|
|
Seth speaks Inner circle New Mexico 1250 Posts |
I'm a bit surprised to hear zero buzz about this new mentalism series by Scott St. Clair, recently of Bloodsucker book test fame. I picked up a copy from the fine folks at Stevens Magic, partially because I was interested in his reading method, Cross My Palm, which currently is only available when one purchases Ratoon Vol. 1. The SME newsletter indicates it will soon be available for purchase on its own, however.
Subtitled "Mentalism You Can Count On"--the reason for that became much more clear after I read through the book. The majority of the book consists of mentalism that is based on numbers and mathematical principles. The first four effects can be performed separately, but Scott explains that he generally does all four together as a full set, saving the reveal learned in the first effect for the end. The first effect is called Signs of the Times (SOTT) and is possibly the easiest star sign divination ever! Now, Sudo's Eclipse is my go to for star signs, but I will give this a try. It isn't as elegant as Sudo's, but it is very quick and simple, though you are always left with two possibles (which you don't know) but one is much more likely, and Scott leads the reader through excellent ways to easily decipher which one without being suspected. This uses the calculator on a smartphone The next effect is The Path, a quick prediction effect using their phone's calculator and an imaginary number of fingers held up. It makes use of a startling number force that you cleverly input into their phone without even unlocking it! Then comes Calendoku, in which you are able to know a random number in a Google calendar of a random month that you never see. It also involves his unique take on the Acidus Novus. I think the effect is VERY smart and clever! The last in the initial set of four numerology effects is Reading the Signs, an effect with Tarot cards and a binary principle ruse to make use of the star sign info you got from the first effect, SOTT. Now we are done with the smartphone effects, and move on to some interesting essays on Center Tears, including Scott's very simple tear technique, and thumb writers, including a DIY method for adapting a cigarette case from Amazon into a compact carrier for an assortment of utility items. Then comes Quick Change, a non-math pseudo hypnosis effect using a common magic item that is used to convince someone pretty cleanly that you have influenced their memory and perception. You essentially show multiple spectators a coin at the same time, and one spec sees something quite differently than the rest. Personally, I rarely find pseudo hypnosis effects with physical objects to be convincing, but this one hits my "intrigue" button, so I will probably try it out at some point. The use of the item in question is quite clever, and two versions are given. Quince is the last effect, and it is one of my favorites of the book. It involves a super clever (and simple) math principle wherein the spec apparently chooses random numbers to arrive at a random year in history which they then Google, and you can immediately tell them the major event that happened that year, without knowing any of their original choices. Also, you can take it further and divine their star sign, by applying a slight variation on the first effect, SOTT. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I think it presents some strong mentalism that could play very well. Scott is a creative thinker, especially when it comes to clever and simple math principles. I do have some quibbles, though. Aside from a few minor font and formatting issues, the book is quite thin at only about 80 pages. I opted for the hardcover edition (because that was the only option to also receive his Cross My Palm reading system) and at over $100 with shipping, the price seems a bit excessive. Since Cross My Palm will soon be available on its own for (I believe) about $25, I would recommend getting the paperback version of Ratoon for about $55, as the content is otherwise the same. Additionally, the link provided in the book for Cross My Palm doesn’t work, so I have yet to see it. Stevens has legendary customer service, so I’ll get that sorted no problem, but still... Anyway, hope that provides some useful info for anyone on the fence. Seth |
Seth speaks Inner circle New Mexico 1250 Posts |
Whoops—forgot to post a link! Here it is:
https://www.stevensmagic.com/?s=ratoon&post_type=product Seth |
Seth speaks Inner circle New Mexico 1250 Posts |
Did I mention that Stevens Magic has legendary customer service..? Yup, it’s true. I’ve just been informed that Scott (the author) and Mark Stevens have already been working on fixing the (admittedly very minor) formatting issues in the book since I posted this review. Scott shares with me that all current owners of the limited edition hardcover will receive an updated link to the CMP reading system, and all of the font/formatting issues have been corrected in both editions, and are reuploaded and ready for printing so future owners will receive a corrected and pristine book.
I just want to reiterate how overall impressed I am with Ratoon, especially for performers looking to seamlessly incorporate a bit of modern technology into a mystical, oracular performance framework. Definitely recommended for serious mentalists! Btw, my magic minions were also able to get me a sneak peek at the upcoming Vol 2 of Ratoon, and I will try to post some thoughts about that one in the next few days (if folks would find that helpful). Thank you, Scott, for your contributions to the art and making your work available to everyone! Seth |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Latest and Greatest? » » Ratoon by Scott St Clair (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.03 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |