Mitox: The Falsely Spoken Word by Phill Smith
This is a new collection released by mentalist Phill Smith, who has just joined this forum. Phill pitched the book before its release as real, simple, and direct mentalism that you can do with a minimum amount of preparation.
He delivers on that promise. You do need a working knowledge of the history, theory, and methods of mentalism, so this is not a beginner's manual. He makes a lot of feints in the direction of the classics and provides a contemporary set of effects that are (mostly) impromptu, edgy, and powerful. He adds some essays on performance, how to think like a mentalist, and how to design effects that fit your own personal style. He also has fascinating quotes about the functioning of the brain, which start each chapter.
His thinking, in many cases is very innovative and lateral in ways that present daring solutions to perennial puzzles in mentalism. The 164 pages mix the description of the effects with the various essays, all of which are dotted with quirky humour and the usual British irony/sarcasm (and I mean that in a good way).
My favourite effects thus far are 'Left Brain/Write Brain', which is a fabulous colour and number prediction; 'Custard Booktest', which uses multiple phone books; 'Gagging Order', which presents a new twist on an old gag; his trio of graphology effects, and 'Surveyor's Matrix', which is a fantastic idea to close a show.
All in all, this gets the big thumbs up from me!






















