The Prestige

Different

This book was not as good as the movie, but it was definitely interesting. I reads like two diaries. The two Magicians are warring with one another just like the movie, but it is over causing one's wife to miscarriage instead of killing her like seen in the movie. When you read the first diary you think he is right, then you read the other guy's diary and you begin to wonder who is lying and who's side to be on. I believe it is a matter of opinion. I personally was on Hugh Jackman's side in the movie and in the book, but everyone else seems to think different. The book was very interested until the end and you feel like someone just got too lazy to finish the book. I felt it was a waste to have an ending like that but some people like that vague garbage. I would still recommend it just because it was so different. There is no story like that I know of. But just be warned it has no ending.

Having gotten the book after reading the movie, I found that the book was more of a science-fiction/fantasy exploration than the movie, but both were good in their own rights. The main difference is that, in the book, the story of the two feuding musicians falls within the story of the eventual meeting of their grandchildren. It's not the best-written book, but the story is extremely interesting, creative, and gripping.

See the Movie!

I bought this after seeing the movie, hoping to clear up some plot points that left me wishing the movie were longer (now, that's a great kind of movie). Frankly, I think the movie improved on the story a bit. Although it's a captivating story, the book needed some serious tightening up. The movie cleaned up the important plotlines and did away with some of the dead-end subplots. By the last 50 pages of the book, we're ready for a slam-bang wrap-up, but we don't get it. The final two pages are downright amateurish - there's no resolution. I'm all for spooky, mysterious, open-ended exits, but we get a melodramatic chase scene and a fizzle of a climax. After the final sentence, I actually checked to see whether my used copy was missing some pages! It was that unsatisfying. Basically, the movie changes many details in the book and crafts its own story based on the broad character strokes and the concept of Tesla's machine. I'm not sorry I read it, but if you're considering buying this book based on seeing the movie, be aware that they're two different animals.

Excellent read - read before you watch the movie

This is an excellently written book that paints a vivid picture of the two main characters and their struggles. I enjoyed that the reader is shown the lives of both the main characters - the reader is able to expereince some incidents from more than one point of view. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and anticipated the movie - the book is much better and different - than the movie, so if you are going to experience both - experience the novel first. Many people who had not read the novel loved the book, but if you loved the movie the book paints a much richer exciting story. The novel is well worth the read I enjoyed the entire book!