Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Prestige
The Washington Post called this "a dizzying magic show of a novel, chock-a-block with all the props of Victorian sensation fiction: seances, multiple narrators, a family curse, doubles, a lost notebook, wraiths, and disembodied spirits; a haunted house, awesome mad-doctor machinery, a mausoleum, and ghoulish horrors; a misunderstood scientist, impossible disappearances; th...more
Paperback, 404 pages
Published
September 1996
by Touchstone / Simon & Schuster UK
(first published 1995)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not even close to what I was expecting, thankfully.
Blurb: Turn of the 20th Century London, two stage magicians embark on a feud of a lifetime propelling both of them to fame and fortune, pain and despair and a couple of shocking discoveries along the way, also framed by the meeting of their great grandchildren still living with the aftermath of the feud.
Thoughts: At its core Christopher Priest's The Prestige (completely different entity...more
Aug 05, 2012
Jonathan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who enjoy suspense, intrigue and delving deeper into books
"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...more
25 likes · like · see review
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 disappeari...more
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 disappeari...more
15 likes · like · see review
Loved it. Certain subjects, in this case stage magic, hold a lot of appeal for me and a good book about those subjects is going to be well received by me. I loved the movie also, but this book is quite different in a lot of ways. It’s a great example of how a good screen writer can adopt and change the author’s ideas and emphasis and still come up with a good movie. BTW – I recall reading somewhere around the time that the movie came out that the term prestige , in the sense that it is used here...more
7 likes · like · see review
Really more of a 4.5, but the very, very end left me enough at a loss that I rounded down instead of up. This is one page-turner of a debut novel. I was reading it concurrently with Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and needless to say, this one went much more quickly.
The main thing I want to say about this novel is that, if you've seen the movie based on it, you do NOT know the story of this novel. I did enjoy the film, but it stands on its own apart from the book, in many more ways than it...more
The main thing I want to say about this novel is that, if you've seen the movie based on it, you do NOT know the story of this novel. I did enjoy the film, but it stands on its own apart from the book, in many more ways than it...more
I saw the movie on the plane (where else) and was frantic to surf the 'net to find out more about it when we landed. I wanted to understand more about the book, its author, the concepts, and background. Big screen (well, in this case, the small screen on the back of a plane seat) is terrific but ephemeral, whereas with a book I have time for distractions, cogitation, re-reading (and checking things on the net!). You might argue that I can fiddle with 'Pause', 'Rewind', 'Forward' and (several ite...more
15 likes · like · see review
Aug 06, 2012
Kathy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
read-in-2012
This was a very interesting book. I liked the way it told the story from the different perspectives. First we get Bordon's side then later we get Angiers. It's not exactly a retelling, but it fills out the story with even more and different information. Then we move into the future with the grandaughter of Angiers and grandson of Bordon. Very interesting and well done. I do feel they leave some questions hanging, though, that I wish they had answered.
Review subtitle: Don't Judge a Book by its Movie!
Who saw the movie and, in spite of the great cast, found it too gory, dehumanized, obsessive, and (should I say it) psychotic? Raise your hands! (Count me in... ☝) I'm happy to say that the original novel was a different story. All the elements that bothered me in the movie adaptation are there, yet there is always a (relatively) sane motivation for even the worse decisions.
The synopsis is simple: using a couple of diaries, the descendants of two...more
Who saw the movie and, in spite of the great cast, found it too gory, dehumanized, obsessive, and (should I say it) psychotic? Raise your hands! (Count me in... ☝) I'm happy to say that the original novel was a different story. All the elements that bothered me in the movie adaptation are there, yet there is always a (relatively) sane motivation for even the worse decisions.
The synopsis is simple: using a couple of diaries, the descendants of two...more
3 likes · like · see review
Nov 26, 2012
Arielle
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-unusual,
made-into-film
Having loved the film (but also been somewhat bewildered by it - never watch intricate films when you should be sleeping - they really won't make sense.) I was pretty excited to find that it was originally a book. This, I figured, would be my chance to actually understand the story!
Well, sort of.
The book is written in epistolary form, from the point of view of four main characters around 5 generations apart. Two characters write in diaries - these are the main characters, and the storyline that...more
Well, sort of.
The book is written in epistolary form, from the point of view of four main characters around 5 generations apart. Two characters write in diaries - these are the main characters, and the storyline that...more
1 like · like · see review
Aug 24, 2008
Ellen B.
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
modern-fiction,
library-books
It actually took me quite a long time to read this one, and while I largely enjoyed it, I can't help wondering some things. My suspicion is that I was sometimes uninspired to keep reading because the pacing was a bit slower than the movie. Connected to that, I kept wondering over and over again what it would have been like to read the book without knowing the big twist at the end. There were clues, certainly, and while it wasn't spelled out during Borden's portion of the narrative, I wondered wh...more
3 likes · like · see review
Oct 31, 2007
Audra
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys mysteries with a touch of magic, science fiction, and bit of soft horror too.
A suspenseful and gripping story, Christopher Priest demonstrates his storytelling skill in this compelling tale of two turn-of-the-century competing British stage magicians and their feud that trickles down through their descendants. A present day young man unexepctedly finds out that he is a descendant of one of the magicians, and the reader follows his journey of reading their old diaries, learning of their lives, secrets, the feud, and how it so directly affects him (the present day young ma...more
I really liked the movie, and when I found out there was a book, I decided to read it. So far it's ok, but way different from the movie (which doesn't surprise me). I'll update later as I read it.
It's taken me a while to read it because I leave it at work and read it on my breaks. It has been really good so far, and the basic plot is similar to the movie. I'm only about half way through, but it's very good.
After finishing it, I've decided the movie is better. The book is good, but it's not as ex...more
It's taken me a while to read it because I leave it at work and read it on my breaks. It has been really good so far, and the basic plot is similar to the movie. I'm only about half way through, but it's very good.
After finishing it, I've decided the movie is better. The book is good, but it's not as ex...more
I was mesmerized by this story about the craft of magic and the art of stagecraft in Victorian England. A fantasical thriller and a story about magic, you have to be willing to suspend disbelief for it to work. It also works as a study of obssession, stagecraft, and of manner and morals in the Victorian era. Patience is required as the story is mostly revealed through diary entries. The last third of the book really picked up and I was transported. Groan. (Audible version, Simon Vance as narrato...more
2 likes · like · see review
Jul 13, 2007
Russ
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone looking for something interesting
You know the kind of book that starts out very wordy and slow, and then *boom* you get a scene that makes you want to read the rest of it right now, just to find out what happens? This is that kind of book.
The setting is in present day, with descendants of two famous magicians trying to figure out what happened to their great-grandfathers. They do this by reading the journals/books of their forefathers. What they find out will really amaze you.
This book will keep you guessing, and once the guess...more
The setting is in present day, with descendants of two famous magicians trying to figure out what happened to their great-grandfathers. They do this by reading the journals/books of their forefathers. What they find out will really amaze you.
This book will keep you guessing, and once the guess...more
This is the book that last year's movie of the same name (with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) was based on. It features two rival magicians who fight for supremacy and who try to come up with the ultimate illusion.
Having seen the movie before I read the book, I think the movie is better solely because magic is a visual medium and it loses some power when it's just being described on the page. There are some pretty major plot differences between the book and the movie and I like the way the sto...more
Having seen the movie before I read the book, I think the movie is better solely because magic is a visual medium and it loses some power when it's just being described on the page. There are some pretty major plot differences between the book and the movie and I like the way the sto...more
"A Tale of Two Christophers"
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, Christopher Priest wrote a book, Christopher Nolan directed a movie. Both were called "The Prestige," the latter being based on the former. Both were well received by critics and audiences alike. During the ensuing Revolution, prole Christopher Priest nobly sacrificed himself so that bourgeois Christopher Nolan could live happily ever after with his ain true love. Christopher Priest was carted off to the guillotin...more
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, Christopher Priest wrote a book, Christopher Nolan directed a movie. Both were called "The Prestige," the latter being based on the former. Both were well received by critics and audiences alike. During the ensuing Revolution, prole Christopher Priest nobly sacrificed himself so that bourgeois Christopher Nolan could live happily ever after with his ain true love. Christopher Priest was carted off to the guillotin...more
2 likes · like · see review
My view of this book is deeply colored by the movie, which I watched two or three times and greatly enjoyed. The book has a different emphasis; there's this frame story which sets up, right from the start, a primary theme of twins and doppelgangers, which changes the game very much. (The movie, in my view, was more about the batshit things that driven people are driven to do, with homg twin shenanigans as a secondary theme.)
The frame story asks a question, which clearly isn't going to be answere...more
The frame story asks a question, which clearly isn't going to be answere...more
Престижът е по-важен от живота: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/p...
Рисковано е с книга, която излиза на български далеч след прекрасния филм по нея. “Престиж” има наистина крайно впечатляваща екранизация – сложна и леко налудничава, – така че от книгата на Кристофър Прийст очаквах нещо не по-малко от това. Разбира се, това очакване не може да не е подлъгващо с оглед на това, че знаеш тайните и на двамата илюзионисти в аванс. Хубавото в цялата история обаче е, че книгата е различна от филма...more
Рисковано е с книга, която излиза на български далеч след прекрасния филм по нея. “Престиж” има наистина крайно впечатляваща екранизация – сложна и леко налудничава, – така че от книгата на Кристофър Прийст очаквах нещо не по-малко от това. Разбира се, това очакване не може да не е подлъгващо с оглед на това, че знаеш тайните и на двамата илюзионисти в аванс. Хубавото в цялата история обаче е, че книгата е различна от филма...more
Da questo romanzo è stato tratto l’omonimo film girato da Christopher Nolan – che io non ho mai visto – ma dopo aver terminato la lettura, mi sento di dire che era esattamente un tipo di storia adatta a un regista del suo stampo.
La narrazione parte con calma, senza nessuna frenesia, la cornice dell’introduzione è quasi una digressione che vuole creare un terreno per saggiare la pazienza del lettore e per abituarlo allo stile sottotono, che si manterrà fino alla conclusione, anche se non peccherà...more
La narrazione parte con calma, senza nessuna frenesia, la cornice dell’introduzione è quasi una digressione che vuole creare un terreno per saggiare la pazienza del lettore e per abituarlo allo stile sottotono, che si manterrà fino alla conclusione, anche se non peccherà...more
The novel The Prestige elevates author Christopher Priest from being a mere author of words to an artist of language. The Prestige is a woven tapestry of chaotic events, shown through diary entries of young magicians Rupert Angier and Alfred Bordon. The book is a highly plot-intensive account of the two illusionists’ lives and their individual quests for ascendance.
Early on in the novel a feud between them is introduced, resulting in the characters obsessively trying to out-perform each other....more
Early on in the novel a feud between them is introduced, resulting in the characters obsessively trying to out-perform each other....more
The Prestige is a book about the lives of two magicians living in Britain during the 1800’s, who became brutal rivals during a phony séance. The two magicians, Alfred Borden and Rupert Angier, continue to attempt to embarrass and outshine the other. The rivalry only escalates as they become the two best magicians of their time. They are the best, mainly because of their best tricks, both of which involve the transportation of a person, although their methods are very different.
The main theme...more
The main theme...more
The Prestige is an epistolary novel following two stage musicians, Alfred Borden and Rupert Angier, through their lifes. Their stories are read through their diaries found by their great-great grandkids, Andrew and Kate, respectively. I found this book after watching the novel, and loved both. I loved the entire plot, and the conflict between the magicians. It was also interesting to see how the decisions these magicians made, affected their great-great grandkids a hundred years later. And if i...more
E' raro che dopo avere visto un film vada a comprare e subito leggere il romanzo da cui è tratto: conosco già la storia, e mai come in questo caso, il finale!
Ma tanto mi è piaciuto The Prestige di Christopher Nolan che mi sono immediatamente immersa nella lettura del romanzo del suo omonimo Christopher Priest.
Se le alte aspettative che avevo per il film, sarei andata a vederlo anche a scatola chiusa per via del regista e del cast, sono state confermate e superate; la stessa cosa è accaduta con...more
Ma tanto mi è piaciuto The Prestige di Christopher Nolan che mi sono immediatamente immersa nella lettura del romanzo del suo omonimo Christopher Priest.
Se le alte aspettative che avevo per il film, sarei andata a vederlo anche a scatola chiusa per via del regista e del cast, sono state confermate e superate; la stessa cosa è accaduta con...more
♪ Che cos'è reale, cos'è illusione ♫
Romanzo metaletterario: il Patto che il Prestigiatore contrae con il pubblico è simile al patto che esiste tra scrittore e lettore: "facciamo finta che quello che vedi sia vero. Sappiamo che non lo è, ma se riesci a prenderlo per buono, in cambio di regalerò un po' di Meraviglia".
In questo contesto lo scrittore/prestigiatore fa di tutto per rendere l'Illusione verosimile. Come un prestigiatore che affina il trucco, lo scrittore usa delle tecniche che aiutano i...more
Romanzo metaletterario: il Patto che il Prestigiatore contrae con il pubblico è simile al patto che esiste tra scrittore e lettore: "facciamo finta che quello che vedi sia vero. Sappiamo che non lo è, ma se riesci a prenderlo per buono, in cambio di regalerò un po' di Meraviglia".
In questo contesto lo scrittore/prestigiatore fa di tutto per rendere l'Illusione verosimile. Come un prestigiatore che affina il trucco, lo scrittore usa delle tecniche che aiutano i...more
Nor are the mental aftereffects, which so scourged me at the outset, a problem any more. I suffer no agonies of depression, or self-doubt. To the contrary (and I confide this to no one, and record it in no other document than in this secret and lockable diary), the wrenching apart of my body has become a pleasure to which I am almost addicted. At first I was disheartened by the imaginings of death, of living in an afterlife, but now I nightly experience my transmission as a rebirth, a renewal of...more
From perhaps the moment you pick up this book, The Prestige, you get the sense that it's going to be a book with an Ending. (You know, where there's some grand mystery revealed only in the final pages to be a devious and perversely unexpected plot twist. If it were a movie you would think it would join the ranks of The Usual Suspects or the Sixth Sense).
But, in the case of the book, the surprise ending is that there isn't really a surprise ending.
Although there is a central mystery, which invo...more
But, in the case of the book, the surprise ending is that there isn't really a surprise ending.
Although there is a central mystery, which invo...more
I have a fairly strict ‘book before film’ rule, which I broke this time because I didn’t know the film The Prestige was based on a book when I watched it a year or so ago. So when I read the book, I was unable to delete knowledge of the plot or characters from my head. But I think that just enhanced my enjoyment of the book, as its structure was very different from the film, so I felt like I was meeting the same characters in a different way. Both the book and the film are about secrets, and I’m...more
Brought to you by Staar84
Beware of spoilers
In 1878, two young stage magicians clash in the dark during the course of a fraudulent séance. From this moment on, their lives become webs of deceit and revelation as they vie to outwit and expose one another. Their rivalry will take them to the peaks of their careers, but with terrible consequences. In the course of pursuing each other’s ruin, they will deploy all the deception their magicians’ craft can command–the highest misdirection and the darkes...more
Beware of spoilers
In 1878, two young stage magicians clash in the dark during the course of a fraudulent séance. From this moment on, their lives become webs of deceit and revelation as they vie to outwit and expose one another. Their rivalry will take them to the peaks of their careers, but with terrible consequences. In the course of pursuing each other’s ruin, they will deploy all the deception their magicians’ craft can command–the highest misdirection and the darkes...more
Christopher Priest's The Prestige is a story about two feuding magicians set in turn of the century England. The novel is deeper than the film adaptation, but it also lacks its momentum. The novel's epistolary approach -- using diary entries to tell the story -- provided an intimate look into the feuding magicians' lives that gave the story depth and passion; but, at times, it was plain boring. In some cases, we witness events more than once from competing perspectives. This is a skillful approa...more
Having read this well before the film came out, I feel I might be have been in a better place to enjoy it than those who read it subsequent to the movie. I had never heard of Priest before winning a copy of this in an SFX competition, so had no idea what to expect.
Well, I found the story to be nothing short of amazing. Loved the whole concept, the execution, the framing story, everything. I found the writing style very easy to get into, more so than other books of Priests I have since read, and...more
Well, I found the story to be nothing short of amazing. Loved the whole concept, the execution, the framing story, everything. I found the writing style very easy to get into, more so than other books of Priests I have since read, and...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ending | 10 | 77 | Oct 21, 2012 04:30pm | |
| Motivation | 3 | 36 | Dec 16, 2011 11:39am |
Christopher Priest was born in Cheshire, England. He began writing soon after leaving school and has been a full-time freelance writer since 1968.
He has published eleven novels, four short story collections and a number of other books, including critical works, biographies, novelizations and children’s non-fiction.
He has written drama for radio (BBC Radio 4) and television (Thames TV and HTV). In...more
More about Christopher Priest...
He has published eleven novels, four short story collections and a number of other books, including critical works, biographies, novelizations and children’s non-fiction.
He has written drama for radio (BBC Radio 4) and television (Thames TV and HTV). In...more
Share This Book
4 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige".”
—
64 people liked it
“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.”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
"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.”
Oct 25, 2012 04:20am
I just got my copy back from...more
Oct 25, 2012 04:23am