After I am done reviewing a product, I do one of three things with it. If it’s bad, it goes into the junk bin, and I try to think of fun ways to get rid of it. If it’s good, but I know someone who would enjoy it more than me, I lend it to them. As for the really good ones that I like, I keep all to myself and put them on my shelf.

This booklet, despite it’s flaws, is going on my shelf. There are a few typos throughout the book, and there is a section which is written from the point of view of someone else. It’s written as if the writer is watching the author, John Bannon, perform at a party. It is not clear about whose perspective this is from, or who wrote it if it wasn’t Bannon. It was a little confusing. That aside, let me go into what I loved about this booklet.

First of all, I was actually able to read through it! The last two booklets I’ve gotten for review I had to pass on to someone else, because I just couldn’t get through them. I’ve seen video of Bannon performing these effects, and I wasn’t as intrigued until I read them here. The advantage of reading something is that you have no preconceived notions about how the effect looks.

All of the effects use an ordinary deck of cards. No gimmicks. The skill range is really wide as well. Nothing is super knuckle busting, and there are even some self workers. There is some set up in the deck for a few of the effects, along with something written on a piece of paper.

I feel all the effects are solid for both magicians and laypeople. The first five effects can all be used together in a full routine, which has a nice flow to it. I’ll admit that many don’t pass the strict ‘simplicity test’ of asking, “Can a spectator explain the effect in one sentence?” While I think this is a nice general rule of thumb, I do believe effects like the ones in this booklet can be added to a longer set of card magic to add variety. Speaking of effects, here are few of my favorites:

“Watching the Detectives” is a very surprising transposition effect. I was very badly fooled when I first saw Joshua Jay perform a version of this at a lecture of his.

“Four-Fold Foresight” and “Origami Poker Revisited” both are based on the same principle, and it’s a nice learning experience to see how the same method can be used for a different effect. Even though both use a good amount of table space, neither use sleight of hand, and both will badly fool your magic buddies and your audiences.

“Play It Straight” has been renamed as “The Bannon Triumph” and is still his best creation. If you’ve never learned it, it’s worth getting this booklet just for this. I’ve used in my shows for years, and it’s like a chainsaw to the foot.

For fifteen bucks, this booklet has more useful, creative material in it than most DVDs that are double the price. Do I need to say more?