"Max Maven is one of the giants of mentalism. His creations and presentations are pure gold. His teaching is entertaining, educational and enlightening. Max Maven's contributions to our art will enrich your life, and make you a better performer." - Jeff McBride

"The father of interactive magic does it again! Max Maven is one of the people I most admire both personally and professionally. It’s only fair to say that among many other accomplishments he is the father of multimedia interactive magic. So much of what we do today owes a debt to what Max pioneered. It’s a privilege to have this glimpse inside his "devilish" mind by learning these six reputation-making masterpieces of interactive magic!" – Luis de Matos

"Interactive magic has fascinated me for years and I remember watching Max Maven on TV, asking the audience at home to follow along and experience a miracle for ourselves, through the screen! Max was inventing effects for this unique format long before video conferencing even existed and it's exciting to learn his ingenious approach to interactive magic and mentalism. If you can talk online to friends, family, clients or even a paying audience, Max's work will allow you to place the miracle in their hands for a unique twenty-first century experience." - R Paul Wilson

"When I met Max, some decades ago, he was already a visionary, and now, with the new zoom conditions, his talent can explode even more!!! It's a gift for all of us to have access to his brain... really!" - Gaetan Bloom

"Each and every one of these effects are clearly selected and reworked with the new world of online and zoom shows in mind. It can be a challenge to find material that reaches through the screen and engages the viewer and all of these routines do just that. Well considered, well taught, and with the added benefit of the history and thinking behind each trick." - Carisa Hendrix

"There are certain performers, whose work is years ahead of the rest of us. In the strange new world we are living in, there is no one this describes better than Max Maven. Max’s pioneering work in the field of interactive magic, spanning decades, today has a new urgency and vitality. With the recent explosion of virtual performances, the path he has been exploring years before us, is one we all now find ourselves travelling. This is an excellent collection of the kind of material that is synonymous with Max. It’s full of clever thinking, expert composition and dazzling intelligence. All within the medium of virtual performance, with it, we can all be grateful that in Max we have a guide to help us navigate this new territory." - Luke Jermay

"This collection of effects is a Masterclass. Each performance is a lesson in how to craft and deliver clear instructions for participants, whether they are across the table or on the other side of the world. Max understands the importance of making each interaction feel intimate, personal and conversational, and shows us how we can do the same. In this time of long-distance performances, Max’s gentle and interactive approach is exponentially more impactful than the traditional “watch this” performance that leaves audiences feeling even more distanced. His level of scholarship, credits, and clarity are the standard to which all magic instruction should be held." - Michael Weber

Interactive Mysteries Designed for a Video Interface

In these strange new times, magicians and mentalists are exploring new conditions. Shows are performed from afar, using Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, and other technologies. Creating amazement within often restrictive conditions can be quite a challenge. Fortunately, you’ve got a guide who has been exploring these strange territories for many years. MAX MAVEN began pioneering interactive magic over forty years ago, and he has put that experience to work for you, by devising powerful routines that connect to audiences through a virtual reality.

These are tested, practical routines. There are no elaborate gimmicks. There’s no pre-show, or private conversation with one spectator in order to fool the others. Nothing is mailed ahead. These effects can be performed for a single person, or a large virtual audience. There are six routines, which can be performed separately, or combined into sets. In each download, you’ll see Max perform the routine with a genuine spectator (someone who knows nothing in advance). Then, Max explains the methods, with full details.

1. NORMAL MAILER
The performer displays half a dozen envelopes. The participant selects one—a fair choice. The unchosen envelopes are empty; only the chosen envelope contains a message (and yes, it’s really inside the envelope), and it’s a note specifically naming the participant!

The spectator needs to prepare nothing. Your preparation is minimal. There are no sleights or gimmicks. It’s as straightforward as that.

2. LOST & PHONED
The spectator uses his or her own deck of cards. No set-up; it doesn’t even have to be a full deck. And, the performer never has to see the cards!

Using a packet of ten random cards, the person selects one. Several cards are now discarded, so that the performer doesn’t even know how many cards are being used! Nevertheless, the spectator starts to deal down into the packet, and suddenly the performer knows that they are holding their selected card—and they are!

3. SWITCH DOCTOR
A stunning long-distance surprise, using materials that the participant has around the the house: three pieces of paper, a pen, a coin, and a key.

A game is played, with the materials out of the performer’s view. Objects are moved and switched, with enough freedom of choice that there’s no way the performer could know the position of anything. And yet, the final item is not only revealed, the performer proves that it was secretly predicted well in advance.

4. RAINBOW MATRIX
The audience requires no props. The performer displays a simple chart showing numbers, and some colored markers or crayons are used to select several numbers at random. This can be done for one person, or involve choices from up to six people. It all seems beyond control, yet the outcome is predicted.

And there’s bonus material: a formula by which you can use this system to yield any total, and a long-buried secret version using a deck of cards that’ll blow your mind.

5. MANHATTAN TRANSFER
It’s always more intriguing when it’s done with the person’s own deck of cards. It doesn’t have to be a complete pack, and you never see anything. The deck is shuffled. The participant selects his or her own card. It’s lost in the deck; even the player doesn’t know its exact location.

The person is asked a series of questions about their card, and they spell the answers, dealing cards as they do. Here’s the catch: Each time, they can lie, or tell the truth. The performer never knows. Yet somehow, they end up on exactly their own card!

6. CHECKMATES
The spectator provides the materials, simple enough that they can be found around the house. Using four index cards (or business cards, or scraps of paper), four designs are drawn. The cards are mixed, then cut or torn in half; there are now eight pieces.

A variety of fair actions are followed, with everything away from the performer’s view. The choices are legitimate; two of them involve freely tossing coins. And yet, all of the half-cards end up correctly paired. It’s a baffling series of incredible results.

AND A SPECIAL BONUS:
These downloads can be purchased one at a time. But, if you buy all six together, you’ll get them for the special price of $49.95, plus receive an extra video, in which Max Maven recounts the History of Virtual Magic. You’ll be startled by some of this information, which puts so much into perspective. This talk is only available if you order the complete set.

Nominee Trick of the Year Penguin Magic Awards 2020