Back in the day when I was a young whippersnapper if you paid $25 for a magic book(let) you would get a whole lot more than one trick. The Al Leech and The Marlo booklets were only $5 bucks each and they had over a dozen effects. In this case (Fate) we get only 1 effect, and you're paying $25 for it. Bannon's Twister Sister effect comes with a DVD, 8 special playing cards, and a PDF download of the original manuscript from way back when. That whole thing only costs $15. So how in the world people are justifying a one trick booklet and a digital download for $25 is beyond me.

So the real question is whether or not this is worth your time/money, so let's break it down and look at:

• Effect


• Method


• Ad Copy Integrity


• Production Quality

Effect

The effect can be seen in the trailer. It's an Open Prediction effect. A prediction is shown in advance or you can simply tell the spectator orally, "You will pick the 5 of Diamonds (or whatever)." Then the cards are dealt slowly one at time until the spectator says "stop." They stop at predicted card. The question you must answer is if you like that as an effect. If you wouldn't do that effect, then you can stop reading now.

Method

Upon watching the preview trailer, the method was pretty obvious to me. He inadvertently flashed the method. So based on that, I'm not sure how effective the method is. I can also tell you that it's very angle-sensitive. Even during the performance and explanation on the video download was not very clean. However, and this is a big fat however, there was one last walk through of the method at the end of the video where it looked so clean and so good that I actually thought he cheated and didn't really do "the move." I re-watched it about 5 or 6 times. Finally, I watched it frame by frame, and I realized that he really did do "the move." It was very deceptive.

He then follows up with a second method for the same effect that doesn't use any moves, and looks exactly the same as the first method . . . this helps cancel out the method and really "sells" the effect. The second method, however, is not 100% sure-fire. It's essentially Bob Marlo's (that's what the translator called Ed Marlo) Psychological Stop.

One last note on the first method (the main one you're paying for): even the one that fooled me in the video still did have a brief moment of angle issues, but it was so much better than the other performances. So in conclusion, I'll say that this method can be done invisibly with a lot of practice and the right timing and attitude.

Ad Copy Integrity

I think they're pushing it a bit when they claim that no other version is as clean, practical and perfect. Even the demo that they use to sell it wasn't that clean. Further, the first bullet point claims in capital letters "NO PREPARATION." That's just not true. Sure the preparation is pretty simple and quick and can even be done right under their noses, but there still is preparation. The last bullet point claims that "Llaser teaches several variations, extensions, and other ideas with the same principle." Um . . . nope. Not even close. This is just an outright lie. He doesn't teach "several" of anything.

He gives the main method, and then Marlo's method. That's it. He does not expand on this at all, not in the book and not in the video download. There are no "extensions" and no "other ideas with the same principle." Huge loss of star-age for such a false claim.

Production Quality

The video download is HD and very well lit, but a bit tough to watch due to the voice-over translator, but it does cover the method and performance quite well. The booklet, however was a victim of lost-in-translation-itis, and would give a grammarian nightmares. Much of the material was hard to read and follow. Plus the physical handling of "the move" is different from what's shown on the video download. The booklet's handling is inferior for sure, and much messier than the download.

Final Thoughts

With the cost being so high, and the ad copy being a bit inaccurate, it's hard to give this a great rating. You have, however, all of the facts that you need to decide if this is worth $25 bucks, so I'm leaving the ball in your court. As for me and my house . . .

Final Verdict:
2.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Grubble (gem of concept/method surrounded by a whole bunch of rubble - pricing/ad copy/etc.)

“Fate” by Manuel Llaser is a version of Paul Curry’s famous “Open Prediction” plot, in which the performer openly displays a prediction, then asks the spectator to say stop as the magician deals cards face up. The stopped at card is dealt face down, the remaining cards are displayed and the face down card is then shown to match the prediction. The plot is simple, beautiful and quite dramatic, but the impact can vary significantly, depending on the strength of the method.

Manuel Llaser’s method is fantastic.

It’s said that all methods contain at least one discrepancy, and the effectiveness depends on how well hidden that discrepancy is. In this case the discrepancy is all but invisible. This is the kind of method that can withstand multiple viewings and still seem utterly impossible. And while the method is not self-working, it doesn’t require extraordinarily difficult sleight of hand. Even if you don’t already perform the necessary sleights, a few days or weeks of effort will get you up to speed.

“Fate” comes with a small, 8 page pamphlet and an 18 minute video you must download from the internet. The instructions in the pamphlet are minimal, but the download provides many much needed details, as well as the opportunity to see the effect performed live. In addition to providing details on effectively performing the necessary sleights, Mr. Llaser also explains ways to set the effect up on the fly, ideas on dramatizing the effect, and techniques for controlling a spectator. Some of these ideas are from Juan Tamariz, so you know the content is valuable. Mr. Llaser also explains an effective follow up effect to the open prediction that can take the performance to another level.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of methods for the “Open Prediction” that have seen print, both gimmicked and impromptu. While this may not be the definitive method, it’s difficult to find a flaw in it. The method is strong, the instructions are clear, and the information is detailed and offers many additional tips and ideas for the effect. If you’d like to add the “Open Prediction” to your repertoire, you can’t go wrong with “Fate.”