Customer Reviews

The Prestige

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw the movie first. I am of the opinion that the movie was brilliant, exciting, and of a very high quality.

Usually, it is the case that a story either makes a good book or a good movie. It is very rare that both are worth your time. I had loved the movie. I knew the story. I knew the surprises... For some years now I saw no reason to investigate the book.

However, I have had a recent interest in reading about magic and I decided to give the book a chance. What we have here is that rare instance when the book and the movie are both excellent - and different enough that having seen the movie will in no way spoil the surprises of the book. It's not the same story.

It's not a perfect book. Another reviewer commented that the two magicians are not given equal time. This is true. Also, while the ending was creepy and original, it did seem to end abruptly. I have chosen to overlook some of these weaknesses and go ahead with a five star review because I don't think a five star review means a flawless work. What it ought to mean is a work with enough positive traits that it overwhelms those flaws to the point where they are eclipsed. There is a surplus of brilliance in this book and it should not be missed on account of the movie.

Christopher Priest is a British author of science fiction and fantasy who hasn't had much of an impact in the US. I read a few of his books back in the 1970s and was not impressed. But I purchased this paperback in 2006 (a movie tie-in, but I never saw the movie) and have just gotten around to reading it. Well, my rewards were not great.

The novel gets off to a very slow start with some "contemporary" characters who are neither likable nor interesting, then jumps back a century to detail the rivalry between two famous magicians. The information about the magicians comes (deliberately) in tiny bits, and fits and starts, and despite the chaotic nature of the narrative, the novel actually begins to build up some tension and momentum about three-quarters of the way along, as the reader anticipates a terrifying climax. But that climax never comes! The "surprise" revelations are mainly ones the awake reader would have seen coming long before.

A problem with the novel noted by many reviewers is that the two rival magicians are not well-matched. One is given much more space than the other, and is treated much more sympathetically. Another thing that will give many readers a sense of being cheated is that the possibility that one of the performers is making use of an identical twin in his act, a twin whose existence he has somehow managed to conceal for his entire life, is never fleshed out... I doubt in fact that it could be detailed in a manner that was even vaguely plausible or convincing!

The mingling of science fictional themes and outright fantasy is also not very satisfying. If you're a fan of imaginative literature, and this one has managed to pass you by, I would recommend you not seek it out!