Unseen
by Paul A. Lelekis

Paul Lelekis has given me a copy of his new ebook "Unseen" for me to share my opinion. I have had an interest in magic for over 50 years and I enjoy close-up magic as my primary interest. I am not a professional performer by any means. I consider myself an amateur/hobbyist with a solid overall knowledge of close-up magic and magicians. Most of the performing that I have done has been for fun social events for friends and family and I frequently did little performances for my music students throughout my career as a public school music teacher.

Unseen by Paul Lelekis is a terrific collection of four ESP card tricks that you will be delighted to perform. These effects are designed to be used as ESP effects, or if you prefer, they work just as well as regular card tricks. Paul enhances this exceptional collection of ESP card effects with many practical ideas and nuances plus some presentational tips that will be sure to enhance your performances. His advice on ESP tricks in general taking a “less is more” type approach and focusing on making the spectator feel that they have the “special” power is well worth the price of this e-book. The effects and slights within are all clearly presented, uncluttered, and easy to follow. I particularly enjoyed “Unseen” where you will learn Paul’s Full Deck False Shuffle (video included), and “The Woman of Power” where the very cool “Veeser Move” is taught. These slights not only work beautifully with the effects presented here; they can of course be incorporated into many other effects of your own liking. If you are looking for some great ESP card effects that will help you hone your presentation skills, look no further, here they are!

First.. I am a reviewer and editor who's frequently asked to review the work of others. My standard policy is... I review what I like, and I will not review items I don't like. I know... folks like to read a hatchet job sometimes, but I don't like to write 'em. Paul asked me to give his latest ebook a read.. I did.. and I'm glad to review it.

I am a big fan of mentalism and mental magic. Actually, it is probably my favorite form of magic. Mental magic with cards is not easy, as the lines between mental magic and card magic are often blurred. Much is dependent on the presentation, as the way you approach the reveal and the patter up to that point is, in my opinion, the key.

UNSEEN is a collection of four effects with cards. The first effect, and my favorite, uses a partial stack to help you know the identity of a selected card without looking through the cards. This is idea mental magic with cards. Paul provides a video of his false shuffle to make the handling more convincing. This is Paul's description.. and an accurate description.. "A card is noted by the spectator in a completely fair manner from a shuffled deck that has been displayed as ordinary. The packet is shuffled and the performer reads the mind of the spectator and names her thought-of card…the mentalist having never once even looked at any of the cards.."

The LADY FINDS IT! is the second effect, and is the test of a woman's ESP power. Paul describes it like this... EFFECT: "The cards are shuffled and a Peek is performed and the spectator memorizes it. The deck is then shuffled. A male spectator makes a guess of 5 to 25 to locate her selection – but, naturally, he fails. However after the female concentrates on the selection, she then takes the deck and counts the same bank of cards out for herself - and the last card she has counted is her selection.." I might be more inclined to describe this one as a card effect, but it can go either way. Easy to perform, using only a Peek and an undercut, the average guy can perform this one with a minimum of preparation..

The third effect is THE POWER OF WOMAN. Paul likes to select women to assist with his effects.. and he offers his reasoning throughout the PDF.. EFFECT: "A card is peeked and remembered. Deck is shuffled and a male spectator cuts the deck into two piles. The performer displays the top four cards of the bottom half, but none are the selection. These four cards are placed into the deck, face-up, and the other half of the deck is placed on top. The female “wills” her selection to move to the middle of the face-up packet…and when she spreads the deck, the selection has teleported there!" This effect uses one of simplest principles in all card magic. But, like many effects, the simplicity can be a total fooler with the right handling and patter. Paul stresses the mental factor throughout and makes it work. Beginners can perform this, although there are a number of ways to perform it, depending on your skill level. Make it as complicated or a simple as you want..

REPEATER is the last effect in the PDF.. and definitely the most bold. Paul says he used to make up decks to use in this effect when he demo'd in magic shops. You will have to set up a deck using a bank of cards, but it's not a complicated setup. From there, Paul describes the effect as: EFFECT: A deck of cards is shuffled, and then the performer deals out cards, face-up, at a fairly rapid pace, until the spectator says “Stop!” The very next card is given to the spectator, still face-down, and the performer then uses his ESP to announce the name of that card!" After reading the instructions, you might realize you could perform this effect with a deck set up in Si Stebbens, or something similar. But, if your hope is to fool other magicians, as is often the case, use Paul's method. I like the boldness of this effect..

Overall, I think the average magician will enjoy performing the effects in UNSEEN. There's nothing that's a stretch for the average performer, and you will likely learn a new move or two going forward. I appreciate that Paul never overcharges for his work. Everything is priced to be affordable and magicians appreciate it ! If you want to stick your foot in the mental magic pool, without having to spend hundreds for specialized props and equipment, this is the ideal place to start.

I was gifted a copy of this book "Unseen" without having to review it, and I have no financial interest in this book. I enjoy sharing my book reviews as a semi-professional performer, and I am a fan of Paul Lelekis's work over several years, as I have been reading (studying) his regular column in "The Linking Ring" magazine. I adore mentalism, however, most books on this topic can be over-priced and complex in methods, and seldom deliver as promised. For this book, I enjoyed the simplicity of the four mental effects, and they are not difficult to do. I suggest that you have your cards in hand as you read each effect through. You just need intermediate levels of card skills, for there is a video on the author's False Shuffle that accompanies this book. He will teach you his easy Peek, and how he controls cards in real-world performing conditions. "Unseen" has gone into my repertoire of close-up mentalism effects. I like the first effect "Unseen' as it sums up the author's approach and methodology. Key points: 1) I enjoy Lelekis's approach to performance, which is to allow the spectator to do most of the work. in effect, let the miracle happen in their hands and let them enjoy their "magical moment". 2) Unseen here also means "looking away from the audience during the procedure". A hands-off, eyes-off (turning your head away), approach can disarm your audience. 3) Be respectfully in control, be bold, and have fun performing for your esteemed audience. Unseen, yet in control.