The Prestige

Basically, I ran out and picked this book up as quickly as I could after watching the excellent film by Christopher Nolan. Of course, having seen the film spoiled the ending for me a bit, although knowing the ending allowed me to enjoy the ride for what it was, rather than trying to figure out what the secret of the film was.[return:]The basic plot: two Victorian-era magicians from differing backgrounds feud, and become obsessed with being better than each other, regardless of the personal cost. It's a terribly harrowing story, watching what depths the two men will sink to in order to achieve greatness, and seeing how terribly obsession can destroy one's life.

One of the most fascinating thing about the story is the structure of it - the entire story is told through a succession of memoirs and journal entries, which allow us to see greatly differing interpretations of the events of the story.

If you had to choose between reading the book and seeing the film, I would recommend the film; however, I would definitely recommend experiencing both to get the ‘full experience'.