I dare to say that this
is one if the most underestimated books on card magic.
For people that
consider themselves "move-monkeys", the dinner has been
served. There are many sleights in this book, including some really
odd ones such as a bottom deal done at the fingertips and a
"Tilt" move executed from the front.
My favorite item in
this book has the most awesome title ever; "Two-Card Fan Lift
Switch, Reversal, Palm". It's exactly that: a two card, fan lift switch, a reversal and a palm. It sounds nuts, because it is nuts.
There is also a great
amount of routines utilizing the sleights taught in the book. Amongst
variations of classic plots, you will find several original to Mr.
Krenzel. For example, one interesting routine in the book is a Collectors
routine done backwards: three selections vanish from in between the
aces, instead of the other way around!
Ever heard of "The
Mechanical Reverse"? This book contains Krenzel's original writeup for
the move (although
for the history buffs, there is some dispute over the fact that Ron
Wohl published it before Krenzel). It's a great covered half pass that
should be in every card magician's arsenal.
Ken Krenzel's
description of the Classic Pass has been regarded as one of the best,
and it really is thorough. Several other shifts original to Ken
Krenzel are also discussed in the book.
As
you can probably tell, this book isn't for people with a mild interest
in card magic. This is for the fanatics who get turned on by Two-Card
Fan Lift
Switch, Reversal, Palms and other such technical card magic. I love the
book and if that kind of move excites you, you're going to love it too!
Reviewed by Erik.
