I know I’ve written some pretty scathing reviews of material by “young hot shots.” My distaste is not caused by their age, but by the obvious lack of thought that has gone into the material.

With Daniel Garcia’s limited, I apparently can’t fall back on my same-old-story.

I actually got to see some of this material performed by a few of the teens at the World Magic Seminar. I’ve taught at the Teen Weekend for the past couple of years and have gotten to know most of the regulars. I was completely impressed with what I saw. Keep in mind that it was being done by someone who actually learned the material, not the original creator.

Don’t get me wrong. This stuff is hard… some of it really hard. When I was a teenager, I sopped up this kind of stuff like a sponge. Today’s teens are no different.

I think one thing that makes Daniel Garcia different from some of the others is his ability to actually produce a magical effect. It’s not manipulation for the sake of manipulation. In fact, when done correctly, the difficulty of the sleights is completely hidden from the audience.

The book consists of fifteen items. Some are complete routines with multiple phases; others are simply utility moves. There are items with cards, coins, straws, bills, rings, matches and even a paperclip (one of my favorites, actually). There’s even a section of credits, something rarely seen from younger contributors. Not all of it is hard to do, but if you’re lacking in the physical dexterity department, maybe you should flip through it at the magic shop before you buy.

My only gripe about the book is the typos. There are a lot of them. The book is well-produced with a nice layout and good photos. How hard would it have been to have a couple of friends proofread it?