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, both men 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.
Author Biography
Christopher Priest's novels have built him an inimitable dual reputation as a contemporary novelist and a leading figure in modern SF and fantasy. His novel THE PRESTIGE won both a prestigious literary award and a major genre prize; THE SEPARATION won Britain's two major SF awards.
Accolades:
World Fantasy Award Winner 1996.
Reviews:
"The exhilarating zip of the plot, sweeping you along to a conclusion that is thoroughly unexpected. A case study in sleight-of-hand on several levels." -- Helen O'Hara EMPIRE "A narrative full of twists, turns and revelations. Behind all the surface trickery lies an intelligent and thoughtful novel about the nature of illusion and secrecy." OBSERVER
"The exhilarating zip of the plot, sweeping you along to a conclusion that is thoroughly unexpected. A case study in sleight-of-hand on several levels." (Helen O'Hara EMPIRE )
"A narrative full of twists, turns and revelations. Behind all the surface trickery lies an intelligent and thoughtful novel about the nature of illusion and secrecy." (OBSERVER )
