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Reviews
Bob Tucker
(03/22/2008)
The clever way that
these effects are put together is a masterful addition to the magic fraternity.
There is no way I can choose one as a favorite. Every one deserves to
stand on its own merits. Great job, Magicbob. You deserve "Book of
the Year."
Aaron Smith (02/13/2008)
Bob, I'm very impressed with your e-book!
It's a fun read and you have an eye for great material. Restaurant
magicians should take note... This book is one hit after another!
-Aaron Smith
Martin
Lewis (01/17/2008)
I really like this e-book. All the
effects are great. Keep up the good work! I really cannot think of
any way to improve it. This kind of novel,
visual magic is right up my alley - well done!
-Martin
Kenton Knepper (01/08/2008)
An astonishingly different
book, like you have never seen before. Wild effects that
demand attention even from haters of card tricks.
Remarkably different and visual. I dare say some of these
would fool you badly, too.
-Kenton
Aldo Colombini (01/05/2008)
Bob,
First of all, I LOVE card tricks, so when I read your title I
thought, "Aldo, we have a problem!" I am glad I took
the time to go through every trick and I must admire you for the
ingenuity on finding methods to change stage illusions into
close-up illusions with cards. Not all people will go through the
set-ups needed to prepare every routine, but it will be their
loss, as the effects look so astonishing. My compliments. Thanks
for sharing your ideas with me.
Best always,
Aldo
Martin "Martini"
Grams (12/30/2007)
Each and every effect in this
e-book would cost you more than the price of the book if they
were available in a magic shop.
These are not pipe dreams, but fully detailed and worked out
tricks with every step of construction covered in full detail.
This is the type of book that rarely comes around, so do not miss
out, grab a copy today.
I highly recommend "I Hate Card Tricks." Kick off 2008, and make it great, with a great
book of solid material that YOU WILL DEFINITELY USE.
All the Best
Marty
Martin "Martini"
Grams (10/31/2007)
Most of you know me from my DVD
on card splitting. I love to tinker with cards and
various gaffs. The more unique the gaff, the more I just
want to play with it. I recently spent a very entertaining
weekend playing with 6 e-books from Magicbob Productions. I made up the
cards Saturday night and played all day Sunday and today with the
cards. To just say I like them is an understatement, these
are great.
Bob is putting together a book titled "The "I Hate
Card Tricks" Book of Card Tricks. At the present time
he has six of the mini illusions done with the rest to follow
shortly. This review is on the first 6 effects.
#1 The Divided Queen: 19 pages long. Imagine doing the
Modern Art illusion with a Queen of Spades. In effect you
take a deck of cards and turn over the top card (QS) This card is
freely shown and placed face up on top of the deck. Next a
card with two circular cut outs is placed over the card and you
can see the faces through the two holes. With a pretend slicing,
you next move the deck sideways and the top half of the Queen
moves with it???? Yes, it is that visual and no, it is not
black art. You can immediately slide the card back together
and hand it out or sign your name and let them keep the card.
The entire construction process on how to make this up is in full
detail with 16 pictures and text that takes you step by step in
the construction process to make this up. This is very
highly recommended, and you will not be disappointed with your
purchase. Like I said earlier I am a gaffed card fanatic
and I just love this trick. Bob has produced what I
feel will become a classic in magic.
This is worth far more than the reasonable price he is asking for
it. I give it a 10 out of 10.
All the Best
Marty
Martin "Martini"
Grams (11/01/2007)
Greetings again;
Here are some more reviews of more of these great mini magic
illusions done with cards from Bob:
#2 The Zig-Zag Queen: 21 pages of detailed construction
and performing with pictures. Many of you may remember the
various models put out in the past, this one far surpasses them
all. A frame that is made of cards has a Queen of Hearts
inserted in side. The three sections of the face of the
card can be seen clearly, yet you are able to slide the center
out to the side, allowing them a clear view to the back of the
deck. The frame is not hard to make at all, and like I said
before, these instructions are very detailed down to the last
minute detail.
I give it a 10 out of 10
#3 The Mismade Queen: 27 pages of very detailed
information and instructions including templates. I really
like what Bob has come up with here, a cabinet made of cards
that enables you to do a variation of the famous mismade lady
illusion but done with a single Queen. After being mixed
up, she is restored to normal. The visual effect is
stunning, the mechanics involved are super, I really like the
cabinet he has created with this one and can see more
possibilities down the road. You can make this card cabinet
with 1 window (lots of possibilities here) 2 windows, three
windows or four, you can also make a four window frame like a
window pane with a corner in each of the four corners. The
handling on this is very easy. Bob has thought every
step through for you and these e-books are a fantastic
value. You can also order the whole book, and he will send
you what is finished now and the last couple as soon as they are
done. These are definitely worth every penny and more.
I give the Mismade Queen 10 out of 10 also.
#4 The Spiked Queen: 22 pages. This is a mini illusion
known as the Spiker cabinet, where a lady is placed in a box and
a sheet of spikes is passed through her body. In this mini
illusion version Bob has used a card box as the
cabinet. A queen is placed inside and a panel of spikes is
passed through her body, she escapes, but now in true Assistant's
Revenge fashion switches places with the magician (King). A
penetration, and a transposition built into a very good and
entertaining card trick that is really a miniature
illusion. The e-book comes with all the details, pictures
(17) plus the templates you need to make the card box. A
material list gives you a listing of everything you will need to
make this trick up. This one will take you about an hour to
maybe an hour and a half to finish it up. But you are taken
step by step through everything.
Again, this gets a 10 out of 10. If it sounds like I really
like these tricks, that is because I really do. If you do
not order the full book, then definitely grab the individual
tricks that tickle your fancy, once you get one and see the
amazing detail and time that was put into these, you will go back
and buy them all. I highly recommend them to anyone who
wants to have something different that has been thought through
to the nth degree. Grab one today and take a look, you'll
be glad you did.
All the Best
Marty
Martin "Martini"
Grams (11/09/2007)
After numerous E-mails asking me what happened
to the reviews of the other two e-books as promised, here they
are.
#5 The Kremated King: 16 pages of very detailed information with
more than 14 pictures to guide you.
The effect is different. A cremation chamber (two card
folder one being a paper covered frame) is placed on the
table. Now from a deck of cards the top card is turned over
and seen to be the King of Clubs. A spectator signs the
back of the card and it is placed in the chamber. A match
is lit and touched to the frame of the chamber where the paper
goes up in a flaming flash. When the flames die down the
king is seen to be charred and the flesh burned away leaving a
skeletal king of clubs. The spectator removes the king from
the chamber and it is turned over revealing the spectators
signature on the back. If you wanted to, you could give the
chamber and the king out for examination.
Like I said above, this one is different, I think there is a
lot more that can be done with this in various presentations and
handling, but it is a good one to show the boys at the next club
meeting. My only holdback here is the use of the flash
paper, but that is me personally and does not deter from the
trick itself.
In the end of the book is a cute variation for children that
is kid friendly called the X-ray king. This solves the part
that I am uncomfortable with.
Of all the e-books from Magicbob Productions, this one is my least
favorite, but the detailed instructions for construction and
working is perfect.
I will still give this 10 out of 10 even with my reservations
about the trick only for the fact that what I may not like 100%,
may be exactly what others do like, so it gets the good rating
based on what you are given and the detail.
#6 The Disembodied Prince: 14 pages of detailed construction with
14 pictures to guide you step by step through the construction of
the prop.
A Jack is placed in a playing card cabinet with both ends
remaining in full view. A snap of the fingers and doors on
both sides of the cabinet are opened showing that you can see
right through and the center of the Jack is gone.
Now get this... when you move the top exposed part of the
jack, the bottom portion moves with it, yet you can still see
right through the center. You can even put your fingers
through the opening, or I like to draw a 9 inch silk through the
center. A spectator can put his or her fingers through the
opening as well. The doors are closed and the jack is
removed from the card cabinet unharmed and back to normal.
This is **** clever and if marketed as a ready-made
individual trick, would easily be a $30 trick. You will
smile when you see the method used, pure genius.
This definitely gets
a 10 out of 10 also.
So there you have my reviews for the first six effects.
My personal favorites in order are:
1. The Disembodied Prince
2. The Divided Lady
3. The Mismade Queen
That is not to say anything bad about the others. I like
them all, but these three to me are hands down the best. If
any of you have been on the fence about getting this book, I
highly recommend that you buy it. There have been Zig-Zag
cards in the past, but nothing like these effects. Bob
has taken standard illusions and downsized them and made them up
with playing cards, now that is the work of a genius for
sure. You cannot go wrong with any of these e-books, or
better yet, just order the whole book.
Highly Recommended by me.
All the Best
Marty
Martin "Martini"
Grams (12/01/2007)
Here is another review for the latest Magicbob creation #7,
"Harry & Bess."
Before I describe this to you, I have to say that I have been
having a blast putting these effects together. This is the
type of stuff that I just love. The creativity here is
superb, and the effects are all winners, and none are beyond the
average magician's ability to make. Most important of all,
YOU WILL USE THESE TRICKS!
A card box is turned into a metamorphosis trunk, (it hinges
open much like a standard card box prop would), but there is a
hole through both sides, which is important to keep in
mind. A queen of hearts, to represent Bess Houdini with a
hole in her center, is placed inside and a piece of rope is
passed through locking her inside. The case is left
partially opened so you can see everything is fair and above
board here.
The case is closed and banded with several rubber bands
locking Bess inside.
Now Harry, being represented by a king of spades with a hole
in his center, is rested on the top of the box while a spectator
or two can hold the ends of the rope. A hank is brushed in
front of the case and card and instantly Bess is free of the case
and rope. When the rubber bands are removed, and the case
opened, there inside is Harry and he is securely inside with the
rope running right through him as well. Not only do the
cards switch places inside the case, but the ropes ends never
leave the spectators hands, and when you make this up and use it,
you will find it just about self working.
You get a 21 page e-book that again gives you a material list
of everything you will need, and step by step directions for
making everything you need, complete with 26 photos giving all
the details. I have said it before and I'll say it again,
Bob has not only created some outstanding magic here, but
his instructions and construction details are the finest I have
seen in magic today.
It took me a couple of weeks to get to this review as I was
busy lecturing and attending a couple conventions, but once I got
back, I sat down and assembled this prop in about two hours,
taking my time as I went along. I highly recommend this,
and also recommend that you order the whole package from Bob
because once you make one up, you'll want to make them all.
This gets a 10 out of 10.
All the Best
Marty
Evan Shuster (12/29/2007)
Okay, to be perfectly honest... I love card
tricks. I am also an avid gaff maker. Put the two together and I
can't imagine anyone not loving this book.
Bob has created a series of exceptionally clever tricks,
coupling unique gaffs with premises that reach far beyond the
"pick-a-card" standard. The items in the book pay
tribute to a variety of classic stage illusions, bringing them
off the stage and into the hands of the close-up worker.
There are ten effects in total and although some are better than
others you will be hard pressed to find any "dogs"
among the bunch. In addition to the ten terrific effects, the
reader is treated to a tutorial on card printing using a standard
ink-jet printer. The tutorial and the included, highly original
graphic designs are, alone, pretty well worth the cost of the
book, making the total package an absolute bargain.
Other points to keep in mind:
- If you don't enjoy constructing and printing the required props
then this book may not be for you (unless you are content with
simply reading the wonderfully constructed .pdf files and
absorbing the ideas without the desire to perform the tricks)...
still worth the price!
- You will need a few inexpensive craft supplies, blank faced
cards, access to an ink-jet printer, and a few other items to
produce the necessary gaffs.
This e-book gets my highest recommendation. I'm eagerly looking
forward to more of Bob's material in the (hopefully) near
future.
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