The Prestige

 From the back cover:

In 1878, two young magicians clash in the dark during the course of a fraudulent seance.
From this moment on, their lives become webs of deceit and revelation. They continually vie to outwit and expose each other. This rivalry will take them to the peaks of their careers — with terrible consequences. In the course of pursuing each other’s ruin, they will deploy all the deception the magician’s craft can command — the highest misdirection and the darkest science.
Blood will be spilled, but even this will not be enough. In the end, their legacy will pass on for generations… to descendants who must, for sanity’s sake, untangle the puzzle left to them.

 A summary:

The novel is based around to magicians, Le Professeur de Magie and The Great Danton (Alfred Borden and Rupert Angier).  The novel is told in five parts, each narrated by a different character.  The first part is narrated by Andrew Westley, who receives a book supposedly written by an old relative of his, Alfred Borden.  Borden was the surname in which Westley was born with, although when he was adopted, his name changed to that of his adopted parents.  Westley's narrative takes him to a curious meeting with a Kate Angier. This is when the story begins to unfold.  As Kate brings up the significance in their meeting they begin to read the journals of their ancestors.  Which brings us to the second part of the book, Alfred Borden's journal.  This may be the most interesting part of the book.  It's easy to get lost in the mystery and cleverness of Borden's writing as he tells the story of his magic career.  His odd use of the word "I" implies there is not one, but two authors.  He mentions multiple encounters with a Rupert Angier, finally resulting in a full blown feud, where each try to out do each other in their magic acts, often sabotaging the others performance.  Then the book shifts into part three, where Kate Angier begins to unravel the mystery of her and Andrew Westley's meeting.  The book then shifts into part four, which is the majority of the novel, Rupert Angier's journal.  Here you get to relive the exciting and fascinating life story or Rupert Angier.  How he was introduced to magic, how he made his living, his gains and losses, and most importantly, his side of the feud between him and Borden and the madness and obsession that overcame him.  In part five, the mystery of all the main characters is answered.  A chilling truth and the shocking aftermath of Andrew Westley and Kate Angier's great grandparents is revealed, one that had changed their lives completely.  The end is a twist that will keep you up at night, not out of fear, but out of pure disbelief of what you just read.

My thoughts:

This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest stories ever written.  I would tell you something negative if I could.  Before I read this book I had seen the movie.  Both are just as incredible as the other.  Both the book and the movie are a magic trick within themselves.  Throughout each you are left little hints and clues that come into focus towards the end.  The writing is clever, Christopher Priest portrays the minds of his characters incredibly well due to use of their journals.  Each part feels as if it was written by a different hand, adding to the mystifying feel of this story.  How someone could come up with an idea, a story, so fascinating is beyond me.  Each journal entry will keep you at the edge of your seat, wanting to read more.  Christopher Priest evokes an atmosphere so tangible, you really feel inside the story.  Names of that time period, including Nikolas Tesla, allows the book to almost be read as a straightforward historical novel.  But as the story progresses, things start to become more subtle, hinting to a more science fictiony aspect.  Real magic, or is it something else?  If you have not yet read The Prestige I strongly recommend it, for you will never forget it.  It is well worthy of the World Fantasy Award it obtained in 1996.  A true masterpiece!