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jayp
Veteran user
316 Posts
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Posted: Aug 10, 2006 3:28pm
Christopher Williams ‘A Collection Of Card Magic’
Available from www.magicman13.co.uk
Price £9.00.
This is a great little eBook I stumbled upon, it has a nice clear layout and contains 5 strong effects and I’m sure most people will find something they will use from it, if not all of it. The eBook contains no pictures but this is covered by lots of good descriptive text and I’ve been able to follow all the effects and methods through very easily without having to re-read every line to understand what’s going on. All but one of the effects are gimmick less and the gimmick that is required for that one effect is just one card that most people will already have or can be made very easily if necessary. Also most of the effects can be setup on the spot making them practically all impromptu especially with a little thought (Chris has provided how to setup all of the effects in front of people if necessary). Here is the contents, followed by thoughts, effect and a rating:
Oil and hot water:
This is a very nice oil and water style routine with a very magical 'kicker' ending that some oil and water routines seem to lack, the basic effect is the standard oil and water routine but at the end the backs change colour, and then change back which I think really adds to the oil and water routine and really provides a moment of magic. The effect is fairly simple and so will be able to be picked up by even the amateur magician which is a plus but out of all the effects included in the eBook it is probably my least favourite not because it isn’t great but because I’m not a fan of packet style tricks so the other routines included appeal to me more, still I rate this as 8/10 as it contains several nice phases and the very magical ending and I’m sure will be liked by people that enjoy packet tricks, I’m even going to try it and that is saying something!
Named Ace:
Again this effect has lots of magic contained within it and also has the added benefit of having several phases so it can be stopped short if required although I really wouldn’t recommend it because as Chris states a lot more magic can happen. The effect is a standard twisting the aces style phase utilizing a named four of a kind which moves into a All back showing where the faces seem to disappear and just as they disappeared the faces reappear but this time the cards have changed into aces, then with just a wave of the hand the named cards return but this time the aces are trapped within them! This is probably one of the more complex routines due to several counts etc. being used but all the counts are justified and aren’t that complex so still is well within the reach of the beginner as long as adequate practice is put in which of course is always necessary. Also included is an alternate ending in which after the named four of a kind has been turned through all backs and then Aces, then change back to the named cards, but with a ROYAL FLUSH between them, No sign of the other Aces, which I feel is a great addition that I will be using a lot especially due to the current worldwide buzz surrounding poker. I would rate this at 9/10.
A Very Nice Pair:
This and 'Joker In The Box' are probably my favourite effects from the eBook and the ones I hope to use a lot, as they are both the kind of magic I enjoy, fast, direct and in the hands. The effect is that a card is selected, signed and tabled, this is followed by the magician picking a card (for a change!) and then this card is placed under the spectators card, the two cards are rubbed together and the spectators card changes into the mate of magicians card, these two cards are then placed into the deck and with just a snap of the fingers a card appears between them...its the original signed selection. As I stated this is one of my favourite effects from the book it is very simple in mechanics which allows for a lot of concentration on the presentation and showmanship which will really turn the effect into a masterpiece. I would rate this at 9/10 because of the simple but very magical nature of the effect and definitely something I will enjoy performing.
Joker In The Box:
As I stated above this is my joint favourite effect from the eBook, although when reading it through it seems to be long winded because of the amount of detail Chris goes into explaining the effect it actually runs very quickly and packs several punches. The effect is that the two jokers are removed and also two selections are made and signed. First a classic of magic happens with the card with the magician managing to get the signed cards out of the spectators hands, switching them with his own, without coming near the cards. Then the jokers are lost in the deck and the signed selections are placed in the card box to keep them secure. The box is given to the spectator to hold onto. The magician then claims he can get to the signed cards without going anywhere near the box, the magician then snaps his fingers and a card flies out of the deck...it is one of the signed selections, the deck is then cut and a card pirouettes out of the deck and lands at the magicians fingers...it is the second signed selection. The spectator then rattles the card box where cards are still heard, when the spectator removes the cards from the card box they are none other than the jokers! I’m sure you can all see the potential of this effect and how magical it would be to the spectator as they thought the Jokers were no longer in play...I’m sure this will be very popular. I rate this at 9/10 as again it is very simple to pick up, providing you are maybe of intermediate level as a couple of things are quite knacky but should be known by most card men, so again more emphasis can be put on presentation.
Find That Ace:
This is a nice little effect where the spectator is control throughout which increase the impossibility of the routine. The basic effect is a spectator cuts to the aces but without any fishy moves or cutting sequences the spectator literally just cuts the deck and there lies an ace it is very powerful and shouldn’t be overlooked. The last ace however isn’t cut to, instead there is a CAAN phase where the last ace lies at any number named by the spectator and as you can imagine this provides a very powerful climax to the routine. There is a slight setup involved but it just uses an ordinary deck and the setup can be done there and then, making the routine impromptu. I would rate this as 8/10 as the effect isn’t 100% although it would be when all the outs are covered and rehearsed it wont work 100% as Chris admits with proper practice it will work most of the time but there is obviously a risk that it wont hence why it is only an 8/10. As with most of the effects there are no knuckle busting slights and most card workers will be able to get to grasps with it instantly and I’m sure it will be used by many...I know I will be using it.
Overall I would definitely recommend this eBook as all of the routines are delightfully simple yet incredibly powerful and I have certainly got my moneys worth as there are definitely two routines I will be using from it, and two workers are surely worth the asking price of the eBook if not several times over. I look forward to other effects released by Chris!!!
Jamie.
www.topsecretmagic.co.uk
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Andrew Loh
Inner circle
Malaysia
1225 Posts
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Posted: Aug 11, 2006 12:35am
Thanks Jamie for the great review! 
Andrew
Check out my new card effect "Hallucination", "Kollectors Revisited", "Instant Transposition" & "Triu2ph" at
http://www.freewebs.com/cardicians
Check out my new card magic blog at
http://pasteboards.blogspot.com/
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Christopher Williams
Inner circle
Plymouth, UK
4152 Posts
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Posted: Aug 11, 2006 3:54am
Just saw this. Thanks Jamie for the incredible review! You picked two of my favourites out as well. The oil and water I feel will be looked over, but if you actually perform it, you will see the awesome reactions it gets. I have kept some of these routines secretfor quite a while now, and now for the first time I am releasing them. If anyone has any problems with anything from the manuscript, you can either PM me here, or email me chris@magicman13.co.uk or chudsblainejnr13@hotmail.com
Thanks again Jamie, would be great to hear what others think
www.magicman13.co.uk
http://www.magicman13.co.uk/blog.php
Keep up to date with news in the Magicman13 Blog!
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Dave Forrest
Special user
Scotland
681 Posts
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Posted: Aug 19, 2006 6:34am
Hi Folks,
Just a quick review of these notes: They are really, very good indeed!
And now, a slightly slower, elongated version:
Oil and Hot Water: This is an oil and water effect done with four of a kind, as a kicker, the backs change quickly from blue to red and back again! It is both clever in its construction and entirely deceptive. It's also very easy to do and cleans itself up beautifully. Pay attention to Chris's clever handling details, they are more important than you might first think. In my opinion, this effect could become a keeper in many a pro's repertoire.
Named Ace: A 'Twisting the Aces' effect that ventures off on a journey, visiting some other classic plots on the way! I really liked this one and probably played around with it more than any other. One at a time, a named four of a kind turns face down, then the four cards become Aces...then, the four of a kind returns with the Aces sandwiched in between them! This again is well constructed and relatively easy to do. I imagine it would be very satisfying to perform and I can imagine spectators reacting heavily to this one. Chris quotes John Guastaferro as an influence, I'd suggest a leaning towards Roger Smith's classic 'Maxi Twist' too, but that's just my opinion. Included is a version where a Royal Flush appears at the end. I think this should be explored more and I probably will do so. With a good gambling patter theme this particular 'extra' version could be a show stopper.
A Very Nice Pair: This is a really nice 'quickie' that is direct and solid. Again, it is the construction I'm most impressed with. The effect has a 'full circle' quality to it that so many routines lack. I can see me doing this quite frankly. It's not difficult, it's quick and very magical.
Joker in the Box: Here, Chris has developed the classic 'Last trick of Dr. Jacob Daley' as he thinks that often, although the spectators are amazed, the trick doesn't really seem to have a climax that signifies 'the end'. I think I agree with him. This is a nicely constructed (there's that word again) routine that is flourishy and impressive. You get the kick provided by the Daley effect and then you get to finish the routine in style.
Find that Ace: This is a spectator cuts the Aces effect and it's a really good one! I won't go into details here but Chris has combined some excellent principles to create a really stunning effect. I'm not sure I agree with the order in which this builds, in that I think the third Ace is more impressive than the last Ace but that's just personal opinion. You can tell that this is a personal effect that Chris uses often and I can see why. As for this not working some times, I really can't imagine that this happens too often. Chris suggests some outs when things go wrong but I think I'd be more likely to forge ahead regardless and cover any problems with patter but again, that's just me. All in all, it's a keeper.
The PDF is well laid out and the descriptions are clear and concise for the most part. I think a few photos would have been nice (I always think you can't go wrong with a few photos) but the fact that there are none doesn't really detract from the work inside. Personally, I look forward to more from Christopher in the future, he comes across as a person who thinks about his magic and puts a lot of effort into it. This much is obvious with a read through of 'A Collection of Card Magic'. Recommended.
Dave.
Check out Full 52 Productions
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Christopher Williams
Inner circle
Plymouth, UK
4152 Posts
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Posted: Aug 19, 2006 2:30pm
Wow!!! Thanks for the review Dave. All my routines are 'Constructed' as you well put  , and are designed with the worker in mind. All of them have been used for real audiences and magicians alike, and Joker in the Box was created at a Gig infact when after performing Greg Wilsons Weighted Aces, though it got a good reaction, it could have been a little better, so I then on the spot created the effect. Then that killed them! So I thought a while, and on the next table, used it with selections and Jokers, again to awesome reactions, and since that first time, it has been part of my act all the time.
The oil and water has long been part of my reportoire, and is one of my favourites. It was designed to fool magicians, but REALLY fools spectators too, and can lead into a colour changing deck routine as well. It has many possibilities, and I know several magicians who now keep this on them all the time.
A Very nice pair should be in a Magic magazine soon, so if you havent got this eBook yet, you will get a sample basically of what is in it.
Anymore of you guys care to review? Any experiences with my routines yet? Love to hear how its all going
Chris
www.magicman13.co.uk
http://www.magicman13.co.uk/blog.php
Keep up to date with news in the Magicman13 Blog!
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h_A_Z
Special user
Ireland/Msia
697 Posts
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Posted: Aug 23, 2006 12:38am
I'm not good at writing reviews, but I can say that this book contains REAL workers. For the price Chris is selling, it is SO well worth it. Highly recommend this ebook!
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Mano
Special user
891 Posts
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Posted: Aug 23, 2006 12:48pm
I just went through A Collection of Card Magic, just as HAZ,i'm not good writing review but I'll give you guys my thoughts on it:
Oil and Hot water: is an oil and water routine using for of a kind cards,with 3 phases and a kicker at the end which add much more magic to it, the explanation is very easy to fallow, Chris explains in detail how to handle and present the trick to the audience; I have been doing something similar but I was not that happy because I did not think the routine had an end,but now Chris added this kicker end,which I think add some more magic to this classic routine, and make the routine more sound to my mind.
Named Ace:is a twisting the aces routine with lots of magic in it and another kicker at the end; also Chris explains two different way to finish the trick especially if you use a gambler patter; I like this routine a lot especially in one of the phases where the twist happens on both side; I always like that kind of routines and I think laymen love them as well.
A Very Nice Pair:is a quickie but a goody, very easy and pratical to do and it has good magic in it, it is a two phases trick ending with the espectator signed card sandwitch in between two other cards, Chris sets up those two cards by doing the first phase which I think is very effective for the first effect; if someone ask you for a quick trick, this trick is good because is fast and has plenty of magic in it for a quickie.
Joker in the Box:it is basically Dr Daley's last trick with two phases, I really love the last phase, it really add more magic to it.Chris uses two signed cards and two jokers,instead of the usual four of a kind cards, and as Chris mentioned it really makes it more personal for the audience and they somewhat get more involved in the trick because the signed those cards, the first phase is the basic handling for the Dr Daley trick, and the second handling which to me is very clever and magical at the same time, because chris put the two signed cards in the card box and at the end he produce two cards one at a time and those cards happen to be the signed cards and when the espectator is asked to check inside of the box,they find once again the jokers,this last phase to me is worth the price of Chris' ebook, I really love it, Thanks Chris.
Find that Ace: This is the classic spectator cut the aces routine, where the magicain cleaning shuffle the deck and then ask the spectator to cut the deck and they cut an ace, I don't particularly use this kind of effect, but anyone that likes it, may like the method Chris uses for the spectator to find the last two aces, especially the last one which happens in the spectator's hand.
This Ebook is very easy to read through and the explanations are very easy to fallow along with the handlings, all the tricks are very easy to perform and to my mind have lots of magic in it and also are very practical because they don't require complex set up etc,I like the way Chris thinks regarding card magic and I'll be waiting for his next card work, and I definitely recomend it to any of you guys that like good card magic.
Peace out there.
Mano.
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Christopher Williams
Inner circle
Plymouth, UK
4152 Posts
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Posted: Aug 24, 2006 8:09am
Thanks for the kind words guys. Glad to hear you like the material and there is LOTS more to come soon. Enjoy
www.magicman13.co.uk
http://www.magicman13.co.uk/blog.php
Keep up to date with news in the Magicman13 Blog!
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Daren
Special user
925 Posts
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Posted: Aug 28, 2006 6:27am
Seems to be a problem with trying to pay via paypal, keeps timing me out when I press the pay button, chris?
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Christopher Williams
Inner circle
Plymouth, UK
4152 Posts
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Posted: Aug 28, 2006 1:49pm
Any problems anyone gets, PM me. Paypal is chudsblainejnr13@hotmail.com, so just send the payment there if there is a problem with the source. Make sure to put 'A Collection of Card Magic' as the subect and I will send it ASAP
www.magicman13.co.uk
http://www.magicman13.co.uk/blog.php
Keep up to date with news in the Magicman13 Blog!
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Dave Forrest
Special user
Scotland
681 Posts
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Posted: Sep 3, 2006 6:32am
Hi folks,
Just to let you know that Chris's e-book is now available through my website too.
Simply click the link in my signature!
Dave.
Check out Full 52 Productions
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Lukas
Regular user
Plymouth, UK
168 Posts
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Posted: Sep 14, 2006 6:50pm
Also to let you know that there is a hard back version on
http://www.topsecretmagic.co.uk
Cost £10
I saw Chris perform some of the tricks today at the PMC and they are what the reviews say they are, incredible!
Lukas
Make the difficult look easy, and the easy beautiful.
www.topsecretmagic.co.uk
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Dave Forrest
Special user
Scotland
681 Posts
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Posted: Sep 16, 2006 6:20am
I second that Lukas, they ARE incredible. Don't overlook this e-book, or the hard copy for that matter, this is great material that Chris is offering here.
Dave.
Check out Full 52 Productions
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jayp
Veteran user
316 Posts
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Posted: Nov 8, 2006 6:51pm
I would just like to say I have been getting some incredible reactions from some of the material in the collection...especially the ace-cutting routine (I think I may have even got a few gigs because of that effect ) Has anyone else got any favourites?
Jamie.
www.topsecretmagic.co.uk
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Christopher Williams
Inner circle
Plymouth, UK
4152 Posts
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Posted: Nov 9, 2006 5:36am
I do! The Ace cutting routine. It is my favourite from the book, however I do it a little more different now, and I will try and work out a small manuscript for anyone who has bought it. I would really also love to know what people are performing from this if anything?
Thanks
Chris
www.magicman13.co.uk
http://www.magicman13.co.uk/blog.php
Keep up to date with news in the Magicman13 Blog!
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Grahamprigg
New user
19 Posts
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Posted: Aug 17, 2007 5:50pm
I know that this ebook has been out for a while now, but I have only just got it, and I must say that it is amazing, I'm working through it bit by bit ive mastered the first three effects in a week, and am now looking at the last two. I don't have a favorite as I have had amazing reactions to all of them. the descriptions of the effects are clear and direct and covers all angles. the greatest thing about this book for me is that it has introduced me to new sleights that I probably never would have looked at or been scared to these effects give you the confidence to look at new ideas and improve on old ones. Do not over look this book, its a must for new or more experienced magicians.
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