Miraculous Minds is a collection of mentalism effects in an e-book format. There are 34 effects in total plus two essays, all from Scottish performers. Peter Duffie has put out similar collections in the past with Scotland Up Close, England Up Close, and Mind Blasters 1 & 2. The format here is similar to his other efforts. Navigating to each effect is quick and easy from the table of contents which is a nice feature.

I have mixed feelings on Miraculous Minds overall. While there were a few stand out items, most of the effects seem more like filler material. Let’s begin with the highlights.

Invisible Opener (David Forrest)-
David admits that this is not as clean as the classic Invisible Deck routine. However, this routine may be performed using a standard deck. To be fair, while the presentation is similar to what is usually used for the Invisible Deck, the named card does not always appear reversed in the pack. That being said, the magician is able to cleanly show that he predicted the named card from the outset. While the method is clever and the effect could be powerful, I’m not sure how many card guys will add this to their repertoire considering the setup and mental work involved.

Wedding Present (Alan Innes)-
“Six cards are shown each with a month and number on each side giving a choice of all twelve months, Jan 1/ Feb 2, Mar 3 / Apr 4, etc. A list of 50 different wedding presents is shown along with a small box. The spectator is asked what month they would like to get married in and that month is placed aside. The spectator then mixes up the remaining cards turning some of them over to get a random total, say 48. The number is checked against the list of presents to give a gold coin. Inside the box that has been in full view is a gold coin!” 

Alan has combined a couple of classic principles to create a prediction effect that seems much more fair than it really is. The decisions seem completely random to the spectators, but every contingency is taken care of by the routine’s clever workings.

The Gobbolino Principle (Paul Lesso)-
This principle may prove useful for those who like stacked deck work (Si Stebbins, Eight Kings, etc), but who are afraid that the audience might notice the alternating colors of the cards when the deck is spread face up. Paul provides a variation for the cycling of the suits that still allows the performer to easily calculate the next card in the stack. However, the cards can be shown more freely as there is no noticeable pattern to the colors discernable from a casual look through. Paul is not the first to tackle this problem, but if you are already familiar with a certain stack, it will be a no brainer to implement this principle.

Dicychometry (Jackie McClements)- Four spectator each roll a different colored die and write down their number on a piece of paper. The papers are rolled up and dropped into a cup. The dice are covered by the participants. The magician’s back is turned during the proceedings. When he turns around, he takes one of the papers from the cup and reads it. He is then able to divine which spectator rolled the indicated number and with which dice. The effect is pretty basic. However, Jackie teaches the an old marking system by Jules Lenier that is very effective. The system can easily be applied towards other effects.

Killer Finish (Jackie McClements)- This is a weak addition to the “Dicychometry” effect mentioned above that wouldn’t fly by many spectators. Plus, to use the method involved to reveal such trivial information is a bit of a waste. For the same amount of work, you could get rid of the dice altogether and divine information that actually means something to the spectator.

SOAP BOX SIDE NOTE- Jackie opens this description with the following line: “This fits well with the above routine. It adds a kicker finish and lengthens the whole procedure, eating up some valuable minutes if need be.” Are you kidding me? I hate to pick on Jackie as I have heard this line from other magicians as well, but why on earth would you ever want to “eat up valuable minutes” when performing for an audience. Trust me, there is an abundance of wonderful magic in this world for you to share with them. I cannot ever imagine being in a situation where “filling time” would be the best use of my talents.

Draw Your Own Conclusions (Alan Innes)- This is a drawing duplication routine similar to Max Maven’s “Mind’s Eye Deck” or Richard Osterlind’s “Design Duplication System.” The spectator doesn’t simply draw any picture. Instead, he chooses one from a stack of cards. Alan briefly outlines his presentation about supposedly figuring out the drawing by watching the way the spectator moves the pencil. This “pencil reading” angle is an interesting idea. Usually the power of drawing duplication effects seems to be the fact that there is no way (other than mind reading) that the mentalists could have received the information. Alan’s premise seems like something that could actually be possible with enough training. It lives on the border between impressive and impossible.

Overall, I’m left feeling unfulfilled. While there are some clever ideas inside, I’m not sure who would feel completely satisfied with this collection. For a book on mentalism, the methods feel pretty magicky (i.e. using a bottom deal for ACAAN). I’m not against this completely, but be aware that most of the routines play as mental magic and not believable power of the mind demonstrations. If this suits your style, you may find the routines of use. Most people, however, would be better served by purchasing one of Peter Duffie’s other outstanding eBooks.

Not recommended.

Available for $19.95 from http://www.lybrary.com/miraculous-minds-p-611.html

Lost Luggage is an e-book written by German mentalist Stefan Olschewski. The concept behind the book is similar to Max Maven’s Nothing DVD: what happens if you need to perform a show but don’t have any props. Maybe they were stolen or maybe they were lost by the airline. In any case, you need some material that can be prepared quickly using materials that are easily borrowed or obtained. I will describe the act as seen by the audience.

Intro- The performer directs the audience’s attention to an envelope hanging from a string. He says that this is a prediction of things to come. He promises never to touch the envelope, but that the audience will get to see what’s inside at the very end of the show.

Sensitive Silverware- The performer introduces four glasses, each containing a different object (spoon, fork, knife, and napkin.) He asks everyone in the audience to concentrate on one of those objects, one of which he has secretly predicted in advance. As he walks around the room locking eyes with a series of spectators, he supposedly looks for someone who is thinking of his predicted piece of silverware. He finally settles on one woman and invites her to the stage. He has her pick up the object she is thinking of, but before she does, he shows his prediction to everyone in the audience. Amazingly, the woman picks up the predicted object.

I really like this effect. It has the feeling of the classic Open Prediction card effect without cards. I must mention, however, that this will not work in every venue. The method, while clever, requires certain conditions that won’t be present when performing in most impromptu situations. I can’t reveal the exact conditions for fear of tipping the secret, but suffice it to say that this isn’t something you could perform in a small parlour setting. Unfortunately, this means that it won’t be of much use to many performers. That being said, the effect is a good one in the right environment.

Intermission 1- This isn’t really an effect in itself; it is used to help set up the final prediction of the show. The performer borrows a bill from an audience member. After some byplay where an old gag is used for something sneaky, the lender signs the bill and seals it inside of an envelope. He is instructed to hold onto the envelope until the end of the performance. Some people won’t like the bold method used here. However, those experienced in magic and mentalism should be able to easily think of alternative approaches.

Win Win Situation- This is a new presentation for an old principle. The performer calls 10-12 people to the stage to participate in a simple game. The winner, he says, will win a prize contained in an envelope (free dinner, cash, etc.) Another spectator is invited to help be the judge for the proceedings. The performer and guest judge take turns eliminating people from the game until there are only two players remaining on stage. The spectator makes the choice for the final elimination, and the winner is asked to open the envelope. Besides the prize, the envelope contains a description of exactly what the winning spectator is wearing. Apparently, the performer knew who would win from the beginning.

I must say that this is what happens only 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time, a slightly different effect occurs where you describe the person who won second place in the game. The presentation and wording cover this adequately, but it does seem a bit “off” to predict the person who almost won instead of the winner. If you are interested in this effect, be sure to check out Michael Weber’s “The Laying on of Hands” from his book Lifesavers. It uses a similar idea to really great effect. Weber’s routine is also impromptu.

Intermission 2- Again, this is not an effect in itslef. It is just used to set up for the final prediction. The performer introduces a copy of that day’s newspaper. Someone selects a page and it is torn in half. The audience selects which half to keep. This is again torn in half and the audience chooses which piece to keep. This is continued until only a small piece remains. This is sealed inside of an envelope and handed to a volunteer to hold until the end of the show.

Magical Chairs- The performer places an envelope on the table. A paper ball is tossed into the audience. Whoever catches it tosses it to someone else and comes up to the stage. This is continued until four spectators are selected. Each person is handed a piece of paper labeled 1-4. Also on stage are three chairs. They play a game similar to musical chairs where, instead of playing music, the performer reads from a book. Stefan reads from the Bible which is an odd choice but does satisfy the conditions of bein able to obtain the props from your hotel room. At any rate, each round one person and one chair are eliminated until a winner is declared. The performer opens the envelope and pulls out a piece of paper that predicts the winner of the game.

This is the weakest effect in the book, both in method and effect. I won’t give away the details, but if you saw the routine performed, I don’t think you would have any problems working them out for yourself. The revelation of the prediction is certainly not as fair as it could be. Since the performer is only predicting something with a one in four chance of happening, the revelation needs to be completely above suspicion. Unfortunately, this is not the case here.

Wrap Up Prediction- The performer reminds the audience of the prediction that has been hanging from the ceiling since the beginning of the show. The spectators that have been holding onto the envelopes, remove the signed bill and torn piece of newspaper. Another volunteer is called on stage to open the envelope and read the prediction. The prediction reveals the text on the newspaper as well as the serial number of the signed bill.

There isn’t much to say about the final prediction except that you are way ahead of the game by the time it is revealed. All of the dirty work is taken care of long before the final moment. In theory this is a strong closer to the act, but its strength relies completely on the fairness in which the bill and newspaper piece were selected. That means that when the final predication is being read, the audience is going to think back to when those objects were first introducted. In this case of the dollar bill, I fear that some astute spectators may be able to reconstruct the method if performed as written. I’m not discounting the method used completely. I have no doubt that it could be used in certain situations, but I don’t like the idea of the most important part of my show relying on it.

So there’s the act. There’s nothing earth shattering about it, but there are a few strong pieces of mentalism included. The procedures employed in this e-book are very straightforward, but may not suit the style of every mentalist. Due to the nature of having to come up with this act on the fly, most of the methods are carried out with brute force rather than subtle techniques. The biggest problem with the act is the fact that each effect is a prediction. While I don’t think this is the best approach, it would have at least been better if the odds of each  prediction would have become more and more impossible as the act progressed. The first effect is a one in four prediction. The odds grow to one in twelve for the second routine, but then shrink back down to one in four for the penultimate effect.

There are a couple of times where the author comments to the effect of “nobody will be suspicious, because they are not expecting anything sneaky” or “you’re a mentalist, not a magician, people don’t expect you to switch things.” While I agree that in many tricks, the method is as much about attitude as it is secret moves, I think it’s a bit naive to believe that the audience isn’t fully on guard against suspicious actions. This is especially true in mentalism, where the presentaiton stresses how fair you want everything to appear.

The layout to the book is straightforward. There are pictures when necessary and the descriptions are clear. If this act sounds like something you would like to perform or to simply have handy in case of an emergency, you may want to check this out. Most performers, however, will be better served spending their money on a DVD or book that will provide more bang for your buck.

Not recommended.

- Available from www.stefanmagie.de/shop.htm and http://www.lybrary.com/lost-luggage-p-79124.html