"An illusion has three stages."First there is the setup, in which the nature of what might be attempted at is hinted at, or suggested, or explained. The apparatus is seen. volunteers from the audience sometimes participate in preparation. As the trick is being setup, the magician will make use of every possible use of misdirection."The performance is where the magician's lifetime of practice, and his innate skill as a performer, cojoin to produce the magical display."The third stage is sometimes called the effect, or the prestige, and this is the product of magic. If a rabbit is pulled from a hat, the rabbit, which apparently did not exist before the trick was performed, can be said to be the prestige of that trick." The SetupA four and a half to five star book that began as a five star book, dropped partway to a four star read and then rose again to a five star enjoyable finish. Now before I begin my proper review I have a disclaimer that the review you see here is due in part because I made a vow I would read this before (what is bound to be) an excellent film by Christopher Nolan.I must now draw your attention ladies and gentleman to the apparatus of my next paragraph in which I will perform wonders most miraculous...The PerformanceI found the writing to be of top quality and in a slightly unusual style reminiscent of Mary Shelley's flowery use of language merged with Bram Stoker's quirky use of different perspectives. It is a book that when I read it I began to say from the start that the writing was exceptional.There are several thematic elements and multiple subplots which were properly explored to fully explain and sustain the intrigue of the book. That said the book does end on a very mysterious note but I shall leave you to observe that magic for yourselves. I rather enjoyed reading the perspective of Alfred Borden and then switching to his rival Rupert Angier's perspective in order to observe the full picture and understand both mysterious secrets of the illusions they perfect in order to outplay the other at conjuring. In many ways this is a novel about secrets - secrets kept in order to preserve the magic of illusions and how those secrets affect the magician's lives. It is also the tale of an illusionist's war, a war in which both magicians attempt to reveal the secrets of each other's magic to the observing audiences and hence win the battle. I would say that this novel is one which is deeper than it appears and cannot help wondering if perhaps in the distant future it will be named as a classic because I believe it would prove capable of doing so if the popularity of Christopher Nolan's film does not destroy this intriguing version.The PrestigeAnd now you see that I have completed a magical trick of such proportions that you cannot grasp its magnitude. Ah but I will not tell you how it works you see because I - like all true magicians - must carry out living the secret of my grand illusion to ensure no one knows how I perform such a trick. The magic is such that I suddenly have before you, where there was nothing, a fully completed review with a magical five star rating at the top. If that is not enough to convince you to give this a read then no other illusion will persuade you. (exits in a flash of smoke and falling curtains)End note: You know how there are times when you read a book and you go away and forget about it now matter how good the book was? Well I think a good book grabs you, becomes part of you and refuses to let go. And then when you encounter something with the similar subject matter you remember the book all over again. That is what this work is for me - a book that grabbed me. Now every time I see a magic trick I think of the various stages of performing that trick...
Like many readers, I came to this book after seeing the excellent 2006 film based on it. Like many other readers, I ended up preferring the film to the book as the film is a lot more tightly woven and provides better motivations for the characters' actions.The story, for those of you who don't know, centres on two Victorian magicians who strike up a feud and spend the next twenty years sabotaging each other's shows and trying to outperform each other, each coming up with a spectacular disappearing act to which the other wants to find out the secret. The obsessive nature of the two men's relationship is drawn well, first from the working-class Borden's point of view, then from the aristocratic Angier's. Their feud isn't motivated particularly well, but that might be the point of the story; feuds often arise over trivial matters. At any rate, the resulting obsession and its destructive effects are painted vividly. The magic tricks are also presented well, although the words describing them of necessity lack the powerful quality of the film's images of them. And finally, there's a nice sense of mystery surrounding some of the tricks (although again, less so than in the film), bringing to mind the thrilling sensation fiction of the Victorian era, which I happen to love. Sadly, though, the book has many shortcomings. For one thing, Borden's and Angier's diaries are unconvincing as Victorian documents; the language used is far too modern. Secondly, both of the protagonists are fairly unlikeable characters. I realise it's hard to write a story about an obsessive feud without making the characters quite unlikeable, but still, I think Priest could have done a better job on these two. Thirdly, Angier's part of the story is a bit of a drag. Some judicious editing would have been welcome here.What really sets the book apart from the film, however, is the fact that Priest saw fit to include a modern frame in which the reader is introduced to two of the magicians' present-day descendants, whose lives are still being affected by the ancient feud. At first I hated the modern frame (which the filmmakers wisely left out), thinking it detracted from the main story. Towards the end I came to appreciate it. I actually quite liked the ending, which is spectacularly sci-fi-ish and gothic. It rather stands out from the rest of the book (which is fairly realistic), and as such could be said to be out of out of character, but as far as I'm concerned, it works. I wish the rest of the book were equally spectacular.I'd give the book 3.5 stars if I could, but in the absence of half stars, I'm going to be tough and give it 3.
What do You think about The Prestige (1997)?
Para quem já viu o filme desengane-se se pensa que é capaz de descobrir o “prestígio” deste livro. Se está reticente em relação a ler ou não ler, não tenha duvidas, leia-o.O filme foi de facto baseado neste livro, mas tirada a ideia central Christopher Nolan deu o seu próprio toque que resultou num óptimo filme.É uma leitura, maioritariamente, em forma de diários logo rápida e simples. Neles acompanhamos a vida de dois mágicos que lutam entre si para demonstrarem que são melhores e capazes de descobrir os segredos um do outro. A rivalidade é levada a extremos e passadas três gerações ainda afectam os presentes familiares. Para quem espera grandes revelações de truques não as vai ter, mas vai colocar certamente a nossa massa cinzenta a trabalhar com as meias explicações dadas. Por último apontar que, para quem viu o filme, as ideias em relação ao carácter dos protagonistas, a quem achamos ser o bom da fita e quem é o melhor mágico talvez mudem com a leitura deste livro, pelo menos foi o que me aconteceu.Durante a leitura tinha em mente: “ok, eu já vi o filme… não me vou deixar enganar” mas agora sei que subestimei o autor.
—Ricardo Mendes
I prefer the movie, but I'm not sure if that's because I saw it first or because it condensed the confusion down to a lean story of obsession and one-upmanship. My reading was heavily influenced by knowing the major spoilers. Should've read the book first.Dammit, what is with the Monday morning over-the-shoulder snoopers? Gotta make this fast. Unreliable narrators, stupid feuds with real consequences that made them impossible to let go, destroying your own life through choices. Each man had a chance at normal family life and ended up following their lust at some point. Each man wrote of wanting to give up the feud, of trying to reach out to the other and being rebuffed. Each man clearly tailored their record of incidents. What really happened? Probably something in between. And at the end...huh? I don't understand the purpose of the cult that started out the story, except it maybe implied, well, spoiler.
—Eh?Eh!
I wrote this review in 2007 for SFFaudio. I just finished listening to this audiobook again, and am just as enthusiastic as I was the first time:It’s difficult to say how long it’s been since I’ve been as enthralled with an audiobook as I was with this unabridged version of the World Fantasy Award-winning The Prestige. In very few words, the production was excellent. Simon Vance narrated, and since the story is primarily told through journal entries of the two main characters, he was called upon to portray two dark, intricate magicians. He unreservedly succeeded – his performance was stellar. Because of his subtle care, the surprises of the novel were enhanced by his reading. And there are many surprises.The main characters are late 19th century stage magicians (or “prestidigitators”, as they call themselves) named Alfred Borden and Rupert Angier. They perform in London, but at the height of each magician’s popularity, they tour America and Europe. But not together. No, these two guys are mortal enemies, out to better the other by whatever means necessary. Each one in turn performs a trick on stage that seems impossible to the other, and their personal quests are rooted in finding out how the other does it, and then to perform it better.The novel is filled with fascinating detail about these magicians and their tricks. But even more interesting are the journals themselves. It becomes quickly apparent that the journal writers are not reliable. Christopher Priest was masterful in the way he made sure that the journal writers were speaking squarely from their own point of view, which was not always technically true; rather, like journal writers everywhere, they would write something about their own motives that justified events to themselves. The result is an intricate web that is slowly unraveled throughout the book. It’s an audiobook that merits a second listen; knowing what I know now, having finished, a second listen would reveal the breadcrumbs I missed along the way. I suspect I left several on the trail.Also prominent is Priest’s portrayal of life in the 19th century. The values, the language, and the daily life of the characters all feel accurate, though I am no 19th century historian. The world’s reaction to the advent of electricity is a fascinating example. I couldn’t help but to think of modern parallels with the advent of the internet.At first glance, this novel is fantasy. It even won the World Fantasy Award in 1996. But is this a fantasy novel? It really isn’t. Yes, there are magicians here, but they are stage magicians. As such, their tricks have perfectly reasonable explanations. Each of the main characters do specific remarkable things, but the reasons given for the way these things work are not magical, but scientific. More, I will not say, because this is a novel to be discovered for yourself, not to be read about. After I finished the book, I watched the recent film version. Be assured that there are enough major differences that a listen to this book will be a different (though similar) and very worthwhile experience – worthwhile enough to be the latest addition to SFFaudio’s Essential List.
—Scott D.
