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Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
I'm offering 5 free review copies of "Easy, Powerful Magic," to the first 5 Café members to PM me.
"Easy, Powerful Magic" is intended as a beginner's magic book with just a little bit more. It is available as an Amazon Kindle e-book. The book also includes a link to a free video tutorial. I'd like for reviewers to post here at the Café, and if you could post a review at Amazon.com, that would be great. |
Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
I have my first reviewer. I've got 4 more copies.
I should also mention the book includes a stage routine based on the game show "Deal or No Deal," that is very fair yet dead easy. My 10 year old daughter (with no real magic experience) performed it at her school's talent show and killed with it (even if I'm biased). |
Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
I've got another reviewer.
Let me add the book also has another stage/parlor routine, "The Agitator," based on a Chad Long idea. |
Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
Just sent out another review copy. 2 left.
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Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
Another sent out.
The book features cards and coins, plus two stage/parlor routines. |
BernieBl New user 7 Posts |
I've had a chance to read Darrin's book and I have to say that I like it for a beginner's book.
I've been doing magic for well over 20 years and I also teach a summer magic camp for kids. I can see using ideas from this book for the more advance students. As a comparaison, when you learn to play piano, you know that you need to do your scales but hate to play the same old boring songs like "row row row your boat.." In magic, there was a lot of boring tricks in beginners books. That's not the case with this book. The author put a good balance of card and coin magic an expands on the tricks with some alternatives or slightly harder/different methods. I even learned somthing myself, I had no idea that you could deal a royal flush from a certain position of a popular card stack. This only made it worth reading. I really enjoyed The Dream Card which I used to perfom years back with it's addition in The Card Shark. Out of thin Air and following up with Troy Hooser's Charming Chinese Challenge is also another great idea. The sutend will have a chance to practice on trick and build up a routine with another effect. Dale or no Dale is a really clever trick that should not be overlooked. I can see this type of routine to be perfect for trade show presentations. With just a little bit of imagination, you can customize this routine to fit your needs. Over all, good little book for starting magicians with some nice ideas for someone that has a little bit of experience. Good job Bernie |
Nicolino Inner circle 2893 Posts |
Me, too, had a brief read through this and I have to add that the booklet really is nicely written and each of the powerful yet easy tricks gets thouroughly explained (there are no illustrations, which is due to the Kindle format probably).
My only grief with books like that is that powerful magic tools are introduced to the mass market. To be fair, I don't know exactly the target audience and the pricing, but I always find it double-edged to tell a 10 year old about the powerful double deal force, multiple outs or stacks in card magic... On the other side, I wish I'd have had books like this when I was a kid! To conclude, this is a very nice read for any student of magic - let's only hope that the principles explained get appreciated and kept secret by the reader...
The Mati Envelope
A brandnew peek device for the working mentalist! Chance's Token Tarot cards in a scenic piece of mystery..... |
Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
Gentlemen, thanks for your reviews.
Bernie, I do think a potential market for the book is the magician who teaches a class. Another market is the boy scouts, summer camps, church classes, and so on. I remember getting a merit badge in magic as a cub scout. I'm glad you got something from it. I expect that for the experienced magician the book is not a life-changer, but you will find something useful. The stage effect is unique to the book, though. I think it has a lot of entertainment potential for very little in the way of effort or prop space. Nicolino, Thanks for your improvement suggestions for the manuscript. You're right, the Kindle format is not graphic friendly. I've included a link to a video tutorial to help compensate. I grew up in an era before the Internet or magic DVDs. In fact, you couldn't even get VHS tapes when I was a kid, so learning was limited to the crappy books in the library. With so much exposure on the Internet, I tried to walk the line between exposure and putting out the same old tricks and stunts. I tried to provide several easy, accessible tricks, and a solid foundation of theory and presentation for the reader. |
puggo Inner circle 2022 Posts |
Another brief review from a volunteer reviewer (free copy supplied)
This is a very well written, clear collection of effects ranging in skill level from beginner upwards. There are no hard effects here, which is one area where Darrin has excelled - he provides slightly more complex handlings for many of the effects. This is definitely an assett as we all have different learning styles / abilities. The use of YouTube videos is a nice touch. While the manuscript is not illustrated, the writing style does much to compensate. For a newer / younger magician, I cannot really criticise this at all. It feels more like classic magic, rather than 'in your face' street magic, which again will suit a newer student. Having said that, it is hard to beat a simple D/L / in hands transpo trick.. I hope Darrin will forgive the reference, but this, in style, feels and reads like a Scott Guinn e-book; which is truly a compliment. Recommended for a younger / newer student of magic - more experienced magi may also find something here... Charlie |
Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
Charlie,
Thanks for taking the time to write up your review. I think a difference between my magic and street magic is presentation. It's a key concept I got from my mentor Scott F. Guinn. In my view, magic is not something performed by a mime. I should mention that I've added a section, "The Magician's Code of Honor," which I realize is something that the beginner in magic needs, something that I got from all of the old books, but is sadly lacking in the current crop of You Tube exposers. |
Vlad_77 Inner circle The Netherlands 5829 Posts |
I will be posting a review of this tomorrow. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to read this work.
Ahimsa, Vlad PS: My review is based on a copy that I edited where I felt clarification was needed. I have not seen the final galley so some of my comments may not be germane. |
puggo Inner circle 2022 Posts |
Amazon review posted. An excellent addition to the Kindle market.
Charlie |
Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
Charlie,
Thanks so much! I've also added a bit in the explanation on the stage/parlor version of "Deal or No Deal," addressing what I call the "game premise" in magic. It is my belief that when a prize is offered, the spectator-participant must win it. I think the common presentation where a prize is offered and the magician walks away with it, is all wrong. |
ash2arani Special user 923 Posts |
I would like to add my thoughts on "Easy, Powerful Magic".
I did a receive a free review copy and I did go through the whole manuscript. Bear in mind, it was hard at first for me to think as a beginner and ignore the current information I have. So, as already mentioned, this is for beginners in magic. It packs a nice collection of cards and coin magic. I initially thought that having all these information released on Kindle is a bit too much for a beginner. However, the more I thought about it, this ebook gives a beginner a variety of material. Yes it is tricks but it also gives concepts. I personally liked the inclusion of presentations. The patter is not breakthrough but I feel when I started magic, I did not have my focus on presentations which I feel is a deadly mistake. So with patter and script, this book offers a beginner a lot more. The crediting was great as well and it gives nice 'extensions'. Overall, for a beginner, it has a lot of potential in getting exposed to various areas of magic. |
andykean Special user U.K - Now living in New Zealand Auckland 939 Posts |
Another brief review from a volunteer reviewer (free copy supplied)
I have to say first of all that it reminded me of when I first read Harry Loraynes the magic book, the material is far too good for a beginner, or is it? Maybe the thought put into this will stop the curious and encourage students? I guess the focus on presentations will hopefully at least, make all beginners who read it a little less "hackneyed" A great book for its target market I wish you every success. |
Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
Andy,
Thanks. Admittedly there's a line between the same old lousy non-tricks and exposing the good stuff. I feel because it's a print book, there's more "buy in" on the part of the reader. It's too easy to watch a You Tube video and ape some very bad magic. Thanks for taking the time to provide a review. |
Danyel Loyal user Italy 293 Posts |
I've read with great pleasure Darrin's book (deck and coins in hand). Great work, Darrin, your passion exhudes from the pages.
Hereafter the review I'm going to post on Amazon. ************************************************ "Easy, Powerful Magic" is a very good, if brief –and unusual, for today’s standards- introduction to magic, as well as to the magician’s way of reasoning. Aimed at the beginner, -useful for the seasoned too, because there are alternate, more demanding (but not difficult) handlings- the book is only apparently a collection of effects, 13 in total, 9 with cards. In reality, it is much more. In the first, rather than explaining technique apart from effects, the author explains techniques *via* the effects, which is very stimulating for a beginner. (Crow overcomes Kindle limitations by providing a YouTube video where everything is clearly shown); Secondly, he stresses in a non-trivial way the importance of the magician’s ethics (an interesting comment about gifts in a show) and code of behavior (*exemplo docet*: Crow gives everywhere credit for the effects, and quotes often his own mentor, a word which still means something, for some of us); Thirdly, Crow gives great importance to the least considered part of a magic performance: the presentation. I’m one of those who think that presentation is the 80%, so my opinion is somewhat biased, but starting this way, maybe later readers of this little gem will find into their hands the likes of Henning Nelms, Juan Tamariz, Darwin Ortiz –that is, magic with sense, rhytm, professionality (an amateur needs to be professional exactly like a pro, in my opinion). This is a very clever little book, worth a couple of shelves of today’s best-selling DVDs and PDFs aimed at boosting teen’s egos, rather than educating them to the Art as a discipline. If one is to fall in love with magic, it is thanks to authors like Crow.
'People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition
end by starving the best part of the mind' -William Butler Yeats |
Darrin Cook Special user 621 Posts |
Danyel,
Thanks for the very kind and well-written review. We're agreed on the importance of presentation. And as I began to see kids exposing tricks on You Tube, I was struck by the need for greater ethics, especially for beginners to magic. |
Danyel Loyal user Italy 293 Posts |
Sure, Darrin. As we are both educators, I understand very well your point.
I've had some problem with Amazon's account; in a couple of days it should be fixed, then I post it. Bye.
'People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition
end by starving the best part of the mind' -William Butler Yeats |
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