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MagicTrainor New user New York 35 Posts |
THE TRICK: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=575
THE NUTSHELL: The perfect thing to get if you are having trouble deciding if mentalism is for you. THE REVIEW: Practical Mental Magic, by Theodore Anneman might set the standard for beginner mentalism books. It’s variety of material combined with it’s clear descriptions of effects ranks it close to such classics as Modern Coin Magic and Royal Road to Card Magic. I came out of this with very little that I’ll use. However, I am not disappointed. Why? Simply because the quality of the book is good, the price of the book is cheap, and the material in the book shows you what to expect from mentalism. Although the things in this book do not fit my style, I am grateful to have learned that with ten dollars down the drain rather than one hundred on a DVD set. I learned that mentalism is not for me, which saves me a lot of money in the long run. I’ll stick to the occasional mentalism of Astral Projection and of course the marked deck. Let me explain to you why I didn’t like the material in this book – personally – because I’m sure many of you will relate. A lot of the tricks and routines are prop-heavy or indirect. I want magic that I can do anywhere, anytime, and that for me constitutes cards, coins, and ordinary objects. Half of this book contains (contrary to the title) rather impractical tricks using Billets, Pellets, Publicity Effects, Envelopes, Slates, Blindfolds, Codes, come on! Don’t tell me this magic is practical and then require all these props and accessories. Way over half of the book’s material contains ridiculous preparation: earlier setup, construction of gimmicks, elaborate props, confederates, etc. Again, practical? If all of mentalism could be just a sequence of "I look into your eyes and reveal to you a thought" (ala marked deck), then I would definitely explore mentalism further. This was the impression that I had, spoiled by classic gimmicks like the Invisible Deck. But this book taught me another valuable lesson. Most of mentalism, it seems, is indirect. I want something that is in your face, no excuses mind-reading. However, a lot of the material I have found in this book dances around the effect and is guarded by the props. That said, with almost two hundred effects in here, I obviously found a few things that I enjoyed. And I also enjoyed learning the principles behind mentalism and about how it differs from standard magic. The book is well written, and whenever an illustration felt necessary, it was there. For those of you who own Royal Road to Coin Magic and Modern Coin Magic, this has the same format and the same company – I think. In terms of recommendations: If you are interested in mentalism, this is the place to start. As well as covering a broad range of effects, it will also give you a sneak preview of what mentalism is all about at a low price. From here you can decide whether this kind of magic is for you or not. If you are interested in mentalism and don’t mind the things I’ve listed above, then I highly recommend it. In terms of score: I have to take into consideration two things. First, it’s value as a resource and second, it’s value to me. All the points that are there have to do with it’s resourcefulness : price ratio. All the points that aren’t there have to do with the little use I got out of it. I give it a 6.5. |
Nir Dahan Inner circle Munich, Germany 1390 Posts |
Clearly this review shows you definitely are not a mentalist.
true some more "things" are needed when doing mentalism - but there is also a broad range of mental impromptu or semi impromptu effects. is it so hard to carry you nail writer with you? what about an ESP deck. or maybe a pad of paper? I guess you will grab your head in a few years and say - "why didn't I turn to mentalism when I first had the chance?" N. |
MagicTrainor New user New York 35 Posts |
Yes I am a magician. And that is a magician's perspective. If you'd like to write a review of this book from a mentalist's perspective, please do.
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mdspark Special user 784 Posts |
I think you will find that many mental effects do not nessecarily "read well" or give a good impression from the written page... My first impression was much like yours UNTIL....someone knocked me out with effects from that very book!
Often what appears to us as a huge discrepency or "indirect" is often glossed over and forgotten by the spectators and it is our job as a mentalist/performer to make sure that happens...but you are, of course, right. Mentalism is not for everyone. |
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