reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: 
[2 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Friday 25 August, 2017)
I generally love Knight's stuff, and while the effect of getting out of handcuffs is strong, this ebook is way overpriced. I could summarize his methods in three words: Get a *******. Yes, he does give a you a source for what you need, but you probably could have found that with an Internet search. Anyway, not to get technical here, but while I agree that if you are using double-locking handcuffs his way is the quickest and easiest, I just single lock them and use an even cheaper method. (Or get yourself a set of regulation thumbcuffs, and you don' t need anything. That's amazing too.)
reviewed by Michael Lyth (confirmed purchase)
Rating: 
[5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Wednesday 16 August, 2017)
From the seed of growth from this creative thinking Mind I have watched followed to this day with all his works in my own working Lybrary and I would recommend any one with a Interest in mentalism to try one or more of his work's. this one may take some late nights into early morning to read and get your head around but once done give it the practice time in, put your own signature on it and I am sure you will have a vary different stage effect to win your audience over.
reviewed by Reg Coppicus
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Friday 11 August, 2017)
This was a product with ideas submitted by many people, and thank you.
To clarify, the manuscript does not teach the Card Warp effect, you have to already know how to perform it.
This booklet simply describes various ideas, routines and patter you can use to enhance your work.
reviewed by Marc Rehula (confirmed purchase)
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Monday 07 August, 2017)
Everything you need to know about his underutilized prop all in one convenient place. Highly recommended resource.
reviewed by Larry Brodahl (confirmed purchase)
Rating: [2 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Friday 28 July, 2017)
Not a very good item. The actual tic-tac-toe prediction is something I first saw in the 70's by Bev Bergeron. And it's good, just not great. But I was hoping that the addition of the X/O prediction would be stronger...it's not. It's EXACTLY what you probably think.
reviewed by Michael Lyth (confirmed purchase)
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Tuesday 25 July, 2017)
Paul Lelekis writes a revue of OPENERS AND CLOSERS 3 on Rick Carruth site magicroadshow.com which Rick reviewed for the Magic Roadshow. I purchase most of my books in PDF format from two main sites this been the main one. So to encourage others to read, follow or just study this authors work all I can say the other revues do this work full justice so all I will say value for Money and usable material.
Well done to the author Paul for this contribution to the magic family of magicians.
reviewed by Enrico Varella
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Tuesday 25 July, 2017)Hot on the heels of runaway bestsellers of Part 1 & 2, Paul Lelekis astounds us further with legendary feats of legerdermain. This ledger of offerings focuses on effects that might just open/close your performing repertoire.
My yardstick of a useful magic book is how likely I am to use any of the effects, and how I might enhance an effect with a change in sleight, moment, and approach. And in his third and final installment, Paul still achieves that.
His mini-treatise on Invisible Thread Ideas alone, is worth it. As a former-thread worker, I found insights to how I can animate, suspend, and levitate objects without nagging suspicion. There are nice walk-around mentalism pieces that you can use, too. This includes his take on the 21 Card Trick that shifts from the anxiety-causing countdown into piles. Lelekis piles on the nitrous oxide tank and accelerates the trick to a more amazing mindreading ending. The Voodoo Reversal of Fortune is an ESP trick that departs from the version from book 2, however its construction lends a different impact. In Predicting A Thought, a prediction using a nail-writer makes perfect sense with a mentally selected card. A Quickie Triumph sets up for a rapid-fire unraveling of a deck in seeming disarray.
The four accompanying video clips explain clearly his preferred technique, and his motivation for using them. Once again, strong Openers and Closers establish stronger reputations for the magician.
Strongly recommended.
reviewed by Roy Eidem
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Monday 24 July, 2017)Paul Lelekis is a thinking man's, underground, full-time close up worker who makes his living entertaining in the real world, that is, lay people in a variety of entertainment environments. His knowledge & insight into creating magical moments is based upon his thinking, love, & knowledge of the art. My two favorite routines which will go immediately into my repertoire are Entertaining Voodoo Reversal & Fortune Quickie Triumph. Anytime I can find something I can use is money well spent.
reviewed by Christopher Weber
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Monday 24 July, 2017)Openers & Closers 3 is another wonderful contribution to the magic community from Paul Lelekis. As with the other books in his Openers & Closers series (highly recommended) the advice and "tricks of the trade" in the Introduction are worth the price of the book. Open without a trick! Yes, there are other options and here Paul explores the idea of “breaking the ice” with a timely or appropriate joke. Magicians, Entertainers, and Public Speakers have all found themselves in an awkward situation when introduced and here Paul gives some very useful first hand advice on turning the situation into something that is very comfortable for Everyone!
The effects within are all time tested engaging routines that demonstrate a number of useful moves that you can easily apply to not only these effects but to many other effects in you repertoire. Clear explanations with photos and videos included. The “21 Card ESP Trick” is a real gem, so don’t pass that one up! I enjoyed working through “Above & Beyond”, a great example of an effect that lets you totally concentrate on presentation and the funny patter since the moves are streamlined and not complicated at all. Some cool ideas and advice for using “Invisible Thread”, a great effect with an Invisible deck and a terrific “See-Through Change Bag” Construction Tutorial round out this quality book that you’ll be happy to own. As with all of Pauls’ books, you will without a doubt fine something here that you will use!
reviewed by Rick Carruth
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Monday 24 July, 2017)Triumphs, invisible thread, invisible decks, change bags, nail writers, and almost impromptu mental magic... it's all in Paul's OPENERS AND CLOSERS 3. This book has a very decidedly mentalism / mental magic flavor.. which was fine with me, as I love to mess with people's minds. Paul has also included videos and an abundance of photos in this edition, which is also fine with me, as I am a very visual guy. I suppose what I'm trying to say is... I thoroughly enjoyed volume 3 of the Openers and Closers series. Paul's writing ranks up there with the best of them, and his explanations ARE the best. The 21 Card ESP Trick alone is worth the price. I am very partial to effects that look like big dollar effects and perform almost automatic. I literally went to bed last night playing this effect over and over in my mind and imagining how my fellow magicians will react.
Thanks for another great deal.. Paul.
reviewed by Troy Murphie (confirmed purchase)
Rating: 
[3 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Sunday 16 July, 2017)
There are more indepth descriptions of Table Tipping on the market; for example 'Come Good Spirits' by Eddie Joseph holds an excellent treatise. Other fine methods are included in 'How to Make a Ghost Walk' by Dunninger. This e-book 'Mystery of the Gyrating Tables' leaves much to be desired in comparison with the aforementioned titles.
reviewed by James Wood (confirmed purchase)
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Wednesday 12 July, 2017)
Hints and Tips is a wonderful gift from Larry Brogdahl and Lybrary.com. It is the equivalent of attending a Magic Club meeting where a highly experienced magician shares his hard won knowledge of how to deal with common problems encountered by every magician. For instance, this little book gives very useful tips for how to keep the balloon from popping in Needle Through Balloon (Brogdahl's solutions is NOT scotch tape), how to simplify the handling for Sidewalk Shuffle, and how to improve the Surprising Dots trick (the trick in which the number of dots on two sides of a large card keep changing). Hints are also given for how to transport props to a magic show, how to handle dry hands, and many other common problems. Every working magician is sure to find several hints in this book that will make life easier. Thanks, Mr. Brogdahl!
reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Tuesday 11 July, 2017)
A quick look of the contents will reveal a plethora (as Dee Christopher says) of routines, forces, subtleties, peeks, imp pads, anagrams, theoretical concepts... I started reading, and just about every time I went to the next page I thought, \"Wow! That\'s terrific. I\'m adding it to my repertoire.\" When I got to the end, I discovered that I had a whole lot of things to add to my repertoire--and I wanted to go through the book again. This collection is clearly a labor of love from years of doing practical mentalism. And unlike a lot of propless \"maybe it\'ll work; maybe it won\'t\" stuff, this material is straightforward and direct. For example, Jose takes a classic psychological force and makes it virtually miss-proof using a principle that you will probably be familiar with but hadn\'t thought of using in this context. Later in the book he details how to reveal things effectively. Now I am a big fan of the way Luke Jermay thinks about this topic from his DVD Making Mind Reading Look Real so I wasn\'t expecting much new. I was wrong. The revelation stuff is great. And you get bonus effects from Dee Christopher (one of my close-up favorites of his, Falling Coins) and Peter Turner. You will spend a lot of time studying this ebook. Guaranteed.
Don\'t be put off by the price tag. Prager\'s Magnum Opus is worth every penny. Highest recommendation here for the best mentalism book of the year so far.
reviewed by Troy Murphie
Rating: 
[1 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Wednesday 05 July, 2017)
Friendly Warning: The actual method used is not the same as Dee's 'Vimeo' Spirit Bell performance. Product description is very deceptive. Not happy.
reviewed by Larry Brodahl (confirmed purchase)
Rating: [3 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Tuesday 04 July, 2017)
I was hoping for more from this book, since I'm a fan of parlor and stage trapped in a world of card tricks and mentalism.
But, there's not a ton of stuff here. The tricks are all pretty standard, although, to be fair, there's some cute touches here and there. The CONFABULATION routine has a nifty idea with price tags that seems really usable.
But the patter and routines never rise above the "50 gags shoehorned into a trick" level. Which may fit your style - and if so, you'll love the book.
AND - like I said - there's a few threads of gold in here, and it's an easy read.
Do be advised though that pages 184 through 198 are all ads for other books and things he sells.
reviewed by Rick Carruth
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Tuesday 27 June, 2017)
Openers and Closers 2 is the perfect follow-up to volume 1. Paul understands the importance of grabbing an audience by the neck at the beginning of your show.. and mesmerizing them with your best at the close of your show. There is nothing 'iffy' here, and that's a very, very good thing when you want to remain true to your readers. I am a big fan of Martin Gardner and am glad to see Paul include two of Martin's effects. Another favorite is a Brainwave based on the Nick Trost effect and featuring handling by Paul and a kicker by the late, but forever great, Daryl. There are three great effects featuring a vanishing card box, ESP, and a special sleight of hand technique created by Paul. A special comedy routine and Paul's top-notch handling of a 'not so Invisible Deck' routine complete Openers and Closers 2.. and make this one of my very favorite of Paul's many ebooks. Highly recommended..
reviewed by Enrico Varella
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Monday 26 June, 2017)I opened this book with a ‘closer’ – the last item in this book – ‘8-Card Brainwave’. The accompanying video clip got me excited with the simplicity of OLRAM, and the subtlety display attributed to the late-Daryl. I immediately put it into my routine.
Paul’s new book opens with an introductory essay that emphasizes his sensible approach to walk-around magic. Get closer to your audience by opening strong. Openers and closers are key effects that punctuate the entire experience for a performing magician. I worked through every effect in this book, and his Vanishing Cardcase is now in my repertoire. I intend to use Paul’s lead-in to ‘Martin Garner’s 4-Ace Opener/Closer’. I will also be using his ‘Not So Invisible Deck Routine’, which irons out a few major elements related to Joe Berg’s ingenious creation. Paul’s card control called LIFT is worth exploring within ‘Elimination’, as he raises the bar of card transpositions.
The main issue I have is: Do I close with an opener, or open with a closer? Enjoy this book.
reviewed by Christopher Weber
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Monday 26 June, 2017)Openers & Closers 2 by Paul Lelekis is another terrific collection of effects that really work and you will use for sure. As with all of Paul's publications the tips and advice in the Introduction are worth the price of the book alone. Don't overlook these valuable recommendations. Here Paul shares words of wisdom on First Impressions, Final Impressions, Audience Control, Relieving Tension (for both your audience and yourself), and Confidence Building. You will see how Paul's suggestions in the Introduction fit perfectly into the effects that follow.
The effects all work great as openers and or closers. These effects are straight forward, and easy for your audience to follow. Paul has done the work for you by searching through dozens of books and hundreds of tricks to find the very best effects with maximum impact for you to make use of. The perfect way to "open the door" to the rest of your performance material.
The Vanishing Card Box is just one example of a perfect opener. It's easy to make up and you'll find it's as good if not better than many similar commercially available gimmicks. Again, it's an effect that smoothly and naturally leads onto your next effect. Check out Paul's two clever renditions of the Martin Gardner 4 Ace Trick (great as an opener or closer), and the Nick Trost 8-Card Brainwave which utilizes Daryl's addition that takes the heat off the cards for final display. These are two ready to go, easy to do effects that are marvelous ice breakers. Paul's Invisible Deck will have you rethinking possibilities of the Invisible Deck for sure! Some really cool ideas here.
You'll love all these effects and Paul’s little improvements and nuances make them all the better. Pick it up; you'll be very happy you did.
reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Saturday 24 June, 2017)
This ebook contains excellent material that ANY MENTALIST can use. It has DYNAMITE MATERIAL from the beginning to the end!!! After reading it, I think my head is going to explode. I will need to reread and practice several of the routines. I believe this is worth many times the asking price. Well done Peter Turner.
reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] (Date Added: Monday 19 June, 2017)
Another GREAT EBOOK by THE UNKNOWN MENTALIST. I personally like the idea for THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. If you use a peek wallet (Or any other information stealing device) and also your own way of calculating the magic square (Pardon me saying the magic square) you have it made. You can have the spectator secretly write down a two or three digit number and place it in your peek wallet. Now the performer can sense some numbers to place on THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. Now the performer can give a reading for the spectator (COLD READING) based on the spectator selecting one horizontal and vertical row only. At the end the performer can say based on your choices your AURA NUMBER is ____ (The same number that the spectator thought of in his mind and was placed in the peek wallet.) The spectator can be given the business card in the wallet at the end of the reading if he so wishes or just THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. Again, well done UNKNOWN MENTALIST