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Illumination – Luke Jermay
The Hype: A complete, audience-proven act from Luke Jermay that allows you to take every audience on an unforgettable journey. After years of us “Illumination” by Luke Jermay pushes the boundaries of what a book test can be. You don’t just divine a word, but rather reveal stories across a remarkable 15-minute routine filled with multiple magic moments. The entire audience gets involved as they’re transformed from passive spectators into vehicles for your revelations. What makes “Illumination” so special is Luke’s inherent understanding of effective routine construction. Unlike some other swiss-army-knife type book tests, which often focus on method over presentation, “Illumination” is dedicated to amplifying the experience at every touchpoint. A few simple, straightforward methods work in perfect harmony to unite audiences over shared feelings, emotions, imagery, and even sounds. This surefire workhorse was designed to be plugged right into your working set. It’s a goosebump-inducing routine that will quickly become one of your favorites. How Does “Illumination” Work? Two different books are given to two different people. They both open up to a page they like and read the first paragraph to themselves. As you hone in on the first person’s thoughts, the entire audience experiences a feeling and emotion that is revealed to perfectly match what is happening to the character in the book. For the second reveal, the participant closes their eyes and pictures the environment in which their paragraph took place. Your volunteer won’t believe their ears as the audience works together to create a sound that perfectly matches what they’re imagining in their head. In the final phase, a third person is invited to choose either book. They open it up and find a long word they like. You have them focus on this word and transmit it to you as an image that you begin to draw. At first, it seems like you’re off-base. That is until you make a connection nobody saw coming. This surprising moment has been brilliantly-structured to get the most bang for your buck and takes the routine to another level beyond a straightforward word revelation. As with all material Luke Jermay releases, “Illumination” has been honed over 1000s of performances. It plays just as well in a theater of 1,000s, as it does at a dinner party. Since it’s easy to do and doesn’t require any sleight of hand, your mind is free to concentrate fully on your performance. You receive two gorgeous, specially-made books that have been carefully designed to look identical to real novels. You’re going to love how hands-off and free you can be. The detailed video instructions are a mini masterclass in which Luke shares everything you need to get the most out of “Illumination”. Don’t pass up your chance to add a complete, professional routine to your act. Luke’s already done all the hard work for you. Just grab a copy of “Illumination” and you’ll be ready to leave every audience with lasting memories that will survive long after you’re done.
My Take: When you receive your package, the first thing you will notice is the weight. 3 pounds, 8 ounces, so you will know there is a monster inside. I have been a fan of book tests for a long time and have had the privilege of reviewing quite a few of them. Beginning with Dan Tong's Peek-a-Book back in the 60's (which was released as a two book set by Larry Becker as Flashback) up through book tests based on classic tomes and new ideas. Steve Valentine has a really nice one,
However, I think this set is something special. When I saw the promo video I knew immediately how it was done but that does not stop me from saying that this is one of the most beautiful versions I have seen. Vanishing has given the set of two books their usual superb quality printing. These books could pass for books you just bought today from the local bookstore. My only complaint is that the covers make me want to read a couple of books that don't really exist.
My favorite book test of all time is Mother of All Book Tests (MOABT) by Ted Karmilovich.. It is a work of genius and I have destroyed spectators using it. At one of Harry Allen's Daytona Magic conventions, I entered a walk around competition and did MOABT at each table. One of Harry's employees said that he had never seen anyone do a book test for a walk around but he agreed that it worked. It got the whole table involved and the ending stunned them. If you move on and the next table has heard the word out loud, the chances that the same word will be chosen are minimal. (By the way, if you enter a walk around competition and one of the other competitors is a 9 or 10 year old cute kid, it doesn't matter if they are any good or not, they will win guaranteed! So just have fun performing but don't expect to come home with a prize.!)
Illumination has several things to make you choose it over something like MOABT. First of all (and most important in my opinion) is the price. In doing a quick price check online Tannen's is currently selling MOABT for $200.00 and Amazon is selling the pocket edition for $241.00. A lot of us don't have the cash to spend for either one. Illumination sells for $99.99 plus you receive two books, not one. And I guarantee that the books look better than any other book test on the market. Another thing with MOABT is that you only get to reveal one word. Illumination allows you to reveal the content of a whole paragraph. Not only that but the kicker is being able to have your spectator choose a word on any page in the book and you not only reveal it, it is revealed in a drawing (minimal art skills required). Like MOABT, you will be required to learn a set of words but an alternative is given showing how a cheat sheet can be concealed and used.
The price of $99.99 may seem a bit high to some of you but if you already do a book test, you realize what an incredible bargain this set is. And the printing quality is stunning. Vanishing has made a name for the products that they publish for the superb quality of each book. I have a few of their books on my shelf and love to show them to my visitors who are always impressed with the quality. The books come in a very attractive heavy cardboard box which is perfect to transport them in.
Luke has made quite a name for him self in the mentalism field. (I have heard some really good things about his Marksman deck) and this addition to his catalog is an impressive one. This is now my favorite book test so, of course, I highly recommend it.
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