The Prestige

This is my first Christopher Priest novel. I think it shall not be my last. What a profoundly eerie, unsettling book. The basic premise of this novel (two feuding illusionists) was turned into the Christopher Nolan film of the same name in 2006. But the film is a very different animal to the book.

Taking the form of written journals by the main protagonists (two present day, two historical) we follow the fortunes of two 19th century illusionists who, through arrogance, pride and simple misunderstanding begin a feud that lasts to the present day. Alfred Borden is a talented illusionist with a dark secret that allows him to perform his greatest illusion: The New Transported Man. The apparent disappearance of Borden from one place only to instantly appear in another. His rival, Rupert Angier, seeks a way to better it, to perfect it. To do this he travels to America and the laboratory of Nikolai Tesla, that great exponent of the mysteries of electricity. His success comes at a cost, a secret that Angier must protect at all costs.

Priest's ingenious novel allows the reader to see the same events from different perspectives and it is only at the very end that the whole horrific picture becomes clear. This is an expertly crafted novel, in clear, precise prose that keeps the reader turning the page. The longest section of the book follows Angier's career and the price he pays for his success is truly awful.

Priest skilfully fills in the gaps as we read each “journal”, only slowly revealing the whole history of the feud. It's a book that lives with you, gets under your skin.

Recommended.