Skullduggery by Luke Jermay available for Instant Download at Talkmagic TV - click here for details
DISCLAIMER: This is my first review and I'm a total beginner (and that's why I'm not going to give marks). I post this because I couldn't find a review on TalkMagic (I looked for it before buying the PDF) and I thought that a beginner's review is better than no review. If you find mistakes, just PM me and I'll edit.
EFFECT (not really suitable)
7 unpublished routines to help boosting your readings.
COST
The PDF is available for £30 from http://www.lebanoncircle.co.uk
WHAT THEY SAY
From The Notebooks Volume 1 - Mystical Readings features 7 previously unpublished deceptions for the close up magician, mentalist and psychic entertainer. Drawn from the personal notebooks of Luke Jermay from a 10 year period these are routines that have all been tried and tested in front of real world audiences, they are ready made showpieces for you to instantly slip into your performances. These are routines that are best performed for small groups - in close up,walk around and intimate settings. No stages, assistants or massive audiences are needed. These demonstrations are as amazing to a group of 20 at a banquet table as they are a group of 3 in a bar or restaurant, making them versatile and practical for modern performers of all types.
The website of the Lebanon Circle also contains blurbs for each routine.
REVIEW
This is an excellent collection of routines that help improving dramatically the effect of any reading. The techniques described are extremely simple in principle, but each routine contain a full scripting and, which is the true value of this collection, a detailed description of the structure of the patters (i.e. according to which principles the patter are structured and worded in a certain way and what each part is intended to obtain). This gives excellent tools to adapt the principles to one's own style or performance.
Tarot Magic Bullet
This is an incredibly simple way for the reader to get very important insight about what the subject really cares about before the reading actually starts. This can boost the effectiveness of the reading immensely. It requires an Imp Pad.
Clearing Negative Energy
With the help of a pendulum, the reader helps the subject getting rid of negativity. In the meanwhile it helps creating rapport with the subject and gives you plenty of occasions to successfully acquire the informations from the Tarot Magic Bullet, to which this is the natural companion.
£1000.00 Palmistry
This is Luke's variation of Andy Nyman's "£1000 Graphology Routine". As I don't own the original Routine, I cannot say anything about this.
The Mind Museum
This is pure gold. A the end of this 3 phase "ritual" you will have connected with the subject, created a strong emotional rapport and acquired precious informations on where to lead your subsequent reading. This is well worth the full price of the book. The patter is so good that I could actually feel its emotional effectiveness just by reading it. I've read the same day this and Freddie Valentine's Tarots book and in the very same day I've been able to put together my very first personality reading (I didn't use tarots, though) for a random waitress with great success. I was amazed at how well this worked.
Instant Oracle
The reader present a strange "instant oracle" (basically a bottle with a pendulum and a card of prepared "predictions") as a curious novelty. After having played with the toy for a while, things get a strange twist. I think that a skilled performer could very well use in preparation of a Séance or similar themed night.
A Marked Personality
This is a quite basic prediction which involves a deck of card. The interesting part is that is structured as, once again, gaining precious loads of informations about your subject in the process of revealing his/her "lucky number". The reading following this prediction will be then stunningly more accurate.
Readers Alphabet
This is a very practical reading system based on the alphabet. Together with a good discussion on how to use it. There are plenty of ways to adapt it to other reading systems. For a beginner like me, this alone would have been worth the price of the whole book.
Conclusion
I love this. I find that several of the routines are excellent, but what is truly invaluable for me are the concepts and the methods which underlie. This is simply the perfect (readings oriented) companion to Luke's Building Blocks, something like an "exercises book". I cannot tell for experienced performers, but I highly recommend it for beginners. It's more than worth the modest price.
On a slightly negative note: this, as "Building blocks" could really use the work of a good proofreader, as it's full of typos and language mistakes. This is usually a huge drawback for me, but the contents are so good that I don't care in this case. Also, the organization of the information is a bit confusing at times, but considering that this is supposed to be taken from personal notes, it's quite expected.
I'm looking forward for Vol. 2.
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