talkmagic.co.uk

The Effect
At Last
By Atlas Brookings

The mentalist jots down a random spur of the moment sentence on a piece of paper or business card and folds it up.
He then selects two spectators and asks explains that he will leave the room or they can leave the room and they are to decide between them which one will read the note (only one of them is to know the contents of the note).

When the group reconvene the mentalist states that they are to try to deceive him but after a short interrogation of each participant the mentalist can tell which of the spectators has read the note.

Cost
N/A
I proof read this for Atlas Brookings so it was free


Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

1 – some memorisation but very easy to do.

Review
The document itself is very well laid out and east to follow.

There are two routines given however plenty of data is provided for expanding this effect or making it more personal.


Overall
I would have to give it 9/10.
It is so simple to perform and it almost falls under the category of a naked effect (if you don’t mind carrying a pen and paper around all day in your hands or tucked under your …………
arm).

This type of effect suits my style of reading people, micro expressions etc. The impromptu nature of the effect really appeals to me and it is ideal for parlour.

There is a variation included which can be used for one to one but however, I feel it might give the game away a little.

The document is very well written, easy to understand and well laid out.

Note that it is based on principles similar to those in Jon Thompsons ‘Naked Mentalism’, so if you have read that and purchase this you might feel that you have this material already. But in saying that, I have read all 3 of the naked mentalism series and I never thought of using the principle in this way.

I had a lot of misses with the naked approach from naked mentalism one and two but I am pretty confident that Atlas’ effect will result in success every time.

I have tried out this effect and it has worked every time for me.

Regards,

Sea.

Sea,

I am glad that you liked it. It took me a moment to figure out what you were reviewing, as I changed the name of the effect to 'The Real Thing'. It offers both a lie detector effect and an incredibly clean mind reading effect.

For anyone interested, the description of the effect is below, and the effect can be found in the new Psycrets book LIBER MENTIS.

Ad Copy:

A great impromptu routine! Any time you are asked to perform a feat of mind reading, all you need is a pen and something to write on. On five (or more) different pieces of paper (business cards work well) you write a unique sentence, folding each card as you finish.

The participant takes all five pieces of paper, and while you turn around (or leave the room), opens one and reads it.

Once this is done, the Mentalist returns and has a short chat with the spectator. They can then tell them the sentence they were thinking of. The papers stay in the participant's possession the entire time.

No peeking, no confederates, no dirty work - Just REAL psychological Mentalism.

What do other Mentalists think?


"At last a routine where you really are doing what you claim! This is a fantastic concept that Atlas has expanded greatly. It has the feeling of real mentalism because it IS real mentalism."
- Marc Paul

"Page six of your manuscript is worth whatever you end up charging for it."
- Dave Arch

"I really enjoyed 'The Real Thing'...The core of the effect uses pure psychology which is just the ticket. The way in which this has been used to create a nice little lie-detector routine is very clever indeed."
- Derek Heron

"I must say I really enjoyed reading 'The Real Thing'. If nothing else, it has gotten me thinking and that's when I know I'm taken by an idea."
- Nique Tan

"Thank you for making my copy of 'Naked Mentalism' relevant again!"
- Aaron Alexander

"Atlas has open up a world of possibilities here. Using this knowledge you can play mind detective and catch your criminal every time. Very sneaky stuff. Excellent."
- Greg Arce

"When I first released Naked Mentalism back in 2007, I hoped that others would run with it and create simple, subtle, yet powerful effects that really do feel real. With 'The Real Thing', Atlas has certainly done that. It's a tour de force; intelligent, clean and yet very reliable. Lovely work."
- Jon Thompson