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The Prestige. Christopher Priest. 1995/1997. Tor. 360 pages. [Source: Library]

It began on a train, heading north through England, although I was soon to discover that the story had really begun more than a hundred years earlier. 

I saw the movie first. I think there are some benefits to having seen the movie first. It's impossible not to compare the two--the book and the movie--especially since I finished the movie and rushed to put the book on hold at the library. So this "review" will talk about both the book and the movie. I will try my best to keep it spoiler free, especially the opening paragraphs!

The book is different than the movie. The book has a contemporary framework. Andrew Westley, the narrator, has received a magic book from a stranger, the hint being that it was written by one of his ancestors, an Alfred Borden, a Victorian magician. Andrew was adopted, and he knows nothing at all about his Borden relatives. He's manipulated into meeting a woman, Kate Angier. She has much to tell him, for, she believes him to be Nicholas Borden. The two met when he was three, just before he was adopted. He, of course, remembers nothing. And the idea that there is a historic feud between the Borden and Angier families doesn't really intrigue him all that much. But he stays to hear her out.

The book consists of several stories: Andrew's story, Kate's story, Alfred Borden's autobiography, and Rupert Angier's diary. (Andrew's narration opens and closes the novel.) By the end of the book, a fantastic, strange story has been told.

At its simplest here is the plot: Alfred Borden and Rupert (Robert) Angier are rival magicians ever in competition with one another to be the best, to be recognized as being the best. Both the book and the movie convey this. It is HOW it is conveyed that allows for such big differences between the two.

The movie is more dramatic than the book. It makes the rivalry more intense, more personal, more life-and-death. From start to finish the movie is all about REVENGE and LOSS and doing WHATEVER it takes. The book is quite different. For example, in the movie, Angier blames Borden for the death of his wife who drowned during a performance in a water tank. In the book, however, Angier becomes angry with Borden when Borden disrupts his seance and reveals him to be a fake spiritist. Quite a difference! Especially since the "loss of family" angle is huge in the movie. But in the book, Angier has a family: a wife and three children, I believe. That is the only difference I'll mention in the review since I do want it to remain mostly spoiler free.

The Prestige has plenty of twists and turns in the plot. Especially the movie. But also in some ways the novel. Though if you've seen the movie, then, the book will be essentially spoiled. I think you could say the same if you'd read the book first: the movie would be spoiled.

Which did I prefer? I enjoyed both. I did. I really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was great. I watched it twice in one week. I read the novel in one day. There were sections that were quite compelling. My favorite probably being Alfred Borden's autobiography. And then perhaps Angier's diary. I wasn't as drawn to the contemporary story of Kate and Andrew. Though it does intensify the creepy factor greatly. The Prestige would be PERFECT to read for Carl's R.I.P. challenge in the fall.

Have you seen the movie or read the book? Did you like it? love it? hate it? I'd love to know what you thought of it. If you've seen the movie and read the book, which would you recommend first to others?


© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Jane Vows Vengeance. Michael Thomas Ford. 2012. Random House. 288 pages.

"What about this one?" Jane glanced at the magazine Lucy was holding up, opened to a picture of a bride standing in a field of daisies. 

This is the third novel in Michael Thomas Ford's paranormal series. The first is Jane Bites Back, and the second is Jane Goes Batty. If you've enjoyed the first few books in the series, you'll probably want to pick this one up too.

Jane Fairfax owns a bookshop and has recently had a novel published, even had that novel adapted into a movie, of sorts. But she's a woman keeping a secret from her husband-to-be. She's a vampire AND she's Jane Austen. While this knowledge certainly isn't common information, there are a LOT of people in her life who do know, including Walter's mother--Jane's future mother-in-law. By the way, his mother is keeping a BIG, BIG, BIG secret from him too. Poor Walter! No one ever tells him anything!

This novel sees the couple heading to Europe along with their friends and family. (Lucy, Ben, and Miriam, the mother-in-law). It isn't quite a wedding trip or a honeymoon trip--emphasis on the word quite. For Walter, it's a work-related trip, a select group will be touring historic homes. Sound boring? Well, some paranormal activity will liven things up a bit.

This novel had its moments. There were a few sparkly conversations, mainly between Jane and Byron, that made me happy I decided to continue on in this series. There were times this one almost almost worked for me. Some good scenes, some interesting developments. But at other times this novel was a mess. I'm not sure if it's because this book focused on the personal relationship between Jane and Walter, if it's because the book follows the couple's vacation, if it's because the focus was more on Jane trying to meet everyone else's expectations. But something felt off about it. This one had less social commentary, less satire, perhaps.

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I think this one tried to pay tribute to Agatha Christie and mystery novels, but, that aspect didn't quite work for me. As a mystery this one didn't quite work for me. So what I was left with was a somewhat boring story about Walter and Jane trying to get married peacefully and without a lot of fuss. The scene that probably bothered me the very most was their first attempt to marry. And the wedding is interrupted by Jane's husband. And the guests talk openly about Jane being a vampire, the marriage occurring almost two hundred years in the past, etc. And Walter has not left the room. The author didn't give any indication that Walter left the room, OR, that the guests were huddled together whispering, OR, that the guests left the room to talk together...AND we're supposed to believe that Walter didn't listen closely enough to catch on to the fact that Jane is a vampire....and he's completely SURPRISED by the revelation later on in the novel. I think another issue I have with the novel, with the series, is that Walter isn't a fully developed character. We don't know him well enough to love him, though we can respect that Walter is a good match for Jane, I suppose. Mainly he's just there, and sometimes he's there and reacts.

Read Jane Vows Vengeance

• If you enjoy paranormal novels
• If you like satire/humor

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews