Hi everyone, this is my first review, and I just knew it had to be done.
I got Carneycopia last week, and I have not been able to put it down, it is simply one of, if not the greatest magic purchase I have ever made. It even completes with the Art of Astonishment in terms of practicality, and how well it is written. I bought it here for $80, and it is definitely worth it.
To begin with, there are a whopping 43 effects contained in this book, and every single one is extremely practical, and contains John Carney's gutsy style of magic.
I obviously can't review all 43 here, so I've picked around 15 effects to run through with you all. These effects are not necessarily better than others, they're just the ones I'm most likely to use.
But.... before I get to the tricks, I'd just like to talk about everything contained in the introduction. There are actually 3 introductions, written by Michael Skinner, Mike Caveney, and Stephen Minch respectively. These discuss John's attitude towards magic, and himself as a person, they are all great reads. But what's written after these is the greatest thing in the book: John's essay entitled, 'Secret Philosophy'.
Holy Crap. It is without a doubt the best thing I have ever read.
It is, in summary, a 19 page essay on.. magic. It's that simple. If I knew this stuff when I started, I would be easily twice as good as I am now. Thank God I got this book, just for this essay.
Ok... let's get to the tricks. This book may have been written 18 years ago, but that does not mean the effects are not as good as modern tricks. Quite the opposite in fact, if everyone read this book, the magic community would be a better place.
Predictable Surprise
A prediction is written on a napkin. Then a card is selected, the napkin is turned over and the card is a perfect match. The card is then placed in the deck, which is riffled, and their card is located under the napkin.
Impressions: Wow. You guys had better get used to this cheeky style of magic, every trick is loaded with it. I'll definitely be using this trick, I just have to carry around a napkin, although it is easily possible to use a piece of paper.
Straggler
Thought modern magic was the only visual stuff? Think again. A card is selcted and returned. The deck is then placed inside a napkin. With a snap of the fingers, one card visually penetrates the napkin. Shamefully, it's not the selection. So the performer tries again. Snap of the fingers, and another card falls through. Wrong card again. Frustrated, the performer snaps his fingers and the entire deck flows through the napkin, except one card, the selection.
Impressions: Typical Carney, hit 'em when they least expect it
But seriously, how good is this trick? I mean damn, just reading the effect made me jizz in my pants. (Mods, edit if necessary) Another sneaky method, but definitely practical.
Soft Glass
A coin penetrates a glass, extremely visually, as many times as the performer wants. Then to prove the glass is real, the glass is wrapped in a napkin. (See a pattern?) The coin then penetrates the glass and napkin and falls onto the table. The napkin is then crushed, and the glass has vanished.
Impressions: This is better than I could ever explain. I'm not a coin guy, but this trick has converted me. People trying to invent a coin through glass should look at this, it already has about 3 original techniques people could learn from.
Ethereal Pack
A card is selected and placed in the centre of the deck. The deck is then smacked, and the top card is turned over, it's the joker, which the performer is told is not the selection. The deck is then shuffled and cut, and the top card is turned over again. Joker again. The joker is placed in the middle of the deck, and the cards are smacked again. The performer states that smacking the deck so hard could cause their card to jump to the bottom. The bottom card is shown, the joker. Frustrated, the performer puts the joker in his pocket. The deck is smacked and the top card is turned over. THE JOKER. The performer gives up, and causes the entire deck to vanish, except one card, the selection.
Impressions: Wowwwww, at the moment, this is my favourite trick in the book, you can see why. Despite its length and apparent difficulty, it is surprisingly simple to accomplish. Especially the deck vanish. People with this book will admire this trick to its full potential.
Inscutable
Very similar to Ethereal pack, but there is no selection, only the performer trying to find the aces. One by one, the performer pulls cadrs out, thinking they are the aces, each one is a joker, one by one these 3 jokers are placed on the table, and another 'ace' is pulled out, another joker. Frustrated, the performer waves the joker over the other jokers, turning them all into the aces.
Impressions: Sorry about the crappo summary, but this truly is a spectacular effect, with a surprise ending. I'll use it for sure, but Ethereal pack still has my preference.
Half Dollars in the Mist
A 'skyhook' routine. 2 Coins are shown, one is picked up, vanished, and placed on a 'skyhook'. The other coin is picked up, vanished, and placed on a 'skyhook'. The performer pulls these coins from the skyhooks and makes them reappear. Completely visual and non gimmicked.
Impressions: Again, I'm not a coin guy, but wowwwww. This effect will take guts to perform, because of the gutsy method, but I'm practicing and will hopefully perform at school next week. A real magician fooler.
Fruit Cup
Using a bill, a coffee cup and a knife. A bill is borrowed from someone and crumpled into a ball. The coffee cup is lifted and the bill is underneath it. The bill is then passed through the bottom of the cup twice, then on the 3rd time the cup is lifted and there is a lemon underneath it. The lemon is cut open and the bill is inside. It really is the same bill, can be signed or marked.
Impressions: Hehehe. Hehe. This effect rocks my socks baby, simply because it really is the same bill. Not much I can say about it but... hehe.
Australian Aces
The deck is shuffled and four cards are removed by the spectator, these are placed on the table. The performer then states that whatever the value of the card, he will put that many cards behind it, say, if the card is a seven, a pile of seven cards will be placed down. After all 4 piles of cards are laid down, the piles are turned over, revealing an ace on each pile.
Impressions: Despite the apparent simplicity of it, it is not one fo those self working maths based effects, although it is almost self working. You only need one sleight (or 2 depending on how you present the start), but it is extremely easy, and it doesn't even have to be done well, because like many of John's routines, all the problems can be solved with misdirection. (Which has an entire section in the essay)
Suicide Match
A wave over a box of matches, and it opens itself, and one match slides itself out. It's that simple.
Impressions: A great opener to any match routine, such as Warning, or anny voodoo style effect. It does involve a slight gimmick, but with practice it can even be created under your specators' noses.
Logical Bill Trick
A bill is borrowed, and folded. One at a time, three coins emerge from the folded bill, which when unfolded, changes into a hundred.
Impressions: Surprisingly simple, using no tough sleights, so it should be fun to perform. I'm working on it, but Australian money is very unforgiving when it comes to magic. You Aussies know what I'm talking about.
Continued.....
I got Carneycopia last week, and I have not been able to put it down, it is simply one of, if not the greatest magic purchase I have ever made. It even completes with the Art of Astonishment in terms of practicality, and how well it is written. I bought it here for $80, and it is definitely worth it.
To begin with, there are a whopping 43 effects contained in this book, and every single one is extremely practical, and contains John Carney's gutsy style of magic.
I obviously can't review all 43 here, so I've picked around 15 effects to run through with you all. These effects are not necessarily better than others, they're just the ones I'm most likely to use.
But.... before I get to the tricks, I'd just like to talk about everything contained in the introduction. There are actually 3 introductions, written by Michael Skinner, Mike Caveney, and Stephen Minch respectively. These discuss John's attitude towards magic, and himself as a person, they are all great reads. But what's written after these is the greatest thing in the book: John's essay entitled, 'Secret Philosophy'.
Holy Crap. It is without a doubt the best thing I have ever read.
It is, in summary, a 19 page essay on.. magic. It's that simple. If I knew this stuff when I started, I would be easily twice as good as I am now. Thank God I got this book, just for this essay.
Ok... let's get to the tricks. This book may have been written 18 years ago, but that does not mean the effects are not as good as modern tricks. Quite the opposite in fact, if everyone read this book, the magic community would be a better place.
Predictable Surprise
A prediction is written on a napkin. Then a card is selected, the napkin is turned over and the card is a perfect match. The card is then placed in the deck, which is riffled, and their card is located under the napkin.
Impressions: Wow. You guys had better get used to this cheeky style of magic, every trick is loaded with it. I'll definitely be using this trick, I just have to carry around a napkin, although it is easily possible to use a piece of paper.
Straggler
Thought modern magic was the only visual stuff? Think again. A card is selcted and returned. The deck is then placed inside a napkin. With a snap of the fingers, one card visually penetrates the napkin. Shamefully, it's not the selection. So the performer tries again. Snap of the fingers, and another card falls through. Wrong card again. Frustrated, the performer snaps his fingers and the entire deck flows through the napkin, except one card, the selection.
Impressions: Typical Carney, hit 'em when they least expect it
But seriously, how good is this trick? I mean damn, just reading the effect made me jizz in my pants. (Mods, edit if necessary) Another sneaky method, but definitely practical.
Soft Glass
A coin penetrates a glass, extremely visually, as many times as the performer wants. Then to prove the glass is real, the glass is wrapped in a napkin. (See a pattern?) The coin then penetrates the glass and napkin and falls onto the table. The napkin is then crushed, and the glass has vanished.
Impressions: This is better than I could ever explain. I'm not a coin guy, but this trick has converted me. People trying to invent a coin through glass should look at this, it already has about 3 original techniques people could learn from.
Ethereal Pack
A card is selected and placed in the centre of the deck. The deck is then smacked, and the top card is turned over, it's the joker, which the performer is told is not the selection. The deck is then shuffled and cut, and the top card is turned over again. Joker again. The joker is placed in the middle of the deck, and the cards are smacked again. The performer states that smacking the deck so hard could cause their card to jump to the bottom. The bottom card is shown, the joker. Frustrated, the performer puts the joker in his pocket. The deck is smacked and the top card is turned over. THE JOKER. The performer gives up, and causes the entire deck to vanish, except one card, the selection.
Impressions: Wowwwww, at the moment, this is my favourite trick in the book, you can see why. Despite its length and apparent difficulty, it is surprisingly simple to accomplish. Especially the deck vanish. People with this book will admire this trick to its full potential.
Inscutable
Very similar to Ethereal pack, but there is no selection, only the performer trying to find the aces. One by one, the performer pulls cadrs out, thinking they are the aces, each one is a joker, one by one these 3 jokers are placed on the table, and another 'ace' is pulled out, another joker. Frustrated, the performer waves the joker over the other jokers, turning them all into the aces.
Impressions: Sorry about the crappo summary, but this truly is a spectacular effect, with a surprise ending. I'll use it for sure, but Ethereal pack still has my preference.
Half Dollars in the Mist
A 'skyhook' routine. 2 Coins are shown, one is picked up, vanished, and placed on a 'skyhook'. The other coin is picked up, vanished, and placed on a 'skyhook'. The performer pulls these coins from the skyhooks and makes them reappear. Completely visual and non gimmicked.
Impressions: Again, I'm not a coin guy, but wowwwww. This effect will take guts to perform, because of the gutsy method, but I'm practicing and will hopefully perform at school next week. A real magician fooler.
Fruit Cup
Using a bill, a coffee cup and a knife. A bill is borrowed from someone and crumpled into a ball. The coffee cup is lifted and the bill is underneath it. The bill is then passed through the bottom of the cup twice, then on the 3rd time the cup is lifted and there is a lemon underneath it. The lemon is cut open and the bill is inside. It really is the same bill, can be signed or marked.
Impressions: Hehehe. Hehe. This effect rocks my socks baby, simply because it really is the same bill. Not much I can say about it but... hehe.
Australian Aces
The deck is shuffled and four cards are removed by the spectator, these are placed on the table. The performer then states that whatever the value of the card, he will put that many cards behind it, say, if the card is a seven, a pile of seven cards will be placed down. After all 4 piles of cards are laid down, the piles are turned over, revealing an ace on each pile.
Impressions: Despite the apparent simplicity of it, it is not one fo those self working maths based effects, although it is almost self working. You only need one sleight (or 2 depending on how you present the start), but it is extremely easy, and it doesn't even have to be done well, because like many of John's routines, all the problems can be solved with misdirection. (Which has an entire section in the essay)
Suicide Match
A wave over a box of matches, and it opens itself, and one match slides itself out. It's that simple.
Impressions: A great opener to any match routine, such as Warning, or anny voodoo style effect. It does involve a slight gimmick, but with practice it can even be created under your specators' noses.
Logical Bill Trick
A bill is borrowed, and folded. One at a time, three coins emerge from the folded bill, which when unfolded, changes into a hundred.
Impressions: Surprisingly simple, using no tough sleights, so it should be fun to perform. I'm working on it, but Australian money is very unforgiving when it comes to magic. You Aussies know what I'm talking about.
Continued.....
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