talkmagic.co.uk

by **Ant** » Jul 16th, '11, 17:34

The Effect

This book may seem like old news now, especially considering Paul's latest offering of his Q&A but I was surprised to find there was no review of this, although I could find one for Paul's one to one teaching session.

Cost
£18 from http://www.readerofminds.co.uk/

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)

When it comes to sleights etc. the one that is included is completely optional, however this work relies heavily on the presence of the person conducting proceedings and although Paul is quite modest about the role of the seance conductor I think confidence of performance will play a big part in getting this right.

Review

I REALLY liked this book. As is no secret on the boards, I am a very logical person and unlike Paul have little to no belief in this area, however I would not let this put you off if you are the same. The way this is written can and will work irrespective of your personal beliefs it is all about how you position and conduct proceedings.

The book comprises of 8 sections;

Introduction - A fantastic description of how to include all attendees, not just vehement believers.
Opening Routines - This lays important (I would argue psychological) foundations for the evenings entertainment. The "Ghost and Spirit Introduction" and "Temperature Fluctuations" in particular.
Readings - This does not really describe how to do readings, that is a separate article, it does however explain how to position these within the context of the nights proceedings.
Glass Moving - Fully scripted, lots of extra nuances included, as well as guidance and "outs" if required.
Séance - Again fully scripted with subtleties, outs, guidance, group control.
Toolkit - Everything you need for the night.
Marketing yourself - The ideas in here alone are probably worth the price in my opinion. Ways to arrange your own nights, places to approach etc.
Recommended Reading - "Books wot are good." This did make me chuckle but a useful resource of further reading which due to time of writing does not include any of Paul's successive and excellent works!

Overall

If this is an area of interest to you to perform I cannot think of any further reading material you would require. The book is succinct at 44 pages however this should not put you off, as I have found with this and Paul's other works there is no waffle - All killer, no filler as it were. Even for someone as sceptical as myself, I can see excellent opportunity to use the information within this booklet very successfully.

10/10