Description: Chris Kenner's kook is different than any other magic books you may own. The book comes in two parts: Totally Out of Control and Out of Control. The second half of the book (OOC) is printed upside down, so when you get to the end of the first off you flip the book end over end and continue reading.
What You Get: The book is hardback bound and has 183 pages of magical effects for you to enjoy. Throughout the book are simple entertaining visual puzzles for you to engage yourself in and you'll be having fun and learning at the same time. OH! And how could I forget the bedroom door hanger things to indicate to people to leave you alone as you read the book
Contents: You first get an introduction which is wrote by David Copperfield, then the Prelude written by Chris Kenner and then instructions on how to read the book! Contained within this book are 30 magicalities for your talented hands. The majority of the book is cards and coins but there are effects which use rubber bands, ropes, cigars, business cards and even your close-up pad! The teaching is all text, hand drawn pictures and typical CK-Humour
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Totally Out of Control
Missing Link: This is Chris Kenner's linking rubber bands routine. The method is slightly complex at first but as with everything, it gets easier as you practice it. This routine is VERY visual and should not be passed by.
Hellbound: I love this coin effect, not too hard but hard enough to keep you occupied for a while. This effect is similar to that of a spellbound coin routine. The magician changes a silver coin to a copper one, he changes it back again, but oh no! A clink! He shows the audience there are in fact two coins... But they're both silver!!! After a quick coins across, the coins change yet again into two copper coins and the hands appear to be empty.
Three Fry: You can find a simple version of this effect in the 1-on-1 section of the site. One at a time, three coins vanish and re-appear at the fingertips, but as a kicker, after they come back, they change into copper coins!
Perversion: This is Chris Kenner's inversion routine. For those of you unfamiliar, a card is selected and is placed back into the deck. The performer explains it's a bit of a "fidgety" card and spreads the deck to show it's actually turned over. Again the card is placed into the deck the way it should be, but alas the card reverses itself yet again. For a third and final time, the card is left cleanly sticking out of the deck and this time the rest of the deck visually turns face up as the cards are spread to show this. Short, snappy and very fun to perform!
Travlrs 1: As the name might suggest, this is Chris's take on Larry Jennings' Open Travelers. It starts off with an invisible palm type effect where the 4 aces on at a time visually and impossible travel to join each other from the hands to the table - which is VERY easy and very open. At the end you even get the spectator involved as you place 3 of the aces under their hand; you then place the final ace reversed in the deck, as quick as it's placed in you spread the deck to show it's gone! And under the spectators hand is the fourth and final ace. (no double backers and no dupes) I LOVE this one.
4 For 4 Switch: Again I refer the reader to the 1-on-1 section of the site. But for those of you who don't want to defer from this most excellent review, it allows for 4 cards to be switched in for any number of other cards invisibly and smoothly. The move is also pretty damn invisible if you do it right.
Diet: This is a fun one to perform. The 4 Kings are shown and explained to be "Kannibals". They munch down on 2 indifferent cards, but oh noes! they ate too much and as a result have transformed into the four 8's. Like I said, this is a fun one to perform and there's even a few things integrated to throw fellow magi off of your sweet methodical scent.
Aftershock: I haven't looked too much at this one because it involves something I don't have or intend to buy. The effect however does sound interesting and I might give it more of a read today. The description is this "This is a coin assembly with a killer twist. Four halves gregariously convene under a single playing card, one at a time. In an attempt for the last coin to travel, however, the other three vanish from under the card and join the one in the hands."
In Ten City: Another fun routine to perform. Two black tens are shown and rubbed face to face on the deck, after their gentle rubbing they are shown to have magitastically transformed into the two red tens! Suddenly one black ten appears face up on top of the deck and not wanting to be left alone, the other one flies out of the deck and into the other hand! The two black tens are displayed and with a wave they BOTH VISUALLY change into the two red tens. This routine is a personal favourite of mine, just for the double colour change at the end. You can see Michael Kent in the media section here.
Long Gone Silver: This is 3 coin vanish and reproduction is very well thought out and is designed to fool the eyes and the ears! You'll learn an very deceptive "click" pass in this routine - something Chris calls the Aerial Stealth Subterfuge (I'll let you figure out that one). Very fun to practice, but probably not something I personally would perform.
Menage Et Trois: Chris Kenner's Coins Across routine. VERY visual. One at a time, coins fly invisibly between the hands in the cleanest possible manner. This routine is really quite easy, it's ungimmicked and as previously stated VERY visual. You can see Katie Egleston perform this effect here.
Cloth and Pence: Again, not something I've read over in detail because it's not my style but I can imagine it and it does sound quite cool. Basically, 3 coins are placed into a silk/cloth. They completely vanish all at once, something impossible in itself. Then one at a time the coins are produced except for the last one, which the spectator produces invisibly, tosses it into the cloth where it can be heard to come back and join the other two. As I've said, not really something for me but is a very good effect in itself.
Well! That's the first half of the book, the Totally Out of Control half. In the next post you'll find a review of the effects in the other half and a summary of the book as a whole. So get yourself a cup of tea, a biscuit and scroll down
- Sean
What You Get: The book is hardback bound and has 183 pages of magical effects for you to enjoy. Throughout the book are simple entertaining visual puzzles for you to engage yourself in and you'll be having fun and learning at the same time. OH! And how could I forget the bedroom door hanger things to indicate to people to leave you alone as you read the book
Contents: You first get an introduction which is wrote by David Copperfield, then the Prelude written by Chris Kenner and then instructions on how to read the book! Contained within this book are 30 magicalities for your talented hands. The majority of the book is cards and coins but there are effects which use rubber bands, ropes, cigars, business cards and even your close-up pad! The teaching is all text, hand drawn pictures and typical CK-Humour
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totally Out of Control
Missing Link: This is Chris Kenner's linking rubber bands routine. The method is slightly complex at first but as with everything, it gets easier as you practice it. This routine is VERY visual and should not be passed by.
Hellbound: I love this coin effect, not too hard but hard enough to keep you occupied for a while. This effect is similar to that of a spellbound coin routine. The magician changes a silver coin to a copper one, he changes it back again, but
oh no! A clink! He shows the audience there are in fact two coins... But they're both silver!!! After a quick coins across, the coins change yet again into two copper coins and the hands appear to be empty.Three Fry: You can find a simple version of this effect in the 1-on-1 section of the site. One at a time, three coins vanish and re-appear at the fingertips, but as a kicker, after they come back, they change into copper coins!
Perversion: This is Chris Kenner's inversion routine. For those of you unfamiliar, a card is selected and is placed back into the deck. The performer explains it's a bit of a "fidgety" card and spreads the deck to show it's actually turned over. Again the card is placed into the deck the way it should be, but alas the card reverses itself yet again. For a third and final time, the card is left cleanly sticking out of the deck and this time the rest of the deck visually turns face up as the cards are spread to show this. Short, snappy and very fun to perform!
Travlrs 1: As the name might suggest, this is Chris's take on Larry Jennings' Open Travelers. It starts off with an invisible palm type effect where the 4 aces on at a time visually and impossible travel to join each other from the hands to the table - which is VERY easy and very open. At the end you even get the spectator involved as you place 3 of the aces under their hand; you then place the final ace reversed in the deck, as quick as it's placed in you spread the deck to show it's gone! And under the spectators hand is the fourth and final ace. (no double backers and no dupes) I LOVE this one.
4 For 4 Switch: Again I refer the reader to the 1-on-1 section of the site. But for those of you who don't want to defer from this most excellent review, it allows for 4 cards to be switched in for any number of other cards invisibly and smoothly. The move is also pretty damn invisible if you do it right.
Diet: This is a fun one to perform. The 4 Kings are shown and explained to be "Kannibals". They munch down on 2 indifferent cards, but oh noes! they ate too much and as a result have transformed into the four 8's. Like I said, this is a fun one to perform and there's even a few things integrated to throw fellow magi off of your sweet methodical scent.
Aftershock: I haven't looked too much at this one because it involves something I don't have or intend to buy. The effect however does sound interesting and I might give it more of a read today. The description is this "This is a coin assembly with a killer twist. Four halves gregariously convene under a single playing card, one at a time. In an attempt for the last coin to travel, however, the other three vanish from under the card and join the one in the hands."
In Ten City: Another fun routine to perform. Two black tens are shown and rubbed face to face on the deck, after their gentle rubbing they are shown to have magitastically transformed into the two red tens! Suddenly one black ten appears face up on top of the deck and not wanting to be left alone, the other one flies out of the deck and into the other hand! The two black tens are displayed and with a wave they BOTH VISUALLY change into the two red tens. This routine is a personal favourite of mine, just for the double colour change at the end. You can see Michael Kent in the media section here.
Long Gone Silver: This is 3 coin vanish and reproduction is very well thought out and is designed to fool the eyes and the ears! You'll learn an very deceptive "click" pass in this routine - something Chris calls the Aerial Stealth Subterfuge (I'll let you figure out that one
). Very fun to practice, but probably not something I personally would perform.Menage Et Trois: Chris Kenner's Coins Across routine. VERY visual. One at a time, coins fly invisibly between the hands in the cleanest possible manner. This routine is really quite easy, it's ungimmicked and as previously stated VERY visual. You can see Katie Egleston perform this effect here.
Cloth and Pence: Again, not something I've read over in detail because it's not my style but I can imagine it and it does sound quite cool. Basically, 3 coins are placed into a silk/cloth. They completely vanish all at once, something impossible in itself. Then one at a time the coins are produced except for the last one, which the spectator produces invisibly, tosses it into the cloth where it can be heard to come back and join the other two. As I've said, not really something for me but is a very good effect in itself.
Well! That's the first half of the book, the Totally Out of Control half. In the next post you'll find a review of the effects in the other half and a summary of the book as a whole. So get yourself a cup of tea, a biscuit and scroll down
- Sean
