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The Prestige cover art

The Prestige

By: Christopher Priest
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Summary

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 each other. In the course of pursuing each other's ruin, they will deploy all the deception their magician's craft can command. Their rivalry will take them to the peaks of their careers, but with terrible consequences. In the end, their legacy will be passed on for generations to descendants who must, for their sanity's sake, untangle the puzzle left to them.
©1995 Christopher Priest (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

Winner of the World Fantasy Award

"Extraordinary, like a dazzling magic act!" (Entertainment Weekly)
"A brilliant conjuring act by one of the master illusionists of our time." (Wired)
"A taut, twisting, prize-winning story of two magicians and their fierce fin-de-siècle rivalry that taints successive generations of their respective families....An unexpectedly compelling fusion of weird science and legerdemain." (Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about The Prestige

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping

This is one of the first audio books that I have listened to, and I have been very pleasantly surprised by how caught up in the story I was. The quality of narration is excellent, and like any good book I had trouble putting it down.
I would highly recommend this audio book to anyone.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enthralling and very clever

What did you like best about this story?

If 'prestidigitation' (a new word I learnt from this book!) is about the art of deceit and sleight of hand, then so is this story. An untrustworthy/mysterious narrator is used from the start, which sets the tone for a gripping story of rivalry, ambition and desperation. You're never quite sure what exactly is 'true' or not, which makes it a very engaging read.

Any additional comments?

Having loved the film version with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale in the starring roles, I expected to enjoy the book version, and was not disappointed. The level of detail about how the tricks were done, and what the art of stage magician was all about is fascinating.

Gripping, memorable, disturbing story about what people are prepared to sacrifice in order to achieve their ambition, and the folly of human grudges. Highly recommended.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Are you ready? Listen carefully ....

This story is a masterpiece a really exceptional multi layered intricate tale! The narration moves between past and present lives of two magician follow the narrator as they reveal the story. You must discover the truth about the rivalry, love and deception of both magicians and the impact of this on their families.This is one of my favourite audiobooks it is an exceptional story. I can guarantee you will return to this book again and again ..... listen carefully!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Magic Suspense and Excitement

Loved the way this book is written and that its nothing whatsoever like the movie adaptation. Thrilling in that the depth of character is all there for both the main characters, the supporting characters also, Simon Vance does a beautiful job with the voices too bringing the whole production to life. Murder, mystery and suspense, its all here.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended

I listened to the clip of the audiobook before purchasing it. The narrative starts in the present day, as I expected, but then goes back to recount the intertwining stories of the two magicians in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. I came to this novel with no prior knowledge and there are parts when I had no idea where it was going to lead me and I was totally gripped. I tended to listen to this while I was travelling to and from work and I was most unhappy when I'd arrive at my destination and couldn't continue. I was taken aback by the ending and it left me puzzling about it for a while, but in a good way ... I THINK I know what happens now amd think it was entitely satisfactory. I highly recommend audiobook.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Narration

This is the first unabridged audio book I have managed to get all the way through. The story is excellent (much better than the film version) and the quality of the narration is first class.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable read overall

I enjoyed the overall story line, but found the ending rather abrupt and left me with one or two questions.
The narration was excellent, which for me can make or break an audio book.
I wish part four was broken down into chapters, it is the majority of the book and would have been easier to navigate if in chapters.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Mr
  • 16-04-16

Movie or book - don't do both.

I saw the film first - it's top ten all time for me.

There is enough of a difference in storyline between book and film to warrant reading but the core element is the same and hence if you have seen the film I don't recommend the book - it will have lost it's prestige. And I suspect the opposite would be true as well.

The story centres around a feud between two magicians and is set back in 1900. The story involves you in both sides of the feud, from diary perspective mainly but via other means as well. I cannot say too much but the book will lead you one way and then the other and question what you might do in the same situations.

The performance is great and the story is truly excellent - watch the film OR read the book but I would recommend you don't do both.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

it just stops

Interesting and imaginative, but it just ends abruptly, unexplained, unresolved, totally unsatisfying. Really disappointed, I backed up and listened to the last chapter again as I thought I must have skipped an hour somehow.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A True Journey

The Prestige is easily my favourite movie and having loved the movie version, I just had to listen to the book. I won’t get into spoiler territory but I will tell you this - while the movie and the book are complimentary of each other, they are by no means the same. They both share the same essence and yet both offer such different and contrasting experiences while remaining similar throughout. So it has to be said, forget the movie when you listen to this book and keep an open mind - because the experience is entirely different.

As other reviews have said, there are a lot of diary entries to this book. Personally I didn’t find them boring or dull. They add to, and progress the story while maintaining its narrative of why we’re seeing diary entries. The latter part of the book removes those entries entirely and so there is a good combination to keep things interesting and fresh.

I thought the story was very well done. There was a lot of intrigue and a complex plot. There’s a good foundation based in reality that takes some liberties with science fiction but none of it pulls you out of the story being told.

The narration was good and Simon Vance did a great job of keeping characters unique and personable.

As I’ve touched on, once you get to the end of this book, I think you too will understand why I say the book and movie compliment each other while staying familiar but ever so different. This is a great listen and well deserving of its praise.

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1 person found this helpful