Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi
As many of you know when it comes to writing reviews, my intent is to focus on ad copy honesty, do-ability of the material (i.e, method legitimacy), and production/gimmick quality. I avoid giving ratings based on how good or bad I think the effect is. Mainly because I don't feel it's fair for me to tell you what kind of stuff to like. So I focus on the above mentioned components instead. When it comes to books, however, this is a bit trickier.
Sure I can comment on how nice the book looks and how well written it is, production quality, etc., but books are so much more effect-centric than a one trick DVD or even a DVD with a dozen tricks on it. At least with a DVD, you can watch the trailer and see what they're claiming the effect looks like; then I can tell you if the video trailer is a scam or not.
With a book, however, there is no trailer; there is no effect for you to see; there is no way for me to tell you if the effect you see is really what you get. I'll do my best to keep my review focused on my main criteria, but I'll also try to give you a sense of what kind of material you're getting.
Content
For $40 bucks you get a butt load of stuff. 40 effects; 10 "Basic Tools" and 5 essays. The "Basic Tools" are Rioboo's take on certain principles as well as techniques and moves. Subjects like The Principle of Equal Piles, The Treated Card, The Memorized Deck, The Good-old Crimp and others are covered in this section.
The 5 essays are spread throughout the book. There you'll find Close Up and Not So Close, Misdirection and Psychology, Moments and Their Types, Moves and Flourishes are Different Things, and my personal favorite, Cards, Math, Brains, Hands.
Finally, the effects . . . 40 effects. That's a buck per effect, not to mention the added value of the essays and tools section. Are all of the effects in the book good? I don't know. I didn't read them all. I will someday. However, I will say this, every single thing I've read in this book as been either intriguing, interesting, fascinating, amazing or mind boggling. I have nothing negative to say about the content I've read about a third of the book, and I'm more than comfortable recommending the book strictly based on that.
A Few More Details
The book is all card magic, well written, entertaining and easy to read. Further, there are several different sections that will have a broad appeal and include just about any magician who has ever thought about doing a card trick. First, there is the No Preparation and Light on Sleights section which contains 17 different effects that are easy or self working or both. They're all of the "grab a deck and go" variety. Some of my favorite stuff came out of this section.
Next we have 5 effects in the No Preparation and a Bit More Skill section. Again, "grab a deck and go," but you need a littl more skill. Following that you'll find 2 effects in the With Some Simple Preparation section. Both of these effects require a stack of at least a dozen or more cards. Next is 5 effects utilizing Mnemonica and Other Stacks followed by 7 effects using Duplicates, Gimmicks and Special Cards. The final chapter is 4 Tricks With The Treated Card.
I guarantee that your forty bucks will be well spent. Highly recommended.
Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM!