It's Monday and you know what that means... Monday Mail Call!

Each Monday (give or take), I use this feature to highlight a few of the things that have made their way in over the past week or so. Packages, purchases, and emails -- oh my!

Today's only item on the docket is the book Beyond Fantasy, by Sean Devine. Full disclosure, I received this book a while ago. It came in at a time when, for some reason it felt like every delivery possible was arriving on my doorstep. I put this one to the side (of my desk) and it sat there for at least a month. Each week or so, another book made its way on top creating a pile. Well, I finally organized a bit and it's like opening the package all over again!

The first impression I get from the book isn't about the content of the book at all. It's the photos. Flipping through, the book features black and white photos throughout -- and they're some of the crispest, cleanest photos I've seen. If you were to practice Black Art, this is how you'd want it to look. Well, except with color.

Smack dab on page 5 is the Foreword, by Adam Borderline (@borderlineadam). The words are quite nice, but the length isn't suited for the space it occupies. I don't think that the size of the book, which is of the tall variety, was thought of when writing it -- and in full honesty, it shouldn't have been. But seeing a small block of text in the upper left-hand corner of a page, then the rest of the page and the entire next are empty kind of leaves a desire for more.

The good news is that the rest of the book delivers that extra "more"! In just over 140 pages, Beyond Fantasy brings us the card magic of Sean Devine. There are 10 sleights taught at the beginning which cover things from card forces to reverses and general controls. After that block we have 30 routines that make up the rest of the book. Not all the routines have photos to accompany them, but it's really not necessary. Reading through, my first impression is that there are some solid worker routines included here. They're quick, don't require a lot of preparation, pack a punch, and reset quickly. Nice!

What I really enjoy is the inclusion of inspiration and credits right at the get-go. Almost every sleight and routine start off with where it was adapted from or what inspired it. It's little references like these that make it possible to find the next resource if that trick or sleight is appealing. It's also a great way to make me not have any money because I don't have half of the books referenced =P

I haven't practiced any of the routines outlined in the book yet, but many have made their way onto my practice list so it's only a matter of time!

It was a quick one today folks, only getting a quick peek at Beyond Fantasy. It feels good to sit down and go through a book from beginning to end. It feels even better when the book's a good read too =]

Stay tuned for the next iteration of Monday Mail Call, there's a lot more to come!

Oh also, if you'd like to offer suggestions for books, tricks, decks or if you have questions about magic (performing, routines, sleights, etc.), just reach out here.

Back in January, I wrote a post about a lull in the magics. In this post, I outlined the concept of boredom and lack of motivation. Spoiler alert, it's here again!

Like usual, though it has been 8 months so perhaps not that usual, the feeling of "bleh" has sat with me for about a week now. I have stacks of decks on my desk, unopened and unexplored. Shelves of books, not to mention the stack of them ... also on my desk ... that are waiting for me to crack open. I haven't posted anything to Instagram in a week and a half, normally I post at least every other day. I haven't even interacted much on the platform, other than the occasional chat now and then.

I actually wanted to film something yesterday morning, but when I brought out the camera and deck, I just blanked. Coincidentally, Kier Gomes (@kiergomes) recently posted something similar to his YouTube channel:

That pretty much sums it up for me too. Except, I didn't bother filming -- it would have ended up quite identical to his video given most of my recent ones are just like that =P

The good news is that I think I'm over the hill now; interest in everyday things like cooking and cleaning (yeah, I like cleaning... don't hate =P) have sprung back to life today so I think that it's only a matter of time before I'm back at it. I did start watching some older magic videos again too. That's always fun =]

In even better news, I've been doing a lot of backend coding on the site in the last couple of days. It's nothing that you'll see right away, but I'll be changing the way a few things look on the site and adding some new features! This is one of the cool parts about creating my own site from scratch, rather than using other platforms like WordPress or SquareSpace or Wix, etc, etc, etc. It's a heck of a lot more work, but at the end of the day it's something that I created -- and that's a nice feeling.

I was in a meeting late last week, a virtual meeting over Zoom, and the only thing I could think of was wanting to practice an up-the-ladder false cut. My work desk has a close-up pad on it and I'm usually practicing with a deck during all my meetings anyways, but this was a specific urge to practice something that I don't typically use.

I have only practiced one variation of these cuts and it's from Card College, Vol. 2, suitably named Up the Ladder. I can do this one fluidly, without thinking, and it looks pretty decent... in my opinion. I've seen others on various YouTube channels (Alex Pandrea, Xavior Spade, and a few others), and also learned it during Alex Pandrea's The Ultimate Card Magic Course. However, only knowing the one I wanted something more. Something different. And then I remembered that a few years ago, I read a description of a version of this cut in Principia by Harapan Ong. With so many variations to choose from, that's the one my mind was pulling towards.

My camera was off, so I went over to the bookshelf and pulled out the big orange book, looked at the Table of Contents and found a section called Routines with a Tabled False Cut. That sounded pretty spot-on, so flipping to it I was happily looking at a 3-page walkthrough and several very clear images on how to do this running cut variation. It took me the remainder of that meeting and the whole of the next to be able to be able to do a riffle shuffle followed by this running cut smoothly, without looking at the deck during the process too. Nice!

Why bring all of this up? I'm glad you asked! There are two different reasons I want to talk about, all because of this sleight:

1. Is it okay for a false shuffle, or cut, to appear "suspicious"?
2. If you have a magic book that is at a skill level beyond your own, how do you know when you're ready for it?

These are fairly open-ended topics, but I have opinions and ideas for both. Stay tuned for the next two parts in this series where I will dive into the topics more in-depth.

If you have opinions on either topic, let me know what you think =]

Last week I was away on vacation and I had planned to bring two books with me: The FFFF Book and Scarne on Card Tricks. At the very last minute, literally, I decided to leave The FFFF Book at home. I wanted to be able to actually read and enjoy the books I took with me and after a little more consideration, there just wouldn't have been time for both.

To set the stage, regarding Scarne on Card Tricks, I bought it maybe 2 years ago. And I opened it once. Not to read, but to skim the contents to look for tricks meeting a specific topic. Spoiler alert: I didn't find the trick I was looking for. This book, and the only thing I knew about it, was that it was by John Scarne and is referenced in more than a few places. It's also been reprinted more than once! To me, this meant that this book was full of treasure and is one that a lot of magicians look to.

Fast forward to last week when I finally sat down with it and started reading it. At the top of the Table of Contents is this quote:

"Whoa! This is great!" I thought. Scarne created a lot of the tricks in the book, and skimming the list of performers showed that there's material here from the greats like Al Baker, Bob Hummer, Cardini, Harry Lorayne, Dai Vernon, and so many more. Excited, I was. And then, I read the introduction (A New Era in Card Tricks).

Rather than supply the entire chapter of text here, a quick summary is all that is needed. Scarne created 30 some-odd effects, and the rest were works from other magicians. All of the tricks, he either created or modified to not require any sleight of hand.

To repeat, and clarify, the book Scarne on Card Tricks is a book that's full of 155 card tricks and not a single one requires sleight of hand.

My excitement level dropped immediately, upon reading this. Later, ironically, I found out that the very first sentence on the back cover of the book said the same thing.

Look, I'm all for self-working tricks. I actually use a few; some I created, most I adopted. But coming into this book, I expected sleights and something new and novel. Seeing, after working myself up for quite some time, that there was in fact none of that changed my mood towards the book and really soured how I was consuming it. That said, I did consume it.

Reading the Book

As with all magic books that I read, I started at the beginning and started reading to the end. This book doesn't follow a chronological order and tricks don't build off one another, but that doesn't change the reading pattern so front-to-back is how I went.

The first maybe 5 or 6 tricks, ugh. I was so upset because they were basic, they were self working or math based. My negative view of the book was just being piled on more and more. And then, I came to a trick that I said "Oh hey, that one's not a terrible idea. It might be something I could use on Instagram, but not in person."

The trick after that one, I said the same thing. Then the following trick I thought about how I could change it to work in person. The one after that gave me a topic to write about on this blog at a future date, though I wouldn't perform the trick. On and on I went through the book and the further I went, the more I found tricks that were really solid, sleights or not.

Effect Types

The card tricks presented throughout this book range in types. By that, I mean, the way they're performed.

Some of the tricks require a deck setup. If it's setup, you only need to follow a given storyline and boom, trick's done.

Other tricks are math based. They might also require a setup, or they might require you to get the card into a specific position. Similarly, some are spelling tricks that necessitate the same thing. Pre-knowledge of a certain number or name may also be required. I, personally, don't like math based tricks or spelling tricks so I only skimmed these descriptions. This is highly ironic given my math background =P

Other tricks require forces or peeks, maybe even diversions to be able to slip a card into your pocket. It's interesting, but I think Scarne kind of skewed the definition of what "sleight of hand" is for some of the routines because there are a couple that definitely use it. And I'm cool with that =]

Takeaways

I didn't mean for this to be a review of the book, though the more I sit here the more I realize it can be. The above can be read as a rant, as a description, as me just rambling on because I was too rash to buy a book without looking it up first, or however you want really. But here, in this takeaways section, let me just summarize how I really feel.

If I had done even the slightest amount of research on the book, or read the back cover, I would have known it was a sleight-less book on card magic. I would have still purchased it, and I would have still read it. It's my belief that knowing, whether using or not, but knowing the different types of routines is important to being a well-rounded and more advanced magician. This includes routines that involve sleights, and those that are otherwise self-working.

The amount of content in this book is amazing. It's a small book, but it has more material in it than books twice its size. It's not necessarily organized from easy to hard, but the majority of effects in the book do fit into that paradigm. There aren't any dividing lines though, so it would be worth the initial effort of skimming all of the Effects and noting the ones that are of interest. Knowing that there aren't any sleights would actually make this easier because you won't have to worry about "oh, do I need to be good with a Classic Pass or Faro Shuffle?!"

What's really great about the effects in the book is that they're easy to adapt and modify. A lot are really good as-is, but thinking of it from another perspective of changing things to fit your own style, they mesh quite well. And, it's easy to replace certain pieces with sleights if you were so intrigued.

The one thing I dislike about a number of the routines in the book is the card selection process. To me, a spectator selecting a card should be a simple and straightforward process. As Dani DaOrtiz says, the trick starts after the card is selected. In Scarne on Card Tricks, a lot of the tricks are the spectator selecting the card -- it's how the setup is created, and how it's able to be done without any sleights. Again, this could be circumvented by adding in a simple sleight, but I don't want to read a book with the thought that I'm reading a template and need to modify it; I'd like to know that I'm reading a trick I might actually use as-is and can modify if I wanted to.

So, yeah. I started the book really excited, and then I loathed it for a solid day. And by the time I finished the book, I loved it. I can see why so many folks like the book, and I am really glad I didn't leave it on the bus out of anger!

It's Monday and you know what that means... Monday Mail Call!

Each Monday (give or take), I use this feature to highlight a few of the things that have made their way in over the past week or so. Packages, purchases, and emails -- oh my!

I was away, taking a much-needed vacation last week and ended up getting more exhausted than relaxed. Funny how that happens, right? But that didn't stop deliveries from piling up on my doorstep =]

Up first, one physical and two digital magazines. August's issue of Genii came in and features Ionia on the front. Ionia, Secrets of the Princess Unlocked is the main feature. Are the secrets unlocked, or are we learning secrets of someone nicknamed "Princess Unlocked"? I wish I was kidding, but I really don't know which version I'm supposed to read it as. I haven't had time to flip through the magazine yet -- it's on my list for tomorrow morning's coffee, so I'll find out then.

It looks like it'll be a good issue though. This Ionia is unknown to me, so I'll learn something new. The other feature of this issue is House of Cards, which sounds like an intriguing title. We also get another episode of The River with Joshua Jay and I've liked this column so far. But yeah, it's packed like usual, and I will be flipping through it soon enough.

I didn't receive the copy of Genii until I was back home, of course. But The Hermit and Love Letters, both being digital magazines, were waiting for me in my email inbox right on August 1st. Nice!

Coming in at a solid 48 pages, this issue hosts 6 effects from different magicians and a list of tips for public speaking by Jay Sankey.

Kicking it off, Scott Baird brings us some card magic, and palming, with Lean Travellers. Then, we travel over to ACME Corp... wait, no, we learn a card trick named ACME -- A Cartoon Magic Effect -- by Kyle Leon. It's pretty neat and teaches how to make a highly visual gimmick. Boyet Vargas gives us a little card break and takes us into a two-phase mentalism routine named All Four Two. It uses four objects and a bit of mind reading. I'm thinking of using it while out at a restaurant with friends or family, the objects just being things on the table because why not?

Patrik Kuffs slaps with a short signed card trick he calls Poketus Subterfuge. Can you guess where the card is, based on the name? It actually reads like a good presentation though; my only issue is that it's really hot outside and the last thing I want to do is where a jacket, let alone a shirt with pockets. Scott Baird tosses in another effect to the issue, A Tune Ahead. This is a mentalism routine that uses the assistant on your phone. I haven't gone through this whole routine yet so I'm not 100% on the details, but maybe I can ask Google to summarize it for me.

Wrapping up the effects list in this issue is When Two Minds Meet, by John Carey. This routine is also in John's book named Me, My Cards, and I -- I hadn't heard of the book myself and upon searching, I'm not coming up with much other than PDFs, but I'll look more later for certain.

The last two months' issues had a fun challenge of taking a picture of "an impossible thing." I had my photo idea lined up and was going to shoot it while away on vacation... and forgot the stuff at home. Whelp, I didn't win that challenge! I'll still do the shot though because I think it's a cool idea. This month features a new challenge too, one where you have to roll dice under certain conditions. I've already thought of a way to roll the dice under the necessary conditions but getting them to equal a certain amount isn't factored into the equation quite yet. Maybe I'll just film it enough times until it works. That counts, right? =P

I haven't read through this month's issue of Love Letters yet, but the email highlights state that it covers an ESP card trick, a visual version of a classic effect that uses a gimmick, and a billet-based mind-reading effect. The highlights are just enough to tease, but not enough to let you really know what's there, so I'll have to scroll through to really find out!

Back to physical items, I just had to be a sucker for nostalgia. Specifically, 90's Nickelodeon cartoons. Any guesses as to what it is? Well, if you've scrolled down even slightly, you'll already know:

That's right folks, we have cartoon decks! Featuring Rocko's Modern Life, The Wild Thornberrys, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, AAAHH!!!! Real Monsters, Ren & Stimpy, and CatDog. Not pictured here, since it's technically not in the set but I did get it in, is a Spongebob Squarepants Fontaine deck too. It's also a Nickelodeon show, also made into a deck by Fontaine, but... not part of their Nickelodeon set. Not sure why... maybe it was a deck to test the waters first?

Normally, I don't buy Fontaine decks. They're very over-hyped, the designs aren't really my style, and they're expensive. However, I grew up watching and loving all these shows. Except Ren & Stimpy. I've watched it, but I didn't care for it too much. The style was meh. I did watch it though, and I quote it still today, so it does hold a special spot there somewhere. And that's why I decided to pay aftermarket prices for this set -- unlike all these other fancy, custom artwork designed decks, these have memories attached to them and have become worth collecting.

Interestingly enough, and I didn't know this until I started looking to buy them, but apparently these decks were sold in individually sealed bags that made it impossible for the purchaser to know what deck was being bought. If you look on eBay, you can still grab one of the unopened bags today too. You might be lucky(?) enough to open one with a gilded deck, which are being listed on the auction site for hundreds of dollars apiece. Holy hell. Again, if it's a collector's deck and you're never going to open it, why pay the extra money for it to be gilded?

Last up, let's go back to digital real quick. I did an impulse purchase of Bounce by Juan Luis Rubiales on Vanishing Inc. It was announced last week, I happened to be reading my email at the time and saw it and thought to myself "I want this." And so, I bought it.

The premise is pretty straightforward: you make cards appear on a table by bouncing a ball. When would you use that? Likely, never. Or, maybe at a kid's party or something. Given I don't perform at kid parties, we're back to that "likely, never" scenario. However, I do like the concept and wanted to see the handling better. I have been working on a billiard ball routine where a card turns into a billiard ball, but it'd be neat to make it appear as if the card was hidden "inside" the ball itself. Granted, I wouldn't try to bounce an 8-ball on a table, but I think the idea can easily work on the palm of someone's hand too.

Well, there we have it. A mix of digital and physical goods this Monday. A couple of magazines, a video, and a bunch of decks to take us down memory lane =]

Stay tuned for the next iteration of Monday Mail Call, there's a lot more to come!

Oh also, if you'd like to offer suggestions for books, tricks, decks or if you have questions about magic (performing, routines, sleights, etc.), just reach out here.