told. It’s written as the journal of Borden, followed by the journal of Angier, and bookended by the stories of their great-grandchildren. This format enables the reader to understand the motivations of each character, see how they both interpret the events in their feud, and get to experience their dramatic lives along with them. I also just love books that take place over multiple decades, so that preference biases me a bit here. 

I also really appreciated that magic was the backdrop of this book. From a practical perspective, it was interesting to understand the theory behind illusions and the skill that goes into it. From a reading perspective, the topic of magic really opened the doors to more mysterious possibilities in terms of where the plot was going. Had Angier and Borden been mathematicians, the intrigue around their secrets and rivalry would not have been as intense as it was given that they were magicians. 

Another note: even if you’ve seen the movie, I would highly recommend reading the book! I’ve seen the movie previously and the plots are just different enough that I was kept on my toes wondering what would happen next. I also felt like I was able to follow along with the story well since I had some idea of what was happening.

Gillian Rose

This is one of my all-time favorite movies and I knew I had to read the book. I didn't care much for Borden and Angier's family but their rivalry was extremely intense and loved learning about both of them even if I did know the twist behind their famous tricks. Christopher Nolan did a great adaptation

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.

Dave | Storyphoria

I love the rivalry between Angier and Borden, at times thrilling and other times heart breaking. I also love how this story serves as both a fantastic adventure and a gut-punch level cautionary tale that will leave you with plenty to think about as the pages fly by. There is stage magic, love, intrigue, sci-fi elements and above all a look at two characters as they journey through their life-long passion of becoming the best stage magician in the world.

It’s a beautiful dance that will suck you in and have you fully invested in both of it’s main characters until the very end, at which point many of you will feel like the story sort of fizzles and falls apart. In this respect, the movie still reigns supreme. The film absolutely sticks the landing and ties the entire story of Angier and Borden together with an epic gut-punch that leaves you with a ton to consider. The book, however, leaves you scratching your head a bit wondering what those last few pages were trying to say.

In the end, I still highly recommend this book as it’s a super fun look at two top tier magicians and a rivalry that spins wildly out of control.

Iris

Christopher Wheeler

Janani Sriskandarajah 

Tobias V. Langhoff

Lewis james martin

D VA

Michael Cowell

Juliana

Jannis M

In 1878, two young stage magicians clash in the dark during the course of a fraudulent seance. From that moment on, they vie to outwit and destroy one another. Published in hardcover to international acclaim, "The Prestige" won the World Fantasy Award and Britain's James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Now it finally appears in softcover--sophisticated, breathtaking entertainment.

The prestige

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