Magic Review - The Nine of Diamonds
Title: The Nine of Diamonds Format: Book Creator: Edited by Mark Beecham & Neil Stirton Cost: $40.00 Skill Level: Inte
rmediate - Advanced Run Time: N/A Page Count: 140
www.vanishingincmagic.com Magician’s Choice Rating: 4/5
The Nine of Diamonds is a book of close up magic, that focuses primarily on cards, but there are coin effects as well.
A group of magicians meet in a bar to share their love of close up magic with each other, and this book is a collection of the club member’s favorite effects.
The book is well constructed with hard back and dust jacket. The book is well written and the photographs are clear. There are right around 80 photos over 140 pages, so there are plenty of images to help you learn this material.
In my opinion this material is really for the high level intermediate to advanced magician. Some of the required techniques are included in the book, and many if you are not familiar with them you will have to find elsewhere. That being the case, all the techniques are credited very well, and resources where you can find the information are in the crediting. None of the resources would be too difficult to find.
I have really enjoyed this book, and playing around with some of these effects. I was getting excited about the routines, just from reading the Sleights and Techniques section.
I really enjoyed all of the effects in the OK Show Me Something chapter but I think all of the material is worth studying. In particular, the effects that use different stacks. I don’t typically use much material that requires full deck stacks, but I found myself more intrigued than usual after reading these.
The coin section of this book, although I enjoyed it, nothing really knocked my sox off. Essentially the effects are handling variations on pretty standard effects. I don’t have anything bad to say about it, but I also don’t have anything remarkable to point out.
Overall I think this is a good book and I am pleased I picked it up. With 10 techniques, and 17 effects, I’m sure you will find something for you, and I think it is well worth the cost. It is very informative, and overall fun to read.
Contents:
Sleights and Techniques
Reguritator Revelation - a novel card revelation
Touch Reverse - unpublished Jack Parker move for switching and reversing a selected card
Angled Afterburner - Jason Alford's fantastic control
Plate Clip Displacement - method to displace a card in a spread on top of a deck to any location in the pack
FIRP - Gary Goldberg's obscure method of reversing a card during a faro shuffle
Popout Pass Revelation - a classic pass variation where a card pops out from the side of the deck
Third Finger Crease Grip - method for replacing breaks held in a small packet
Fiend Stack - how much can you cram into a stacked deck
Bart Harding Stack - details on the calculated deck of Bart Harding, courtesy of Alan Shaxon
Himber Vanish Variation - clean vanish of a coin
OK Show Me Something
(5 impromptu) Jack’s Departure from the Stage - convincing new approach to 'Point of Departure'
(5)Amass Aces - a beautifully choreographed collectors routine
Regurgitator - two cards "barf up" a selection
Radical Decency - two Jokers visually transform into two selected cards
Still Smiling - a new handling of a Roy Walton classic
Frankenstein's Bunny - four beautiful assistants help find a lost pet rabbit
Minus 52
A Small Price to Pay - a coin trick with three perfect predictions
Quick n Dirty Three Fly - coins across routine based around a new sleight
Quick n Dirty Hanging Coins - you'll swear trick coins are used, but not so
Zen Stack - hailed as the very best stack using Zenner (ESP) Cards
Some Assembly Required
I Don't Trost You - a spectator deals herself four Aces from a deck shuffled by multiple spectators
Buckley's Angels - new take on an Arthur Buckley miracle that'll blow your audience away
Another Flippin' collectors - a technicians approach to the Collectors plot
Sesame Street - A version of "do as I do" that will leave a lasting memory in the spectators minds
Lazy Man's Memory Test - astounding performance piece with a deck of cards
Two Faced Mother FIRPer - a magician fooler that will have them cursing you
Any Card at Any Number - amaze your fellow magicians, bore your friend