Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Gollancz; New Ed edition (10 Feb 2005)
Originally published: 1995
ISBN-10: 0575075805
ISBN-13: 978-0575075801
Reviewer: Cara
Copy: Bought online
From the back of the book:
Two 19th-century 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, both men 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.
Firstly, the summary given at the back of the book is misleading... the reader is NOT in on the secrets of the illusions right from the start. At least, this reader wasn't. And, for me, this was important as, when the different methods used by each magician was revealed in the last third of the book, earlier hints made sense. But the final reveal, and where the book's title comes from, was both chilling and shocking. This is a novel that will stay with you evermore, a powerful and haunting story of rivalry and oneupmanship.
The Prestige is told from three points of view. The modern-day descendants of the two magicians meet at the Angier family home and discuss events that occurred some 25 years earlier. This thread is a first-person narrative by Andrew Westley/Nicholas Borden who has been sent the journal of his ancestor Alfred Borden by Kate Angier, who has in her possession the journal of her ancestor, Rupert Angier. Both journals are reproduced in full; first Borden's then Angier's, with the modern-day story being the link between each account. Through the journals we learn a lot about the theatrical world of stage magicians in England during the late Victorian period and it is a fascinating insight into that era, a time when the marvels of electricity were just entering the everyday lives of the population.
For much of the book I was wondering why The Prestige is classified as science fiction. There are no aliens, spaceships or any of the other familiar tropes that are usually associated with science fiction and, at one point I was questioning why a book about stage magicians, that read like a straightforward historical novel, would be considered as such. However, like any good magic trick, The Prestige relies on misdirection, and here it is done brilliantly. The reader’s attention is focussed on the rivalry between the two illusionists, and with hindsight, I can now see the clues that were left, like a breadcrumb trail, to the final conclusion. For me, this is the strength of the book and, having finished reading it, I can now see why The Prestige won the World Fantasy Award in 1996.
I hadn’t seen the film version of The Prestige before reading the novel and so was unaware of the final reveal i.e. the explanation of how Angier’s illusion ‘In A Flash’ actually worked and the consequences of performing such a trick. The collaboration with Nikola Tesla in Colorado Springs was a fascinating interlude and while Angier is clearly fictional, Tesla is widely recognised as a somewhat eccentric scientist who developed the alternating current form of electrical power we all rely on today, along with advances in the knowledge of electromagnetism.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Prestige and now, having finished it, can see why so many people rate it highly. It’s structure matches the illusionist’s practice of the setup, the performance, and the prestige (effect). The core of the book is the reproduction in full of the respective illusionists’ journals, first Borden’s than Angier’s, both being linked by the modern day first person narrative. And it is the great-grandchildren of Borden and Angier that suffer the ultimate consequences of their respective ancestors’ rivalry. It is difficult to discuss these consequences without spoiling the ending of the book, however, it is fair to say that it is an eerie and haunting conclusion to a very well written novel. If anyone has not read The Prestige, all I will say is that you should! I would recommend it as an excellent example of a science fiction novel that will appeal to everyone, including those who say they never read the genre. Now I shall watch the film, although I doubt it will match the standard set by Christopher Priest in his novel, in my experience, films rarely better the book on which they are based. Certainly The Prestige ranks as one of the best books I have read this year, and I am now looking to read more of Priest’s writing, starting with The Inverted World and The Separation.
Plot: 9
Characters: 9
Style: 9
Overall rating 9/10
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