Reviews of products by Jan Bardi
Entropy Dropping
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Avi Barir (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 18 November, 2021)
This is one of the best mentalism books I have read and without a doubt the most inspiring book.
At the basis of this tome, there is a single technique, which is a nice and interesting one, but not unusual in the realm of mentalism. What makes the book so amazing is the ingenuity of Jan Bardi who managed to take this technique and create an entire universe out of it.
Jan stretches the technique in every possible dimension: He extends it to use almost any object, tangible or abstract, anything from playing cards to poems and from genuine eggs to crime scene reports. He scales it up for use with increasing number of objects. He describes numerous handling methods and diverse approaches to revelations. The highlight for me is the chapter where Jan ingeniously describes how to embed the technique, with its underlying mathematical principle, into easy-to-prepare props.
The book covers dozens of routines that are all based on the same fundamental technique. For each of these routines many variations are offered.
Inspiration is the main thing I take from the book. It implicitly sends you on a mission, taking every effect you use, and with the right thinking turn it into something bigger, stronger, smarter, more diverse, much different, and more impressive.
Jan Bardi, I'm totally fascinated by your book.
Entropy Dropping
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Richard Burbage (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 25 March, 2021)
I have been a fan of magic based on mathematical principles for years, especially those that can be easily concealed so there is no obvious connection to math for the spectator to grasp. For that reason, I thoroughly enjoyed learning from "Entropy Dropping". The author has taken a well-worn principle and twisted it into a new direction, or at least is looking at it from a perspective I have not come across before. Although one could certainly perform the effects described as written, it is a breeze for even a slightly creative person to make them their own by changing theme or props. I have had hours of fun dreaming up versions of "Entropy Dropping" effects. They are easy to perform and pack a good punch.
I have been interested in magic as a hobby for over 50 years, and spent a good number of years performing, and have dabbled in running a brick-and-mortar magic shop. I enjoy all styles of magic but have focused on closeup and parlor magic for the most part.