Magic Tricks

Short version: I think this is the first time I've ever thought: "This effect is *better* than it looked on the promo video!" I think you have to have a certain type of personality to make this effect work, and I think your spectator needs to maybe have a certain type of personality to appreciate it...but, if you're reading this review, I'd presume it's because you liked the effect, and think you'd like to perform it -- in which case you should *definitely* buy it, because the promo video doesn't do it justice.

This is not the greatest miracle in the history of card magic, but I don't think George/Patrick (the creator's name and his pseudonym) would argue that point. I don't think he set out to fool Penn and Teller. I think he set out to build a cool card routine that has a unique theme and an interesting plot, and ends in a really neat bit of wonderment. And he succeeded.

The longer version -- and, frankly, if you're interested in a magic trick called "anagnorisis," then you're probably the type who prefers long explanations -- is this:

The word "anagnorisis," in the context of classic Greek tragedies, refers to a specific moment: a moment of recognition; more specifically, it's the moment at which the hero recognizes the reality of his situation, as well as the nature of his relationship with his counterpart. In essence, it's the point at which one's world comes into focus.

It's a great title for this effect, because the spectator gets taken on a (small) adventure, and, only after passing through a couple of checkpoints (2 reveals, both of which I'd categorize as minor) does he fully understand and appreciate the situation in which he's found himself: inside a really, really cool bit of magic.

I was intrigued by this effect (that's probably self-evident, given the fact that I bought it), but, honestly, I worried that the trick would take too long, that it had a plot requiring too many steps, and that the ratio of effort to payoff was too high. I was happy to be completely wrong in that worry; the juice, here, is absolutely worth the squeeze.

George/Patrick has a tough problem on his hands: to appreciate this effect fully, you have to see the whole thing...but that takes too long for a promotional video. Consequently, he's got a promo video which gives the basic gist of the trick, but doesn't nearly convey the depth of the truly artful journey he's created here.

In essence, you perform a little feat of mentalism. Then, you allow the spectator to be the mentalist. All the while, you're building to a conclusion in which the spectator realizes that the little world you created is much more than what he thought. And that's anagnorisis.

The instruction is absolutely fantastic. He teaches every part of the trick, step by step, but he does much more than that: he gives the justification for every gesture, he offers alternatives for even the simplest of "moves" (there is absolutely no "sleight of hand" required, and beginners should be 100% comfortable with this routine), he shows a foolproof way to recover from the only possible problem (and, if you're concentrating on what you're doing, there's really nothing which could go wrong), and he even explains the rationale for certain facial expressions and tones of voice. I'm pretty sure I'd be able to perform a frame-by-frame recreation of his handling, and I mean that not as a testament to my skill as a performer, but, rather, to his as a teacher.

He even takes care to leave time for a special section on the history of the effect, and he's careful to give credit where it's due -- but, frankly, he probably gives more than is due, because, while the germ of the idea wasn't his, the methodology, the scripting, the patter and the pacing sure were.

This is not the effect I'd use to showcase my ability to perform miracles of a biblical nature, but it's definitely the one I'd use to showcase my skills as a performer. If that makes sense to you, you should buy this effect.

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If you're still reading this, please let me know whether this review helped you, because I do wonder whether anyone even reads these things. Thanks!

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(Oh, and, Penguin editors: the word "anagnorisis" is spelled -- well, it's spelled the way I wrote it, and not the way you've got it here. Granted, only a nerd like George/Patrick or me would care, but, then again, who else buys tricks named for conventions of Greek tragedy?)