The Boy Who Cried Magic - Andi Gladwin
$50.00
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic-books/the-boy-who-cried-magic/%22

The Hype:

Over the last decade, Andi Gladwin has helped produce more than a hundred magic books. Despite continued promises to one day produce a book of his own, that dream never came true … until now.

That’s right. It’s finally Andi’s turn. And since he hates talking about himself, we’ll do it for him.

The Boy Who Cried Magic is a rare magic book with zero compromises. In all there are sixteen routines and fifteen new sleights. You'll learn Andi's highly sought-after magician foolers, as well as his complete professional card act. Plus, he goes in depth on some of his most enduring moves, including the Master Pushoff and Undo Cut which are in use by some of the world's finest magicians.

Without question The Boy Who Cried Magic is the most gorgeous book we've ever produced. From the photos to the premium glossy paper to the pragmatic layout and stunning slip case, the production values on this project set a sterling new standard in the industry. It exudes a style and quality that is rarely seen in magic.

In addition to everything being explained in precise detail across the more than 250 pages and 240 high-resolution photos within this gorgeous hardcover book, you’ll also receive access to performance videos of every routine.

My Take:

Each new book from Vanishing tends to best the previous. Andi's book is a thing of beauty and has the most durable slip case that I have ever seen on a magic book. He says he has been waiting 10 years to put it out and I think it was well worth the wait.

The forwards of most books are quite often overlooked but in reading "Making Magic Bullet Proof, I had my feelings and approach to magic suddenly make a U turn. Every step of Andi's makes perfect sense and will change the way you look at magic.

The book is divided into four parts, the first being Close-Up Magic

"Whack Your Phone", the first routine in the book is Andi's take on Paul Harris' Reflex (also known as Whack Your Pack") only in Andi's version the vanished card ends up under your cell phone on the table. This one will have you wondering just why you didn't think of this. Andi says Reflex was first published in 1988 in the Magical Arts Journal. However, by a strange coincidence , two days before, I  was shopping at a thrift store in Sarasota and purchased three  old issues of Tannen's Magic Manuscript. One had the Pendragons on the cover and was the July-Auguest 1985 issue and guess what was published in this issue three years before the Magical Arts Journal publishing. You guessed it. Reflex by Paul Harris. Still a great routine no matter who had it first and Andi's handling adds another layer of deception,

  Perfect Order is Andi's Triumph routine but the bonus here is that he teaches you Woody Aragon's Wiper Move which works excellently with a Triumph.

Monte Python is an easy to do, non-gaffed Monte routine that can be done with card from a borrowed deck.

Ghost is based on Dominique Duvivier's Ghost Kings. This is not one of the easier effects in the book and will take some work but it's worth it.

Pocket Mule is Andi's handling of Roy Walton's Smiling Mule which has become a classic in card magic.You tell your spectator that you can remove any named card from your pocket. When the card is named, you take the entire deck out of your pocket. After the laugh you pull the named card out of your other pocket.

Fireworks is a multi-selection routine with a twist. Instead of just finding the selections, an effect is done using each one. This is not a trick but a full routine.

The next section of the book is on Card Techniques used in the routines n this book.

The Master Pushoff (teaches the Double Pushoff for double lifts and is also available as a two DVD set strictly on this move), the Cull Shuffle, Undo Cut,Undo Shuffle, Four Finesses and the Fan Change. There is some serious work required here but it will increase your arsenal by a huge amount.

Third is At The Card Table

From the Centre - A block of cards is turned over and shuffled into the middle of the deck. The cards are dealt one at a time seemingly from the middle of the deck. At the end you show the four aces scattered throughout the deck, then proceed to deal each ace without disturbing the top card. A beautiful routine but as Andi says, this is the most difficult piece in the book.

Red Black to the Future is an oil and water type effect. A group of cards is shown to be in red black order. Then it changes to two red, two black, etc. One more snap and he is dealing three red and three black.The packet is assembled with a black card at the face. Another snap and the face card is now red. The cards are spread and now the reds are all together as are the blacks.  You can drop the big climax and still have a strong but much easier routine.

 Misdeal - Andi's take on the Magician screws up plot is actually a nice ace assembly which will require some work.

Cut, Stop, Shuffle - Thank you Andi for throwing in a nice routine with no sleights. The volunteer does all of the work. He cuts some cards from the deck and places them on the table. He starts dealing the cards and stops wherever he wishes. Finally he shuffles the cards left and puts them onto the table. When each packet is turned over the first says "Cut here". the second "Stop Here" and the last, "Shuffle here".

Castle Jacks - Andi's showpiece in three phases. The first he memorizes a complete shuffled deck. A card is named and he gives the exact location of its position in the deck. The three mates to that card are likewise located and then handed out to four spectators who sign their cards. One of the cards is placed into a goblet and the others are vanished one at a time using a different method for each. When the first card is pulled from the goblet, the other three mates are found to have joined it. A beautiful moment. Andi then finds each of the mates (except the last) in various of his pockets. Slapping his hand down onto the late card causes the deck to vanish leaving only the last card in his hand.

The last section is Stand UP Card Magic.

Silent Movie - If you watch the Masters of Illusion Show, you might have seen Andi perform this fun trick complete with lots of laughs. This is good magic but his use of an old bar bet completes the picture.

 Aura - Andi has three cards chosen. The deck is spread out and he picks the correct first card. He then places the deck in his pocket so he can't see it and pulls out the second selection. For the last selection, the spectator reaches into his pocket and pulls out the correct card himself. Believe it or not, the mechanics of this are simple and easy to do. A killer routine.

Supersonic - Two spectators are each given around one third of a shuffled deck while the performer retains the last third. A card is selected from each third then they are shuffled back into the deck. The performer is quickly able to locate the two chosen by the spectators but cannot locate his own. He finds it inside his pocket.

Scripted Bored - Andi's presentation of Simon Aronson's Shuffle Bored with the prediction being displayed on his iPad. The mechanics of the trick are not taught but the method is well known and should not be hard to locate if you are unfamiliar with it. The iPad really brings it up to date.

Thought Experiment - Andi is a huge fan of Edward G. Brown. so much that he wrote an entire book about him (The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown) and considers his Twelve card Thought Transmission one of the finest card effects ever. Thought Experiment is his take on the trick. A packet is divided between two spectators and each think of a card from their packet. One at a time each selected card travels invisibly to the other packet.

Two things you should be accomplished at with this book. Andi's Master Pushoff and the cull. Both are extremely important to accomplishing many of the routines here.

Conclusion: Another gorgeous book from the Vanishing Inc. stable that will look great on your shelf. I always knew that Andi was a fine magician but this book made me realize what an accomplished card magician he is. This book has a lot of entertaining routines from the simple up to the knucklebusters. With the lock downs this will give you something to occupy every spare minute you might have so, yes, I would recommend buying this book. It took Andi 10 years to put it together and it shows.

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