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Tattoo is a colaborative cornucopia of mentalism effects in support of Alyssa Sparks who is currently giving some cancer a thrashing. It has contributions from Tony Eye, Tom Baxter, Kenton Knepper, Thom Bleasdale Dr. Bill Cushman Iain Dunford, Greg Arce, Rob Domenech, Christopher Carter, Brad Gordon, Paul Brook, Josh Zandman, Andrew Gerard, Jeff Richards, Dynamike, Drew McAdam, Jeff Travilla, Dave Koenig, Joshua Quinn, Don Theo III, Sean Waters, Dale Hildebrandt Andy Stephenson, Jerome Finley, Phill Smith, Bob Cassidy, Ray Noble, Jim Callahan/Mick Ayres, Chris Gould/Alexandre, Alain Nu/John Riggs, so fundraising aside, it is quite a work!

What's Inside?

There are 31 effects and 3 essays, and it would be impossible (well, improbable at least) for me to go into much detail, but here are some highlights:

Fear of 2, Greg Arce - a safe as safe can be smash and stab effect using pencils.
The Hateful Page, Iain Dunford - TM's very own mental hairbear's outside-the-box approach to book tests is a full-scale stage routine that has a selection method that is as far removed from any book test as you could want.
Name Strip, Drew Macadam - a very nice living-and-dead-style effect that gets fantastic mileage out of one simple bit of spectator management.
X, Andrew Gerard - an impossible card divination effect involving a genuinely sealed deck sent in the post, from which a participant selects a card, returns the complete deck, and yet the performer is able to determine the selection. A genuine reputation builder.
Black Saturday, Chris Gould and Alexandre - probably more significant for the principle as the routine itself, this takes an optical effect and uses it to create a powerfully clean foundation for manufacturing dual realities.

It's hard to find anything to say about the contents beyond their reflection of the generosity of the mentalism and magic community. There is, however, one thing worth noting, and that is the extent to which most effects put the participants in the heart of the action. This should pretty much always be our goal in mentalism and it's refreshing to see so many effects where this has been at the forefront of the creator's thinking. One of the effects, for instance, is an ID handling which is really just a presentational idea, but is a world away from the traditional "take them out of the case first" routining.

I think also there's a lot ot be said for these kind of collaborative books. You're exposing yourself to a wide variety of ways of thinking and performing, which I find to be quite invigorating when working out my own ideas.

That this is being sold for a good cause would be enough of a reason to buy it, but the book is a wealth of material and inspiration worth far more than the asking price.


Cost

$60


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)

Mostly 2, I think.


Overall

10/10

After reading this E-Book I was really amazed at the routines in it.

I just bought a new ID because I loved the NEW really cool presentation that is in this book.



Best
Ray

I have also read this book and its really nice.I'm just finished with "Mugabe" by David Smith & Colin Simpson (1981).

acluett89 wrote:I have also read this book and its really nice.I'm just finished with "Mugabe" by David Smith & Colin Simpson (1981).

And what a lot of people don't realise is that Robert Mugabe had a killer top change and did this awesome book test using the complete works of Beatrice Potter.

I remember that. The force word was Puddleduck.