Magic Tricks

I had a chance to read Remastered Vol. 2 and it was a real pleasure!

The Mirror 2.0: I can see how this could work well in other parts of the world but in Germany, we only know two Tic Tac flavours, which would make it not surprising at all.

FRQZXW: This concept is just amazing and a good example of how psychological forces don't have to be propless. Reading this, my right brain was exploding. Extremely inspiring!

Triangle in a Circle: Great ideas on how to make this classic psychological force more meaningful, impressive and fun.

The Letter Box: One of the best presentations for the 37-force. Every step is justified and makes sense - great work!

The Humanistic Response: The routine is fine but not for me. What I do love about this though is the Lego-force. I think it is one of the greatest psychological forces of all time, an instant classic! Actually, I love it so much, that I published my own routine for it in my latest book DFTP.

Let's Get Retro: To be honest, I never really liked video games. However, this piece works equally well with movies (I would force "The Matrix") and actors. In terms of the method, this is very simple (as I like it) and the psychological force is used to get an extra hit. If it doesn't hit, it can still hit in a different way and if it goes wrong, it doesn't matter too much.

Justifying the One to Nine Force: Good thoughts! No final solutions, in my opinion, but an inspiration to find your own justification. I know, a lot of performers think they don't have to justify everything - and it's true: they don't have to. When it comes to mentalism though, I always aim for perfection and not trying to justify something is, in my mind, pure laziness (which is okay too of course).

A Seasonal Exchange 2.0: Interesting concept. However, I feel that there are more straight forward methods that get you similar results. This is for method junkies!

Additional Opposites: Again, a VERY clever method. Not an effect I would perform though. If you do like the effect (The participant thinks of two opposites and the performer divines them), this is the perfect method - and it is completely propless.

The Captain Principle: Good and useful subtlety for anagram work!

In the Sand: The most reliable 7-force out there. Not super deceptive but, in the right context, it will do its job.

Turning Page: This is a cute little idea but I cannot think of an effect, where I would want to use it. When it comes to mind reading, I want them to handle the book as little as possible, as I want the focus to be on the word and not on the book. Maybe I would use this for a prediction effect, but then again, it is not 100% and I would have to use multiple outs anyway.

A Designed Fate: This playing card prediction is pretty cool if it works. The effect is nothing ground breaking but the used "Vale Priciple" is actually very interesting and super versatile. I cannot say too much about the hit-rate (it is 25% by chance anyway) but it sounds promising to me.

W.H.P: An extremely bold Which Hand prediction, that is quick, reliable and surprising - a perfect opener!

X Marks the Spot: Playing cards, a Sharpie, a Tic Tac flavour, completely unjustified actions ... Well, I don't like this at all. I can see where she was heading but this does not feel complete or finished to me.

Flip Flap Principle: Very interesting force! You could do this with a bunch of people at the same time and force a big number or sentence. This is pure psychology, so it won't work every single time but it has some potential.

The Twenty Star Mind Explosion: This is good! I like how reliable this is (similar to the Lego-force), as you are playing with their imagination and natural human tendencies. Absolutely inspiring!

These were only the main headlines and there are many more subtleties, principles, variations and ideas to explore in this book. Actually, there is so much in here, that you are guaranteed to like at least one or two things. For 40 Pounds, this is a bargain!

Much love,

Nico