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.
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'A hundred years after their deaths, the families of Rupert Angier and Alfred Borden try to untangle the mystery surrounding both men... Told in past and present, Priest captures the shadows and gaslights of his protagonists' Victorian world in this multi-voiced recording.' -- Kati Nicholl DAILY EXPRESS 'The skilfully shared narration between David Timpson, Jonathan Keeble, Peter Kenny and Clare Wille makes its gruesome story of electrical reincarnation eerily effective.' -- Christina Hardyment THE TIMES 'The skilful, multi-voice narration pressents the adversaries' interior lives, locked in their rivalry, which remain convincing even as the sci-fi develops.' -- Rachel Redford OBSERVER "Told throught the diaries of the men - posh Rupert Angier and ordinary Alfred Borden - with their descendants meeting up to delve into unresolved mysteries a century on, the novel gives us layer after layer of illusion, on and off stage." SUNDAY TIMES "Priest's story...is as entertaining as any of the preposterous stunts that the Davids Blaine and Copperfield pill off on television these days. Four narrators make this a perfect book for audio - especially with this quartet of completely contrasting voices." -- Sue Arnold GUARDIAN
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THE PRESTIGE is unique in winning both a major literary prize (the James Tait Black Award) and a major genre prize (The World Fantasy Award) THE PRESTIGE was filmed by the Nolan Brothers (MEMENTO; BATMAN BEGINS).
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 is unique in winning both a major literary prize (the James Tait Black Award) and a major genre prize (The World Fantasy Award); THE SEPARATION won both the Arthur C Clarke and the British Science Fiction Awards. He was selected for the original Best of Young British Novelists in1983. Jonathathan Keeble is a talented actor who appears regularly on stage and radio. Clare Wille has been working as an actress and voiceover artist since graduating from RADA in 1997. Her theatre credits include SEEING WITHOUT LIGHT and LOOK BACK IN ANGER. Her TV credits include SWINGING, BROKEN NEWS, GIRLS IN LOVE, HOUSEWIFE 49 and HEARTBEAT. She read the recent Naxos edition of CRANFORD and has read several audiobooks for Orion. As both actor and singer, PETER KENNY has worked widely in theatre and broadcasting, appearing with, amongst others, the Royal Shakespeare Company, A&BC, Coventry Belgrade, and the BBC Radio Repertory Company. He is a prolific audiobook reader, titles include: The Wasp Factory and Look To Windward by Iain Banks. David Timson has recorded many audiobooks and poetry compilations and is currently recording the complete Sherlock Holmes stories. He wrote for audio The History of the Theatre, which won an award for most original production from the Spoken Word Publishers Association in 2001. His production of Richard III won Best Drama Award from the SWPA in 2001 and in 2002 he won the Audio of the Year Award for his reading of A Study in Scarlet.
