Reviews: Read What Others Are Saying: page 51
207 ★★★★★ reviews
143 ★★★★★ reviews
87 ★★★★★ reviews
130 ★★★★★ reviews
Magic Medley
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Enrico Varella
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 20 March, 2017)
MAGIC MEDLEY is analogous to the tough pool event that incorporates four major swim strokes. With the ability to swim different strokes (sleights and techniques), you have more versatility in how you achieve your results (performance impact). In this case, Paul presents his working repertoire with a medley of cards, coins, silks and mentalism. Although simplicity is the key here, Paul’s effects are not always simple and require some degree of skillfulness. Presenting yourself is a key to success in performing magic. He demonstrates his chops with coins in the accompanying two videos for ‘Coin(s) Production’. A much easier version of his coin-work (but no less spectacular) is ‘Coin Gone’. As always, I urge you to read his essay ‘Taking Control’ that is laced with his tacit wisdom and experience for the working professional and dedicated performer. Enjoy this book, as I did.
Magic Medley
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Roy Eidem
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 18 March, 2017)
Cards, coins, silks, rings, ESP & more. The strength of Paul's work is in its simplicity in achieving direct, commercial/real world magical entertainment. Advise from a pro is priceless. I found subtle, practice nuances here I will immediately use too in my day to day handlings.
Magic Medley
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christopher Weber
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 18 March, 2017)
Magic Medley by Paul Lelekis has something great for everyone. Here is a wide variety of well thought out effects, any one of which will enhance your close up performance. Cards, Coins, Silks, Rings and even a little ESP. As with all of Paul’s books, there is plenty of great advice and professional tips given with each effect throughout the book. Two chapters, “Taking Control” and “In Conclusion” are dedicated exclusively to sound professional advice learned from years of experience as a professional entertainer. The effects and methods presented here are all very practical and entertaining. Check out “Comedy Vanishing Silk” for sure if you want a good laugh! Some outstanding utility moves presented throughout like some very useful coin production and vanishes, and I particularly enjoyed the advice and methods on the “Tilt” move in both “Miracle Sandwich” and “Jackwich”. A perfect example of learning a new move or a nuance that will enhance and likely make stronger effects that you already perform! Paul has a fantastic way of finding just the right way of simplifying difficult moves without having anything taken away from the effect. In most cases, the effect has even more of an impact on your audience and is stronger overall! Even if you are using a different method for a similar effect you will likely find yourself substituting some of Paul’s moves into your effect to make it easier with a better flow to it. For example, I’m now sold on using Paul’s method presented in “Miracle Sandwich”. I have been performing a Collectors (Sandwich) effect that had many more moves including some palming and in “Miracle Sandwich” I discovered a method that has less moves and has eliminated the palming and leaves the effect as strong as ever! Sold! Magic Medley shows you ways you can take control, improve your presentation and performance, and have loads of fun at the same time!
S.P.I.T: Secretly Peeked Information Technique
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sarin Suriyakoon (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 14 March, 2017)
Very Deceptive, Very Easy
You can do it with a few business cards/index cards or the whole stack.
Method 1, Impromptu.
Method 2, Require set up which is really 3 seconds to make, few minutes to tune. Improve method 1 with more safe option. In my opinion it is more reliable than method 1.
Method 3, Variation of method 2
Three Cheers for the Underrated
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 10 March, 2017)
Three routines for $95! I understand Jermay's thinking about price: If it's high, then it will keep curious amateurs away. I like all three routines. Are they worth $95 together? Probably not. But I didn't feel burned or buyer's remorse from my purchase.
Taking a look at the routines, the first one, Three Questions, is my favorite because it puts three insanely clever propless mentalism gambits together so that you can name somebody's Zodiac sign in three questions, without using a progressive anagram. Actually, it's better than that. The three questions are basically just phony cover. As an added bonus to this effect, Jermay gives you a cool principle to apply to a progressive anagram for phobias. (OK, so it's an unadvertised four routines for $95.)
Next up is the Ultimate Add-a-Number. I love the classic Add-a-Number effects because they play big to crowds, and you can do them either with gimmicks or with basically nothing. (In other words, you can use a leather-bound Basil Horowitz locking pad, a gimmicked calculator, Dan Harlan's small pad of PostIt Notes, or Banachek's two 3x5 cards glued together. It's up to you.) Jermay leaves it to you to choose your favorite way of doing the add-a-number method itself, but he adds a DR element and an obscure Ed Hess principle (which reminds me of, which I'd never seen before. This one is very cool. Batting average so far: two for two.
Finally, there is Strength, a light-heavy effect, using playing cards and a card box. It, too, is good and a worker, but of the three, probably the one routine that would ordinarily be a $9.95 download at Penguin magic.
If you are a pro, you will definitely add one or more of these routines to your show if you spend the money. If you are an amateur, ask Santa to put the ebook in your stocking for Christmas.
Diagonal Peek Wallet
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 10 March, 2017)
I have an addiction to tricked-out wallets because I am fascinated by the ingenuity that goes into the various features. (I have a drawer filled with them.) The most fundamental thing that a wallet can do is give you a peek. There are several different ways to do that, but generally you either get the peek by placing the billet into the wallet and opening it a second time (making sure that you have a good justification to do so) like the Stealth Assassin or Infinity wallets, or you glimpse it immediately after closing it, as in the many iterations of Mark Strivings SUC. For a small amount of money, you can build your own no-reopen peek wallet. The plans here cost a fiver--and you will have to look around for a particular style of wallet and one other special item--but this is a great DIY wallet, one that you can use for mentalism and carry around as your everyday wallet. (If you are familiar with Acidus Novus, then you'll immediately recognize how it works.)
If you like easy DIY projects and want the pride of making your own cool peek wallet for about $20 total, this one's for you. For further research, Pablo Amira's Free Wallet works on a different principle--and the ebook is a bit more expensive--but you also get your own DIY peek wallet. And if you can find the long out-of-print Mind2Mind DVD by Marc Paul, he shows you how to make a peek wallet using the Diagonal Peek Wallet principle for absolutely nothing but your existing wallet and one item that you'll already have. I recommend these in addition to the cheap, but highly useful, Diagonal Peek Wallet.
Mind Index
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 09 March, 2017)
You might think to yourself after reading the description of Mental Index by Dr. Bill that it is overpriced by about $10--eight effects for $40. But I'm here to tell you that it's not. In addition to those eight clever routines using only index or business cards, you get a reprint of the original instructions for Acidus Novus written by Millard Longman as well as a very short video of Longman himself showing you the move. Now any mentalist should know how to do Acidus Novus because it allows for some good impromptu routines. I know and use the move, but Longman's instructions taught me a few small nuances. In addition, there is a fairly clever one-ahead Mental Epic routine as well as a one-behind one too. Overall, this is a well written little manual on a universally applicable utility technique. I liked it a lot.
Snip-Snip Want Ad Test
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Trevor Fletcher (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 08 March, 2017)
I thought I was getting a new idea with this purchase. Maybe I should have read the 'fine print'. I have known this method since before I started getting into the performing side of mentalism/magic. If you know a method for this effect that can be done impromptu, this is probably the same one.
However, if this effect is new to you, then by all means, grab this one right now, it IS a great method for a nice effect. I just expected a new/different method is all.
Word Sight
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 01 March, 2017)
Devin has another winner here with a dictionary book test. Once I saw how it worked, I slapped my head, and said, "Of course. Leo Boudreau would just chuckle and get a big kick out of this." (Bourdreau is one of my idols. His legendary stuff is so original and baffling that it looks exactly like real mindreading. No shit...ake mushrooms!") Anyway, while it is technically a restricted range book test--you'll be able to divine two out of a couple of hundred different words--it's totally baffling. You simply have one or two spectators choose a couple of words off of a "word enrichment" list, look them up in the dictionary, and concentrate on them. The spectators say absolutely nothing. You then can immediately tell them the two words. That's it. There is no force, no peek, no progressive anagram, no impression pad, no MOABT gimmicked book, no need to know the page number... You just need to get a dictionary and type up some word lists. in other words, while this is an Al Mann concept, it is exactly the kind of thing Boudreau has in his lybrary ebooks like Psimatrika. If you love book tests--and who doesn't?--try this one. For $18 and the price of a cheap paperback dictionary, you have a mentalism miracle in your pocket. Highest recommendation.
Far Sight
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 01 March, 2017)
Don't get me wrong. This is an ingenious method to suss out a card from 15 to 20 feet away. (Devin claims that his outer limit is 30 feet. Wow!) That's amazing. If you pay close attention to the working of the trick--and I'm not going to give you that and spoil it--you'll figure out how it's done. And for $5, this is a real corker of an effect. (You can go down the hall and predict what card the spectator has selected. Just awesome!) The downside is that you are going to have to spend some money to make this one work. If you don't have everything that you need lying around--and I didn't--be prepared to spend up to $40-$50. But once you've done that, you are set for life with this showstopper. Two other points aren't necessarily negatives, but you should be aware of them: (1) this really can be the only mentalism-with-cards routine in your show; and (2) you need some audience management--the spectator has to follow your directions exactly--because the cards cannot be inspected. If you are still interested, your fiver plus will be well spent. Recommended.
No Jacket Required: The Tiepit
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Paul Lelekis
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 28 February, 2017)
This extremely innovative idea by Enrico Varella is nothing short of genius! Now you can perform vanishes and ditches of an enormous number of props, gimmicks, coins, decks, paddles, bills, eggs, billets etc. - with NO JACKET! Many creative ideas and tricks are presented to bring the level of your magic up several notches! Thank you Enrico for finally releasing your "pet" utility item! This will be the wave of the future...do NOT hesitate to get this!
PYO Book Test
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 24 February, 2017)
I love mentalism book tests. They are classic, crowd-pleasing, and just plain fun to do. I also love the many different methodologies and routines--from Marc Paul's hilariously bold AAA Book Test to Ted Karmilovich's MOABT to Rick Roth's spooky Outlaw Effects stuff. I have dozens of them. Some are relatively inexpensive (Paul Romhany's travel book, for example, is a bargain) while others like the aforementioned MOABT are quite pricey. Out of the pack comes crazy--and I mean that in a good way--Dee Christopher who gives you his book test which you can customize and print anyway you want. For cheap. Really cheap. Someone spilled coffee on your "Print Your Own" book? No sweat, replacement is about $5. Want to do something different and add Larry Becker's Flashback feature to the book? It's easy to edit the file and do so. Don't like the cover options? Make one of your own. The possibilities are unlimited--and you have an endless supply of replacement books.
As others have said, this is a bargain, a great bargain. Dee obviously spent many hours putting together the files that you need to print your own books, including giving you a choice of five different color covers. And if you follow his instructions and zip on over to lulu.com, you can put together a book and have it in the mail to yourself in no time for a pittance. (I live in a far flung place off the grid. The U.S. postage for shipping cost more than printing the book, but the total was still about $7.) With a little more work, you don't even have to get it printed you can make an ebook. You can't beat that deal.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the book test itself is pretty awesome. It's not just about divining the first or last word on a page. By just knowing the page number, you can tell your spectators pretty much what is on the page in a lot of detail. (Dee candidly admits that he took a "page" from Outlaw Effects stunningly brilliant methodologies.)
So to sum up, here's a DIY book test that is fast, cheap, and terrific. What else do you need to be convinced? Highest recommendation.
Clock Your Boston Qualifier: By Running Less, and Running Faster
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Andre Varella
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 18 February, 2017)
Enrico’s book applies to anyone wishing to take their running to the next level. It draws from his experience as a runner. Enrico's journey -- which starts off with his first marathon in Hong Kong and finally qualifying for Boston -- is impressive, and a strong motivator. It certainly helped me return to running after suffering a massive ankle fracture.
The book changed the way I thought about training. It doesn’t go into technical details nor does it require adhering to rigid rules. Instead, it sets the stage for you to draw up your own training plan, and to train smarter.
This is a great all-round book, whether you aim to finish your first 5K or qualify for Boston.
Crisis
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 14 February, 2017)
Crisis is a set of four routines using currency, Post-it notes, and a Sharpie. That's it. Minimalism at its best. Let's get right to the point, as the author candidly admits, that there's really nothing new here. And there isn't.
Game is a prediction of what the result of three rounds of "which hand" will be. Lots of people do this--and Marc Paul taught it on his classic, but now out-of-print, Mind2Mind DVD. Bothra does make fairly cool use of two Post-it notes for his MOs prediction. The technique, though, reminded me a lot of Gerard Zitta's somewhat similar "Janus."
Location is another effect done by a lot of mentalists. It kind of resembles the commercial effect Espionage in predicting the location of objects using a variation of the Free Will Principle by Deddy Corbuzier,,
O Dear is a Post-it note version of Dead or Alive. I've seen a similar routine on a Dan Harlan video, as well as in Julian Moore's epic masterpiece on all the things you can do with Post-it notes, Post-Justify.
4 Thoughts is a straight OA Mental Epic with four folded slips of paper. The only thing that I hadn't seen before was the force that he suggests for the fourth choice. It's different, but it's not necessarily better than what folks usually use.
Overall, this is not a bad little ebook. I do variations of all four of these routines because they are classics and pretty effective. Richard Osterlind's working of the OA principle used in 4 Thoughts is much superior, and the only way that I do that routine. The book comes with a short, somewhat error-ridden, but overall helpful MP4 file.
Credit Kard Tantra
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sarin Suriyakoon (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 13 February, 2017)
Yes! It is classic principle but "powerful" with "Credit Kard Tantra" as well. Like any other "principle" you won't believe what you just read. Super Easy to Learn. 12 routines and 5 methods. IMHO, Only first 2 methods is worth a price. Oh some of them can be done over the phone,video call even facebook chat!
Clock Your Boston Qualifier: By Running Less, and Running Faster
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Jamal Ismail
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 12 February, 2017)
Excellent and essential read for anyone who runs! As an overweight runner and beginner triathlete in my mid-40s I have always struggled with recovery and weight. This book provides some useful tips to train, recover and proper nutrition for my upcoming races. I'm not planning on a Boston Marathon anytime soon, but like the writer said, "First to complete, then to compete!" Also includes several frank interviews with other highly accomplished marathoners on how they train and recover - priceless!
Running Cut Force
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sarin Suriyakoon (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 09 February, 2017)
Okay. If you are a beginner buy this! If you like simplicity buy this! Super Easy!
Clue and other Mysteries
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Joe Mckay
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 08 February, 2017)
Here is what David Acer said about the book on the GENII Forum (back in 2002):
"Its a shame that Martin Breese's books don't get around more in North America. After having read (and enjoyed) David Britlands EQUINOX, I decided to explore some other Breese publications, starting with Jack Yates, CLUE, AND OTHER MYSTERIES. This little collection contains some wonderful material that actually reminds me of Barrie Richardson's work. The opening trick, "Monty," is an absolute killer: three spectators each choose a card, then exchange them so that no one has his original selection, whereupon you tell each spectator the identity of his card! And bear in mind, the cards are not marked, and you don't watch as the exchanges are made!
The title trick ("Clue") is also excellent (trivia break: Can you cite two other magic books that were named after a title trick?). One of 6 spectators secretly chooses a black poker chip among five whites, and is thus deemed "the murderer" at a mystery party. All six chips are freely chosen, and you really have no idea who picked the black one, yet you are instantly able to determine which of the six audience members committed the murder. If I were doing "Killer Red Caps", I'd be inclined to replace it with this trick immediately."
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As for my thoughts?
It is a small book and worth getting.
The material reminds me a bit of Lewis Jones, Bob Hummer and Stewart James. What you are getting here is clever thinking that is buried away in the methods. This is mentalism that relies on hidden logical principles. As opposed to gimmicks or clever bluffs. Still - at least it makes use of logical principles as opposed to mathematical principles, since I find most mathematical magic to be pretty weak. So at least you don't have to worry about that here.
My favourite trick is the 'P&S System'. It is a new principle and for me the book is worth it just for that. You have 6 cards in unmarked envelopes and the spectator freely chooses one for you and one for him. And you are able to divine the one he chose thanks to the new principle Jack Yates managed to uncover. Very smart stuff.
You can't go wrong with this one.
Memorable Mentalism: Mysteries With the Mnemonic Deck
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Paul Lelekis
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 08 February, 2017)
MEMORABLE MENTALISM:
Mysteries with a Mnemonic Deck
Enrico Varella has presented an enormously important work to the magic community. This e-book begins with the value(s) of a Mnemonic or Memorized Deck (‘Mem Deck’) and some history of the Mem Deck including many renowned magicians and mentalists. The magic/mentalism that can be obtained with a Mnemonic Deck is profound. DO NOT take this form of entertainment lightly…it is very ‘disturbing’! Enrico also provides some huge differences between the Mem Deck and “cyclical stacks” such as the ‘Eight Kings’ and the Si Stebbins orders, as well as a glossary of terms. This book begins by teaching a VERY clever system, step-by-step, to more easily learn the Memorized Deck and make it “stick” in your mind…including the PPAP principle and Enrico’s own EV System by using ‘associations’. Also included are some very resourceful methods to “Ring in a Cooler” or make seamless, deceptive deck switches. If you learn Enrico’s methods, your audience will be left with their ‘jaws hanging open’!
Enrico provides FIVE excellent, close-up routines with the Mnemonic Deck that will have your spectators completely baffled! Included are Enrico’s methods of utilizing “Jazz Magic” that will further distance the method from the ‘Retrograde Analysts’. Important advice here! Also included are a number of ‘Stage’ and/or Television multi-phased routines for larger audiences, including a BONUS EFFECT that utilizes some brilliant and ‘sneaky’ effects by some well-known professionals, including all patter and presentations. Mr. Varella's references and credits are numerous and complete and are to be commended.
I truly feel that this book is a very important work in a field of magic that has not been well explored…the enormous range of magic and mentalism possible cannot be fully appreciated until you go out there and actually ‘Wow’ your spectators with something that they’ve never seen before!
Thank you Enrico Varella!
Paul A. Lelekis
Clock Your Boston Qualifier: By Running Less, and Running Faster
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Khairil Anuar
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 07 February, 2017)
An excellent read by an excellent coach and trainer. How to get to Boston, the holy grail of marathons, dissected and served up in an easy to read piece. This ebook will give you insights to what it takes to earn that ticket, how to do it and the pitfalls to avoid.
Whether you want to earn your ticket to Boston or clinch a PB in your home race, who better to learn from than someone who has been there, done that and keeps coming back. Multiple Boston finisher, Ironman EV is the man to go to.
Think of Anything in the World
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sarin Suriyakoon
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 07 February, 2017)
-This is a great Psychological force. If you are an Asian you would know that most of the "Western" Psychological force is not work with your culture. Here is a good example to internationalize it.
-A lot of Gerard principles for "propless" is explained here.
-Good for casual situation.
-If you want something Bold and Challenge to perform. This is for you!
-I will you use this!
The Grow Devils Principle
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 03 February, 2017)
The UNKNOWN MENTALIST has done it again!!! I give this a 100 + rating. I have to agree with the other review. This is ABSOLUTELY GENIUS! I would have never thought of it. I thought my variations in the UNKNOWN MENTALISTS other word EBOOK was great but this knocks it out of the water. Atlas Brookings THE PRODIGAL is an encyclopedia of PA'S but this EBOOK is another SIMPLE, system on the same level as long as you use a prompter. Again, I hope people don't buy this EBOOK so I can have these secrets all to myself!!! I bought 2 other products from the UNKNOWN MENTALIST but it will probably take awhile to review them because I'm so amazed with this. Also, IMAGINE what it would be like to MEMORIZE a few of these effects and do them totally impromptu at any time with any spectator. To sum it up this is a really incredible demonstration of psychic phenomena and I believe that no matter what effect(s) you do from this EBOOK will drive the sceptics crazy!!!
Magic Variety Pack 2: Curtain Call Encore
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Enrico Varella
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 02 February, 2017)
‘Magic Variety Pack 2 (Curtain Call Encore)’ follows Pack 1, its predecessor, with no need to for Paul Lelekis to abdicate his throne as a professional walk-around magician. Start the regal procession with eight pages of his first essay ‘Shuffles, Cuts & Misdirection’. This is a Worker’s approach to assuring your audience ‘deck is shuffled and in use’. I enjoyed ‘Psychic Collapse’ where an emptied water-bottle is crushed mysteriously with no visible direct contact. ‘Goldfish Creation’ is a clever way to produce ‘living gold’ according to the ‘packs small, plays big’ condition. I also enjoyed ‘Imagine’, Paul’s take on B’Wave, and also ‘Marlo’s Diminishing Lift Sequence’. Another royal addition to your EBook collection!
Coin Games
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sarin Suriyakoon
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 28 January, 2017)
This routine is a great way to entertain with any situation. You only write something down on writable material and perform. With preparation and patter this can be "Sure-fire" method.
Mimosa
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sarin Suriyakoon
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 28 January, 2017)
220 pages ebook with $30. Come on. This ebook will give you a flexibility guide and application of "MIMOSA". The principle can be "easily" adapt to current version of "ANDROID" and "IPHONE". I mean..."EASY". You might think "ADROID" and "IPHONE" change very fast through time. No problem. This principle is that "SOLID". Take your time read this ebook. Set up your phone. Practice your patter. Practice "Thing" you need to do. Enjoy.