Secrets – Anthony Owen
$50.00
http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=60661

The Hype:

Magician, mentalist, producer - Anthony Owen is a creative force to be reckoned with. Whether in television, mentalism, or the repertoires of his fellow magicians, his influence can be felt far and wide. Now he brings together a collection of his favorite "Secrets" from a lifetime of magic just for you. 

This superlative compilation consists not only of mentalism, for which he may be best known, but also close-up and parlor/stage effects that will inspire and get your creative juices flowing. You'll be treated to effects with cards, coins, sleight of hand and mentalism (of course!), but this just scratches the surface. You also get miraculous routines using Anthony's favorite adhesive utility item, Changin' Glue; Out of this World effects; amusing anecdotes from a lifetime in magic; a section about television magic that any aspiring TV magician needs to read; and lottery and popular game show effects that will simultaneously amuse, entertain and baffle parlor or stage audiences. 

This volume is packed with material for magicians and mentalists alike, and will likely sell quickly. You don't want to miss out. So, pull up a comfy chair and Anthony Owen will let you in on the real Secrets of magic. 

My Take:

I first became aware of Anthony Owens a few years ago when someone sent me a link to his Ultimate Oil and Water routine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JZMnzivIao

I was greatly pleased to see that this is included in his new books, Secrets. Not only that but he has improved it and made it easier to do.

Until I opened the book, I was unaware of Anthony’s background. He started as a young demonstrator for Marvin’s Magic at Hamley’s Toy Store in London and has worked his way up to being a television producer producing, among others, all of Darren Brown’s television specials.

Secrets is an attractive book that will look great on your shelf. It features the usual Vanishing Inc quality production. Illustrations are provided by the incomparable Tony Dunn. At $50.00, it may seem a bit pricey to some. Some books are priced a little higher. Some are worth the extra expense and some are not. This one definitely is.

The book is divided into eight sections.

Sticky Tricks – this section actually takes up a fourth of the whole book and it is a good usage of the space. Anthony teaches a number of routines featuring Changin’ Glue. I was unable to find a source online but most of the effects can be accomplished by using repositionable glue. Mine is in stick form and I picked it up at Staples. The latest version of his Oil and Water plot is taught as well as a new look at phase 3 of the routine by Sebastien Clegue. Several other plots are taught like Travelers, Monte and Card to Impossible Location. There are lots of good things in this section. (My favorite of the book). This section alone justifies the price.

Sleights and Sorcery – Anthony’s Caravan move is a variation of the tent vanish but can be done with the selection face up.  Roy Walton and Peter Duffie have contributed several effects to this section. It will take some work but it is a very nice move. His Window Stealing Bottom Palm is also taught and used in Ambitious Card Finale.

Coins – Only two items here but both are winners. He teaches a handling of pencil through quarter that allows your spectator to remove the coin from the pencil. And there is a no sleight, no shell, no skill coin matrix. You will be playing with this. Very clever thinking.

Out of This Chapter – Anthony tells that one of his favorite tricks of all time is Paul Curry’s Out of This World.  He gives variations where the spectator can shuffle the deck.

Cards – This chapter deals with gaffed cards. I immediately recognized the first as one I actually purchased many years ago in Boston from Hank Lee. There is a nice adaptation of Dan Harlan’s Card-toon with a second revelation. A variation of the Svengali deck is shown. In this one you do not have to reverse the way the cards are flipped. Looks like it just might be the thing to fool other magicians.

Situational Sorcery – Anthony expounds on his approach to performing Silk Handkerchief to Spectators Sleeve, tells an amusing story about Barrie Richardson swallowing a knife (with directions) and teaches a nice little match trick to help you pick up a date for the evening.

Mentalism – Fans of Kenton Knepper’s Kolossal Killer will love Killer Kombustion  where you are always right on and never have to worry about being one off. You learn how to make a card freely thought of vanish from a blue deck and reappear in a red one. You also see his solution to the ACAAN plot and a routine involving lottery numbers.

Television Trickery – This chapter includes both routines that have been performed on television and routines based on television shows. I have always enjoyed Max Maven’s interactive magic that he has performed on specials. It is powerful when a viewer at home makes the moves and ends up with the same result as you. There are several to choose from here. A standout routine is Ring on Notepad. A borrowed ring is vanished and ends up linked on the spiral binding of the magician’s note pad where the binding actually has to be cut with wire cutters to free the ring. Anthony does ask you to contact him before performing these on television or on Youtube.

Conclusion: This book is a veritable smorgasbord of magical treats. Skill levels go from starting out to one or two instances of knuckle busting. The printing quality is impeccable and the writing style has the feel of having a friend discuss his magic with you. My one problem with writing this review is that I had to stop myself from overusing the word “clever.” Because most of this certainly is. Do yourself a favor. Buy this and put aside an evening just to enjoy the read.

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