The Effect
A story is told about a fortuneteller. As the mage tells his story, he illustrates it using old tarot cards. Regardless of the choices made, one always meets death. However, death is a better option than who he truly meets at the end. The surprising revelation will leave your audience gasping!
This piece of bizarre magic can be performed quickly or with more of a story depending on your audience. It is a piece that really packs a punch and allows you to focus on your storytelling and your audience.
You get three handmade, hand cut and hand aged cards. No three are exactly alike, so your set is unique. You also get a handmade and aged envelope for the cards, and an instruction booklet. The booklet is full color, professionally printed 8 1/2" X 11" saddle stitched book that explains all of the working and three different routines. No photocopied pages here.Cost
$25 (£16) from
http://www.paulprater.com/paulprater2.23_015.11Difficulty
(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)
I'd say a three, though with the subtle gimmicking it's verging on a two
Review
I'm not a huge fan of 'tricks' with Tarot cards, it seems incongrous and for any laity with an interest in Tarot, disrepectful, like performing cups and balls with the skulls of saints. This however caught my eye as the effects took place within the context of a story based reading.
You are supplied with three different 'stories' to hook the effect onto, each very different, the props and the method used in a very professionally put together book. As with all bizarre magic, the story is vital, without it you are simply performing a card trick, with it, you can create a unique and very atmospheric piece. The approach I followed was to read through each treatment to get ideas, then scripted my own to match my persona and the location it is being performed in. That way I could sneak in a little local colour as well as some of my own descriptive touches. Which is not to say the included tales are not up to scratch, (pardon the pun) rather that it has to suit me, others may perfer to stick a little closer to the original treatments.
The mechanics of the moves involved are relatively simple (if I can manage them, they must be) which leaves you able to concentrate on weaving the tale, the props look authentically aged and are subtly gimmicked to make life easier though not obviously so. Whilst not an immediate concern to me, the effect is instantly resetable and the props can be examined at the end of the routine (though if my specs are busily examining the props at the end rather than just sitting there looking uneasy, I'd say I've failed in my intention).
This isn't for everyone, if performed in a throwaway fashion as the follow up to ACR or a sponge ball routine it will disappoint, in the right place at the right time it's a keeper.
Overall
A solid 9/10, I Ioved this effect from the moment I took it out of the envelope.