Reading the title and the blurb and seeing the demo, I was hoping that John had invented the perfect impromptu trick we all dream of. Just one prediction that was always convincingly right whichever of eight choices were made. Dream on! Sorry but, for me the outcome here is more likely to be embarrassing than magical.
John has a great reputation for card magic, which I am only mildly interested in, so learning that he was using his creative skills in another field got me quite excited.
I can think of ways to tighten this up considerably but I cannot say much more without revealing the secret of Miracle Method.

What I would say on this is if you are an intermediate mentalist keep using your Equi routine if you have one.

To me and this is only me as I'm the only person I've consulted with so far, there is so much fiddling in this. Equi is actually easier.

This isn't quite as impromptu as I would have hoped. But wow, it can be a miracle...some of the time.

Yes, you can use found objects in a restaurant, coffee bar, stuff in your spectator's pocket/purse. But there is that tiny, necessary setup, too. How you gather your random objects while also drawing in the setup isn't covered. I can certainly work it out on my own, but it would have been nice to hear Mr. Carey's experience in this. Perhaps your simplest bet is to walk around with your 8 objects ready to perform, so that no attention is drawn to your setup. But then this is not impromptu.

This could be a miracle, yes, but it also could become very routine-y. So much so that your audience begins to feel "something's going on here...I'm being duped..." Your job as a performer is to make the routine seem natural, to roll with whatever happens.

Personally, I love this kind of challenge, it really helps me connect with the spectator. But you have to ask yourself how comfortable you are handling randomness. (You can't ever show that something random throws you off.) Each step of the routine actually IS random, which is a big plus, if you can maximize it to your advantage. It all comes down to your presentation. Mr. Carey's video has three full performances, which help a lot.

Bottom line: This is not quite as impromptu as I would have hoped, and the "wow" factor for your audience will vary from performance to performance. That said, I really like this, and I'll certainly be performing it — quite a lot. I think if you are new to magic and are interested in mentalism, learning this routine will open up a lot of doors for your understanding of how many such routines work.

If you're thinking of getting this trick, I think it'd be best to first ascertain what type of mentalism experience/knowledge you have.

If you're a beginner, get it. You'll learn a basic, foundational way of thinking that will introduce you to the sneakiness that is mentalism. This is a very easy trick that you will be able to perform right away once you're familiar with the patter and the outs.

If you're intermediate or advanced, I believe you will likely already have come by this method organically on your own or through other tricks you've purchased.

This isn't a bad trick at all. In fact, it's a trick that will not fail you ever, as all your outs are already built into your presentation. So, it's a safe one. If you're a beginner mentalist, perhaps this would be one of the first tricks you should learn.

Some of you, on seeing the explanation, might think, "wait. that's it?!! that's too simple!" But to that comment, I reply this: some of the best solutions are simple. Don't think that this trick is not good enough for your repertoire just because you can actually do it without 3 days of practice. Sometimes, simple is better. That said, I do have to admit, I had that exact reaction. It's so basic, so fundamental.

But remember this... DON'T UNDERESTIMATE SIMPLE. To laymen, everything can be magic if you perform it right... even the simplest of tricks. A svengali deck can seem very basic... but if you're a good performer, a svengali deck can kick some butt! Look at Gazzo with his Cups and Balls routine. Even though Cups and Balls is a very old and well-known routine, he takes his sweet time with it and makes it an entire entertaining show on its own. I mean, I can't believe how many extremely BASIC tricks are on America's Got Talent... but the magicians often still kill it on that show. So, accept the challenge... if you have miracle method, use your personal style and embellish this to make it something wonderful, a true miracle.

I do think that this is priced too high. I think $4.95 is more on target. But John seems like a super nice and likeable guy, so whatever.

So, to summarize... if you're new to mentalism, definitely get this. This is a footer for your foundation. If you have any mentalism experience whatsoever, it's very likely that this will be a "been there, done that" trick, so save your money.

(By the way, I always try to be honest and straightforward in my reviews, while being respectful to the magician. If you appreciate my reviews, can you please click the "Yes" button below beside the question, "Did this review help you?" It's not like I actually benefit in any way by your clicking it... but it would be nice to see if my reviews are helpful or not. I hope they are. If you ever have suggestions or comments or questions about my reviews, please feel free to leave me a constructive comment. I'm just trying to be helpful. I love the Penguin community and hope that I can someday contribute my own product. :-) Thanks for reading and for any (hopefully positive, but either way, at least kind) feedback!)

Unfortunately this effect ranges from the potential of smack in the face awesome strong mentalism to a mediocre prediction after a decidedly elongated mixing procedure, because as each potential ‘phase’ goes by, the more the impact of the effect diminishes. I’m all for alternative methods for effects but for me, this is method for methods sake.

Also, I have to ask in what world is fate different from destiny? The answer unfortunately is, this effect, because without the performer making them different the effect just might not work.

I hope to see a swift return to the quality magic John is known for as this is far from his best work.

I give this a trick two stars because John taught it well and you could see he gave it a lot of thought. I thought this would be a great trick to do behind the bar for guests ... Using things from around the bar. Did it once. Why? Because it's not repeatable when performing for some of the same guests. I then did it the next night, this time twice. Later that night one of my regulars commented he liked the way I used to do the trick ... A simple quick Equivoque I learned years ago.

I like this, but the result can be strong, weak or somewhere in between. I have ideas to change it somewhat, so I'm not disappointed I purchased it. For me, I
feel my changes make for a stronger finish.

This is not a very good version of the “Spectator Chooses an Object” trick. The problem with any multiple outs method is there is usually an optimal situation-one with a seemingly “perfect” solution-and then any number of secondary situations with inferior solutions. Sometimes the inferior solutions are strong enough to warrant doing the trick. In the case of Miracle Method, however, there are 2 situations with strong magical solutions and four with less-than-desirable situations. 3 of them are long and tiresome. (This is illustrated in the tutorial-as one spectator starts texting as the procedure drags on.) So, odds are 60% that the spectator will choose an object with a less-than-desirable solution; that’s not a trick that I want to do.

I like a great deal of the material that Mr. Carey puts out. It is often practical and clever. This, however, is not his best work. While this could be an amazing piece under the correct circumstances, I think that the student will be much better served by purchasing Max Maven's work on equivoque (called Multiplicity and linked at the end of the review). The DVD by Mr. Maven will teach you many methods for this kind of trick and prepare you for any situation in which you might find yourself.
Overall, if you like this kind of thing and would like to do it while out with friends, the download is clear and to the point. On the other hand, if you want a master class in allowing the spectator to choose any item, and yet still end up with the one you predicted, go with this http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S16914 The DVD is more expensive, but good education often is.

John Carey has a laid-back, very natural style of performance that I think puts people at ease in a way that causes them to let their guard down. So when the “miracle” is revealed, the spectator’s reactions are almost a slow burn that ends with wide eyes and heads shaking. He’s just a natural master performer. I love his style and I’ll play it his way.

That said, this effect could be performed in a way that really creeps people out and makes them question reality! It’s such a beautiful flow and each phase feels natural and casual and if it’s percormed right, nobody could detect that you’ve got every option covered. It’s a genius piece of art, John! Thank you for sharing!