Reviews: Read What Bruce Koren Is Saying

The Magician's Dream: a practical solution for any card at any number

reviewed by Bruce Koren (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 15 June, 2021)

"A Practical Solution for Any Card At Any Number"? If you love mem deck and stacked mem decks, you may love this. But there a certainly no "practical solutions" here. All but two effects require a memorized deck. Both Joshua Jay and Barrie Richardson have excellent impromptu ACAANs. One of the things that makes them better than any effect in this booklet is simply the lack of laborious procedure, which these effects definitely require. Admittedly, I am not a cardician. And after being a magic hobbyist for 60 years, I'm always surprised by how many great card effects there are that don't require complicated slights, stacks, memorized decks or gimmicks. I love to be able to begin a trick by allowing the spectator to shuffle the cards. I love John Bannon's books on self-working card tricks that are light on procedure. This book certainly is not that. I'm only going to site one example, but I think it's symptomatic of the kind of thinking I'd rather not see in card magic. The example has the spec name any card in the deck and then to pick a number. Next step - In the process of spreading the cards face up to look for the jokers, place the selected card in the selected position. Really? I don't think so. For the most part, these effects seem to be pipe dreams rather than workers. The photography is mediocre. On the whole, a disappointment. And I should add, my only disappointment of purchased books during the whole pandemic.