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THE PRESTIGE
THE PRESTIGE
Author: CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
ISBN-13: 9780671719241
ISBN-10: 0671719246
Pages: 448
Edition: First Edition
Rating:
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0 stars, based on 0 rating
Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER LTD
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 3
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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jeffp avatar reviewed THE PRESTIGE on + 201 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
Netflix is an interesting thing. You view a movie or two and its recommendation engine gets going. The next thing you know you've got fifteen movies in a row all starring Raquel Welch, or some such.

In my case, it all started with Batman Begins, which lead to a string of movies staring Christian Bale. Among the things I wound up watching eventually was The Prestige, a movie about a pair of feuding magicians in the late 1800s. The movie is pretty dark, and there are some very interesting twists in it as well. David Bowie as Nikola Tesla was a great surprise.

At some point I learned that the movie was based on the book of the same name by Christopher Priest. I wanted to read the book because the movie is pretty convoluted. I thought I might learn a thing or two I'd missed in the movie. Also - as those who've read my reviews know - I am always curious about the adaptation process. Going from book to movie isn't always straightforward.

And so it turns out in this case. The Prestige isn't quite as distant from its book ancestor as Blade Runner is from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, but it's pretty far from the original. And, in all honesty, I'm still trying to decide which one I like more.

The book has additional characters - set in the present - who are looking into their ancestors. Beyond that, though, the book is mostly in the form of long extracts from the diaries of the two main characters: Rupert Angier and Alfred Borden. Nikola Tesla does appear in the book, and performs essentially the same task, but other characters, though present, are different in various ways.

The book is even darker than the movie, and more of a fantasy as well. At times it borders on horror. The cause of the bad blood between the magicians is entirely different, and various details about the apparatus created by Tesla are different as well. The diary extracts are very different in the two versions of the story, and to my mind the movie did a slightly better job there.

If I have a gripe with the book, it's that the diary extracts get a bit long at times, leaving the reader a bit unsure of where things are in time. That, however, is a minor issue. The story definitely still works, and the book won both the World Fantasy Award and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for best fiction in 1996.

This is one of those cases where the book and the movie are so different that they don't impinge on each other, at least for me. Which one you like more is entirely up to you, of course. I find them both interesting and thought provoking, thus, both are recommended.
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reviewed THE PRESTIGE on
I requested this because I enjoyed the movie and then never really felt like reading it because I was familiar with the story. When I finally got around to it, I was surprised at how different the book was from the movie and how many plot differences there were. Entertaining.
reviewed THE PRESTIGE on + 7 more book reviews
Loved the movie, also loved the book. A great, spellbinding read, but not necessarily something I'd want to read over and over again.
reviewed THE PRESTIGE on + 22 more book reviews
I had seen the movie and wanted to read the original version. The story is quite different, and was quite a satisfying read. It gives a telling look at the substantial (and unnecessary?) changes Hollywood makes.
reviewed THE PRESTIGE on + 24 more book reviews
Read this great book and then watch the equally excellent movie. Filled with interesting characters and situations and an unusual, misleading narrative style. Sometimes, you're not sure what direction is up or down.

I zipped through this book in a day and a half, I was so anxious to find out how things turned out.
shenise avatar reviewed THE PRESTIGE on
Probably the first book I have ever read where the movie is better than the book. I don't know if it would be the same if I had read the book first. I have read other books after seeing the movie first and the book is always better, except in this case. The only two distinct parts I find a little more descriptive and interesting in the book is the very last pages, (super creepy) and finally knowing the whole backstory on Angier which is completely non existent in the movie.
reviewed THE PRESTIGE on + 5 more book reviews
Very interesting book that takes place mainly in the late 19th century as the same story is presented through 4 different points of view.
reviewed THE PRESTIGE on + 25 more book reviews
An enjoyable read!