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The Prestige

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The Prestige

By: Christopher Priest
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Peter Kenny, Clare Wille, David Timson
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About this listen

 Two 19th century stage illusionists, the aristocratic Rupert Angier and the working-class Alfred Borden, engage in a bitter and deadly feud; the effects are still being felt by their respective families a hundred years later.

Working in the gaslight-and-velvet world of Victorian music halls, they prowl edgily in the background of each other's shadowy life, driven to the extremes by a deadly combination of obsessive secrecy and insatiable curiosity.

At the heart of the row is an amazing illusion they both perform during their stage acts. The secret of the magic is simple, and the reader is in on it almost from the start, but to the antagonists the real mystery lies deeper. Both have something more to hide than the mere workings of a trick.

Read by Jonathan Keeble, Peter Kenny, Clare Wille and David Timson

©2005 Christopher Priest (P)2008 Orion Publishing Group Ltd Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Science Fiction

Critic reviews

"A brilliantly constructed entertainment, with a plot as simple and intricate as a nest of Chinese boxes...a dizzying magic show of a novel." (The Washington Post)

"Four narrators make this a perfect book for audio - especially with this quartet of completely contrasting voices."(The Guardian)
All stars
Most relevant
An interesting story which relates to the film by Christopher Nolan but has enough significant differences to make it worth consuming and considering independently. It's well performed and there is a wonderful part which tracks a boy ageing to manhood with the voice shifting in step to great effect.

Not like the movie (but still good)

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I have both Audible versions of the Prestige, and this one caught my eye for having different voice actors for the various parts. All of the narrators are brilliant, and really being the story to life. The story itself is brilliant, and different enough from the film to offer a few surprises.

Pure magic and mischief

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A captivating story with an ending that truly chilled me. I had read the book before but think this audio version is so well done. Couldn’t stop listening.

Intriguing

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