Perhaps one should see the movie and read the book, before reading my comments. I bought the book in hopes it would explain the movie. But the book had so little to do with the movie that there was no help to be found. The book answers some of the questions the movie raises but because they are so dissimilar it might not be useful to use one to answer the other. None-the-less, the prestige, is not a description of an illusion's parts, but rather the remains left of the magician who has transported himself via the Tesla device which, apparently, does work. In the end, both the movie and the book leave so many unanswered questions only a long discussion with the author or screen writer would help. Do both magicians have access to a Tesla-like device? Was there or was there not a twin? The one believed to have a twin denies it as his life is being threatened. Why did Olivia give the secret to the new transported man in the one word "Tesla" if he did not have access? Bottom line is that as one who has long been interested in stage magic I feel really cheated for having spent so much time and effort to try to get answers to real questions that I haven't even tried to express in this limited space.