In a shockingly non-music related post, here are my innitial thoughts on the book “The Prestige”:
I just finished reading The Prestige by Christopher Priest, and I have to say, I have goosebumps from the abrupt, shocking, and downright scary ending. Let me try to summarize the book for you: The descendant of a once famous English stage-magician named Alfred Borden is sent on a wild goosechase by the newspaper where he works. He meets the descendant of Borden’s rival: Rupert Angier. The two magicians had a fierce rivalry that spanned most of both of their careers. As the story unfolds, we have the interesting situation, and a creative narrative style, where we are first presented with a recollection of Alfred’s life by Alfred himself. Then, after a brief “current-time” intervention, we are completely engulfed by the diary of Angier, which fills in some gaps, presents some slightly altered facts (as all good two-sided rivalry’s undoubtably will), and tells us the end of the story left out of Borden’s recollection. Then we return to the present time for the real “prestige” – the trick, the final act. The way this book is written you can’t stop reading it. (and I barely did) At just over 400 pages, it’s well worth the read for anyone even remotely interested in magic, or just the sad tale prestige, life-changing secrecy, romance, undying dedication to the craft, and the story of one who is two, and two who are one.
Rating: 4.75/5
