After reading rave reviews on the Café about the work Atlas Brookings I was curious as to what all the fuss was about.

So I took the plunge and invested in one of his works. His thinking was highly impressive and It was clear from the off that he had invested a lot of time in thinking his material through.

Naturally this wasn't to be my last purchase from him, the second was as equally as impressive as the first and I've adopted many elements of his thinking within my own work.

Keen on hearing a little more about him I made contact, we exchanged emails and shared some thoughts then out of the blue I receive an email from him detailing a routine he has titled "The Crusade".

I was very intrigued and began to work my way through the pages....

Let me say this. I rarely post unless I feel so strongly that an item is worthy of everyone's attention.

"The Crusade" is a true piece of art and I have no hesitation in saying that this will become the go to effect for any mentalist who utilises cards within their work.

Atlas has taken a whole new approach to the "Grail" and the results are highly satisfying. I promised not to spoil all the fun but let me share some thoughts on why this piece is so unique.

There are countless methods for the ACAAN plot yet to date I've never found any in which the mentalist plays an "active role" in facilitating the effect. In this offering the mentalist gets all of the credit for discerning a genuinely thought of card and a genuinely thought of position.

This piece of work is simply stunning and I say this honestly and wholeheartedly from experience. The reaction to this effect is exactly what I would expect of "The Grail" and more.

I could go on all day talking about the conditions of this effect, how fair it is but this effect deserves far more. Although this will be compared by many to the previous efforts in finding "The Grail" this is so much better, this is "The Crusade" and it is beautiful!

I have been delighted with everything I've purchased from Mr Brookings. If this lives up to his previous material we could be in for something very special. Fingers crossed!

Atlas is a very very clever guy and one of the nicest guys in mentalism. I'm looking forward to hearing more about the crusade.

Mark

The best thing about the ACAAN releases is the themed naming. I love the Crusade idea! For the next ACAAN I propose Foucault's Pendulum.

He is a very nice guy and is a rare talent. Believe me this work will surpass all expectations!

Best Wishes Michael

Hi All,

I had the opportunity to review an early draft of "The Crusade" and agree entirely with Celebrity's comments. I've performed The Crusade a number of times and it is a killer. Everything appears above board and totally fair. You can use any deck and you're ready to go. I don't know if this is available now, but I know you'll really enjoy this.

Regards, Steve

In a bid to keep everything factually correct I must make mention of a key player in this work. Due entirely to my enthusiasm I neglected to mention that this effect is infact the creation of Andrew Brown.

Andrew passed this idea on to Atlas and the pair worked together to finalise this masterpiece.

On that note I'd like to both apologise for not mentioning Andrew in my original post and would also like to congratulate him on this superb piece of mentalism.

I sincerely look forward to hearing more about your work.

Andrew and Atlas you make a great team!

Best Wishes Michael

Thanks Michael, Mark, Martin, and Steve. It was surprising to see all the outpouring of support and kindness for my books on this thread!

And thank you for remembering to mention my good friend Andrew Brown. I was just about to make a similar post myself!

I've always thought that two heads are better than one, as that extra perspective lends depth to a creation and I've always found Andrew's perspective direct, ingenious, and refreshing! He is the type that offers up little ideas that are firecrackers just waiting for the fuse to be lit.

I am pleased at the way this collaboration between myself and Andrew has come together, and I am sure that others will be too!

As Michael suggested earlier, this is a sort of relaunch of the ACAAN plot - specifically for a Mind Reader. For those who are curious, the first few pages from the book are below. (Paperinick - this may interest you, in light of your comment about how on Earth these things get their names...)

Best,

Atlas


Imagine it:

The cards rest on the table in front of your first participant, who gingerly takes them up and begins to count down to his secret number - a number that has never been written down, verbalized, or communicated to any other person.

He counts down slowly, card after card, and then, abruptly, stops. He pauses and sets this last card aside. He has never said a word about his number. There is no way that you could have known what it was. He is confident of that.

He slides the card across to the young lady next to him. Her thoughts have been focused on an image - a suit and a value. Again, her choice of card has never been shared. It has never been withdrawn from the pack, never touched and certainly not forced.

She could have been thinking of any card in this deck.

Her hand drifts toward the card on the table. The one separated just now by her boyfriend from the rest of the pack. The one resting at the number that her lover was merely thinking of.

She hesitates.

The deck is their own, they shuffled it before you ever touched it. They called all the shots every step of the way.

Neither participant has ever given any indication what it was that they were thinking of, and neither believes in the ability to read minds... and yet...if the card she was merely thinking of is here, at the number that he was merely thinking of...

As though she is reaching out to touch her own delicate skepticism, her fingers flit tentatively across the card on the table - her card.

And as she reveals its face, she gasps - it is the Queen of Clubs - but it is more than that. It is belief, radiant and beautiful and glorious, a moment of dawning acceptance that will be remembered because it defied all her reason and filled her ideology with doubt.

It is a moment of pure enchantment.

And you made it happen with a borrowed deck of cards that they shuffled before you ever started.
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________________________________________________________________

Before we look at anything even remotely to do with methodology, let's first take a moment to examine the origins of this title. This exercise is undertaken in the hope that you will find beauty in its layered complexity and reassure yourself that the same sort of attention to detail and search for perfection in arriving at a title for this book is the standard offered by these authors throughout this document.

Why is this called 'The Crusade: A Mind Reader's ACAAN'?

To many in the magic industry and to card magic enthusiasts especially, the 'Any Card At Any Number' plot is a cherished and well-loved miracle. It's perfect execution is so highly prized and sought after that it has popularly referred to among card enthusiasts as the 'Holy Grail'.

That begs the question - was this title merely a clever play on words? It is true that the Crusades and The Holy Grail are linked in popular lore. But while the association is appealing, there is more at work here than just opportunistic wordplay.

You see, the Holy Grail was the destination, the final prize at the end of these beloved stories of noble knights and daunting expeditions, whether they have their basis in fact or fiction. It bears emphasizing once more – the Grail was the destination.

The merits of the ACAAN effect have been argued back and forth for many years in the magic community.

For some, their appreciation for the effect is akin to that of a fine wine and their devotion to it never wavers.

Others, however, despise the plot and note sourly that the reaction from the audience is frequently less than enthusiastic. One person names a card and the other names a number and lo and behold – they match! It is over so quickly that it often plays as a puzzle rather than as an amazing feat that fills a person with wonder.

The argument rages back and forth, and fruitful and enlightening perspectives have emerged. Some claim that the weaknesses lie in a lack of performance ability. Others argue that the plot is fundamentally unappealing to any demographic but magicians.

The most experienced among us have consistently demonstrated that an individual will fail to recall the workings of a puzzle, but when they are escorted into an experience that fills them with wonder - when you take them on a journey that creates that wonder - they will never forget their sense of amazement or the guide lit their path.

So, in the title 'The Crusade', you have a reminder that what you are presenting is about the journey and not the mythical Holy Grail that is at the end of it. The Crusade was the colloquial term for the period of endeavor and the path to virtue – NOT the destination – which, in many ACAAN plots is arrived at too quickly to have any impact.

One other important point about the title of this book. The root of the word 'Crusade' is the Latin word cruc or crux – meaning cross.

And, of course, a cross is formed at two points of intersection. And what is an intersection but the place where the roads taken by two different travelers on two unique journeys meet?

The moment of meeting is what this effect allows you to create, when the card that one person only thought of intersects at the number another person only thought of – the journey that you created for each of them becomes the destination, and an experience is formed that will create a sense of amazement whose memory will never fade.

To a performer, that is The Holy Grail.

And the path to the Grail is through the Crusade.

Well, after reading Atlas' post and loving his previous releases I have to say I'm disappointed at the sound of this.

How could it possibly live up to that beautifully written description?

It can't.

This will be rubbish. Something that won't match the hype. Waste of time.

Ah crap, who am I kidding. It will be brilliant, well thought out, workable and more than worth every penny and I can't wait to find out more.

Where can I buy this miracle?

Atlas is a top guy and having some of his material already I know this is going to be a gem!

Any release date yet?

Kieran

Well, the prose was a little "purple" and "Oprah-esque" for my tastes, but the effect sounds terrific.

I do wonder if Atlas and Andrew have fully thought through the name of their effect though. The word "crusade" now has EXTREMELY negative connotations among certain communities. We live in strange times and there are some strange folk out there. I'm not sure this is the best time to be launching a new "Crusade"!

Hello everyone,

Kieran, thanks very much for your confidence - it's very kind of you to say!

Funnybaldbloke - I love how you've hedged your bets! You will be right about this one way or the other!

Cirrus and anyone else who is wondering, I have to verify this with Andrew, but we expect to price the book at $27.00 and are aiming for a release date of June 28th. I will verify that date once I receive confirmation from Andrew.


Best,

Atlas

Atlas,

Not so much a case of hedging my bets as knowing full well you'll be getting a PayPal notification from me sometime around the end of June.

If its half as good, and as useful, as The Prodigal then it's money well spent.

I was once in an episode of Crimewatch but I don't like to talk about it.

Tony

Count me in Atlas, this sounds like it's going to be another great release from you.

~ Nique

I look forward to some non biased reviews on this one.

I can assure you Pegasus that when I post my review it will be completely unbiased. I am looking forward to this though, as Mr Brookings other work has been top notch.

Therefore, Martin, my purchase rests squarely on your review. Many thanks.

I'll try not to let you down.

Michael : Thank you for your kind words and overview of The Crusade . it has been a pleasure for me to receive emails from Atlas where he has forwarded onto me comments from guys who have been asked to test the effect in the real world under various performing conditionings.

Atlas: for me this has been a wonderful collaboration of my creative ideas and your real world worker insights of performing . Together the effect has been looked at from numerous angles , refined then refined further . Your passion and enthusiasm has taken a few pages of scribbled notes on the premise, principle and scripting to a now fully completed book . Thank you my friend and I look forward to meeting up with you in person when you come and live in England in the near future .

Potential buyers: Atlas has already built up a good reputation for himself and his effects , we are both determined that buyers make an informed decision about purchasing The Crusade . I shall do my best to answer any questions to assist in buyers deciding if the effect is suitable for them .

Best wishes

Andrew