Method by Steven Palmer

10/10

1 book 10 effects, cover to cover amazement. Yes in brief that’s a very apt description of what Method is, other than the obvious statements like, it’s a book and it has magic effects in.

So what do you get for your Money? This is a well written, clear and very concise body of work that combines magic and mentalism techniques. Like other books that have come onto the market recently, this is as much a book of tools/principals which can be applied to a myriad of effects as not just those within the covers. The effects are written up without any scripting apart from the odd line where Steven gives a brief example of what he might say in a particular situation. I enjoyed the lack of routine scripting as it leaves the routines open to interpretation to suit your individual style, no influence from the writer. The all-important actions are covered and covered well with excellent, easy to follow instruction and photographs to leave you with no doubt as to what it is you are doing.

As for the effects, I believe that every one of them is a ‘worker’ as they say. Oh no, that worker cliché! Alright, let me put it this way, you can, will and if not, SHOULD use every effect in the book in your working repertoire. Reading each effect leaves me confident and thinking “yeah, I’ll perform this”. It should do as the material is direct from Steven’s working material that he still uses NOW! So yes, it’s road tested and highly effective magic. I’m not going to give you a write up of each effect as I believe that I would do them an injustice and you really DO need to discover Stevens’s additions, bits of business and unique thinking for yourself. A pleasure to read from start to finish.
I will leave you with a brief description of my personal favourite from Method, an effect that I honestly believe is worth the price of the book alone!

Sensory intelligence
A 3 phase mind reading routine you are have almost finished before you have begun. Almost finished from your point of view that is. Steven has devised a method of getting so far ahead of the game that you could stop and have a cuppa if you wished. A spectator writes down the names of 3 people, one of which they love, one that the hate and one that hey have never met, on 3 separate business cards, all done out of the performers sight. The cards are mixed up and returned to the performer who then Using 3 different techniques, graphology, body reading and direct mind reading, reveals the names and the emotional connection of love, hate etc. Extremely simple to perform. The routine also comes with bonus ‘which hand’ routine for a beautiful kicker ending. I’ll leave you to buy and read the book for further info on that!

Link? Price? Reviews?

Look forward to reading this, Steven is a great thinker so I know the ideas in this book will be a breathe of fresh air....

Best

R

My apologies for forgetting to list the links and prices, here they are folks. A please would be nice Tom, manners cost nothing.

Available direct from Stephen here for £40: http://www.thought-reader.com/#!actual-method/c185i

or Ellusionist for $60 here: http://www.ellusionist.com/method-by-steve-palmer.html

Steven Palmer is one of those 'underground' guys who has genius thinking and material. He just quietly produces great stuff and doesn't scream from the rooftops how great he is like a lot of creators that aren't half as good! I thoroughly recommend this and anything else he produces!

Karl

Where did you print that book? is it standard or premium paperback?

Couldn't wait any longer. Purchased! will give a review once I receive it.

Sound intriguing! Thanks for the heads up on a solid book! Not enough books being read anymore in a world full of instant gratification!

Just realized this is the same as "Method Memorbilia" published in July.

Or at least the list of effects are the same. Is this the "improved" book mentioned in this thread?

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......orum=218

Hi Guys,
Just to clarify "Method" is what was once "Method Memorabilia" . The new revised edition now contains a foreword by Peter turner and and introduction by Luke Jermay.
The very small release of what was "Method Memorabilia" is now discontinued.
The new version is available at ellusionist. And also myself at www.thought-reader.com
Many thanks for your time and interest.

Best wishes!

Hi All,

Okay finally got the chance to sit down and read this.... and it is exactly what I thought it would be..'brilliant thinking'

Here is some information about what you will get to riddle your mind with in the book:

Foreword By Peter Turner

Introduction by Luke Jermay

Effect:


There’s a time for lying:

A stunning spectator as mind reader effect featuring several utility moves with a wide range of applications.



Into the void:

An impossibly clean and direct “think a card” routine. The routine is very logical, very direct and very fooling.

If you perform mentalism with playing cards, this is destined to go into your repertoire.



Sensory Intelligence:

A beautiful close up graphology routine. The routine compromises of three increasingly powerful reveals using three business cards.

Several variations of the routine are given, including a drawing duplication finale.

The routine can be performed entirely impromptu and also includes a technology free “which-hand” finale.



Emphatic Touch:

A close up, self contained take on the “blister” effect. Takes only moments to build and uses items you are sure to have.

The routine provides an astonishing way to leave the spectator with your business card.

Once built you are likely to take this everywhere.



Crooked:

A direct and logical approach to “Psychic Poker” or "Tell reading".

A very direct and simple and demonstrations of mind reading at the card table, using just a regular deck and minimal sleight of hand.



Jigsaw:

A signature effect for a long time. This routine combines many classic mentalism ideas and some from the card table to make an insanely direct “think a card” with no physical cards present.

Can be performed virtually impromptu and prop less.



The Becoming:

A very “real” approach to getting inside a spectators mind. Performed properly this can look like genuine psychic ability.



Future Prophecies:

A very versatile routine, giving the performer a risk free way of practising psychological forces with a guaranteed prediction kicker.

The routine uses everyday office items, with some versatile ideas to be adapted to routines you already do.



Glitch:

A massively streamlined approach to the single “Card in Wallet” idea. Fans of the plot are sure to enjoy this.

The work and ideas involved in this could be easily adapted to your current version of the routine.



Dead Cut Redux:

A very fooling close up routine using playing cards with progressively more impossible stages.

Using minimum sleight of hand and a normal deck this has been a favourite prelude to show how the performer gained his intuitive abilities.


Every effect has been cleverly thought out, made simple and workable and for that reason it gets my recommend.

Great stuff Steven

All the best

R

I received this book on Friday. I read through it Friday evening. Here were my initial thoughts:

As I was reading the book I couldn't help but think "... so what!?" None of the methods are new or revolutionary. None of the effects excited me. There aren't any new plots. The methods are overly simple. The methods are all methods I was already familiar with. I wanted to like it. I really did... I just couldn't force myself to love what I was reading. It didn't seem to deserve the accolade it received from so many pros.



It is now Sunday. My oh my how my thoughts have changed.

Once I put the book down Friday evening, I really began contemplating the effects. I started to really like some of them. I fell in love with one of the routines from the book. I loved the thinking behind another. I liked the handling of another. Effect after effect started to impress me more and more. I started to realize how brilliantly the methods were layered. I realized how incredible the effects seem to laymen. You really have to allow these effects to soak in before you can appreciate their value.

So now I present to you my thoughts on each effect in the book (as so far, no one has given a detailed review on all of the effects from the book.)


1) There's a Time for Lying:
In this, the performer thinks of a time and 'sends' it to the spectator who commits to a time by secretly writing it down on a blank business card. The card is fairly stuck into the middle of a stack of business cards. The performer then removes his watch and allows the spectator to turn the dial and set the watch at a random time, thus selecting a time for his/herself. The spectator does so and remembers the time. The magician then picks up the stack of business cards, fairly turns the top one over,'reads the spectator's mind' and then correctly writes down the random time she thought of. He then tells her the time he tried to send to the spectator. Low and behold, she got the correct time exactly right.

There is some REALLY clever stuff happening here. First of all, the watch used can be any analog watch. It doesn't have to have a date feature. There is are some very nice subtleties to make everything seem as fair as it needs to be. There's no dual reality in this effect (or any of the effects in the book.) All of the moves seem very fair and accounted for. There's nothing that seems out of the ordinary. The big plus with this is that it JUST uses a stack of business cards and your watch. That's all. No gimmicked cards, shiners, peek devices, fake watches, just normal cards and normal watch.

I'm a fan of this one. I will definitely be performing this one. (I'll probably try it out tomorrow on some friends.)

9/10


2) Into the Void:
A deck of cards is shuffled and cut by a spectator. The spectator cuts a 'chunk' of cards off the deck, shuffles them, spreads them in front of his/her face and thinks of one of the cards. You are able to read his/her mind, telling him/her what card was thought of.

This was actually one of my least favorite effects in the book. While it isn't BAD, I just think there are better ways to do this. It remind me of Ted Karmilovich's Tossed Out Deck routine. I much prefer Ted's approach. I think this effect is a little transparent to a lay audience. Plus, it requires you to do something that is usually done from a boat or dock... Personally, I won't be using this routine.

6/10


3) Sensory Intelligence:
This is the one that has everyone talking and for good reason. Three blank business cards are introduced. Someone is asked to write down the name of a person they love on one card, someone they hate on another card, and someone they don't know on the last card. The spectator mixed them up. Just by looking at the writing of the first name, you are able to determine which emotion this person is tied to. You then proceed to reveal the emotion and even the exact NAME of the next card. You do the same for the last card. A nice 'which hand' effect is taught at the end of this routine. It is a nice concept and fits well with the 'Sensory Intelligence' routine.

This is one clever, CLEVER piece. It's power is in it's simplicity. It is dead easy to perform, but I have no doubt that it would absolutely slay a lay audience. The which hand bonus is nice as well. I will definitely give this a try (possibly tomorrow.)

10/10


4) Tarot Intelligence:
This is an awesome way to give a reading with tarot cards. It is based on 'Sensory Intelligence' and uses the same method. In this one, a sitter takes three cards from a normal tarot deck (the cards are unknown.) The first card is turned face up. The reader gives a reading based off of this card. The nice thing is that the reader can proceed to tell the sitter what the next two cards are (in the form of a reading.) Nice stuff, but I'll stick with the original.

7/10


5) The Emphatic Touch:
A hand is drawn on a business card. The spectator circles one of the fingers on the hand. The perform and spectator place their hands together. The perform accurately reveals what finger the spectator is thinking of. He tells her to concentrate harder. Suddenly the performer grimaces and pulls his hand away slightly. A blister is seen on the finger she was just thinking of.

This obviously isn't QUITE as clean as the ad copy may have made it seem. To me, circling the finger makes little sense in a one on one session. Maybe it would work when there are more people. I'm sure this method of ****ing is nothing new, but I've never seen the principle used like this. The method for the blister will take some slight construction, but it is built into the props used for the routine. It doesn't use anything external. This makes it super practical.
I MAY eventually make this up and give it a try, but it isn't my favorite.

7/10


6) Crooked:
A normal deck of cards is shuffled by a spectator. The spectator peeks at a random card in the deck (no force.) The deck is shuffled some more and cut by the spectator. The spectator then goes through the cards, removing their card and four other cards. You proceed to tell them every card they are holding including the card they originally thought of.

This one is KILLER. This is the stand out of the book for me. Not only does this use completely normal un-marked cards, it can also be set up very easily in the moment. You could even do it without any set up at all (although this isn't discussed.) This is extremely simple. There's hardly any work on your part. I have performed this twice today, and both times I got very stunned reactions. It genuinely seems impossible. The cards are constantly being shuffled and cut (by both the performer and spectator.)The spectator really has no way to backtrack how you could know every card in their hand. GENIUS. Do not pass this one up. This very well may become my go to card 'thing.'

11/10


7) Jigsaw:
A card is formed piece by piece by the spectator. It matches a prediction written on a business card in your wallet.

At first when I read this I thought "... seriously?" It's just simple equivoque. The equivocation is VERY nice though. It seems very fair and I believe if a laymen that knows the terrible watered down equivoque sees you perform this, they would be really fooled. The statements are all very fair. However, anyone familiar with Joshua Quinn or Hector Chadwick will be very familiar with some of the wording used. However, I think the real value of this is the hook line at the very beginning. It pulls you in. It has a few 'outs' so to speak which are clever, but again, nothing new.
This one is hard for me to rate because I will actually use this. I have performed it twice today as an opening to 'Crooked.' The problem is it only got decent reactions. It certainly didn't knock em dead... for that reason I'm giving this

7/10


8) The Becoming: A way to reveal someone's thoughts.

This is goooood. Almost too good. If you want to make it seem like you are GENUINELY reaching into someone's soul and stealing all information about them, this is one way to go. This creates a powerful feeling for the spectator and honestly, I believe it may even creep them out a little. I like it.

9/10


9) Future Prophecies:
A sticky note is peeled off and written on by the performer. It is tucked away into an envelope. The spectator now thinks of the name of someone close to him. The magician now thinks of a card and writes it on another sticky note. The spectator names what card she thinks it is. The performer now writes down a number. She names what she thinks it is. Last, the performer writes down two shapes. She tries to name what they are. She is shown to be close on the first one and dead on on the other two. End of routine. But wait! The envelope is ripped open and the folded sticky note is removed and unfolded. It says something along the lines of "I have a feeling something will be important to you. Or maybe someone: Tom." And of course, it is the name she thought of.

This is a routine I definitely want to try out. It is simple and I'm sure most people know what is going on from the description, but it is a nice variation with some very nice subtleties. I may give this one a try.

8/10


10) Glitch:
The spectator names a card. It is predicted in the wallet.

This starts with a very clever way to force something on a spectator (being cryptic here on purpose.) The effect is achieved with a very nice updated Kenton Knepper idea. This makes it seem a little less ambiguous than before. It will require a bit of preparation, but besides that, it is a pretty nice routine with some clever ideas. I may try this.

8/10


11) Dead Cut Redux:
A demonstration of dead cutting. The spectator cuts any amount of cards off of the deck. She peeks at the card she cut to (the one on the bottom of her pile) and proceeds to shuffle the cards in her hand, count them secretly, and buries them into the rest of the pack. The combined deck is shuffled. The perform turns his head and swiftly cuts some cards from the deck. With his head still turned, he names the card the spectator selected and the exact number of cards she cut at the beginning. He then lifts up his hand to show that he has cut precisely to her card.

This is the last effect in the book. Honestly... I was very underwhelmed by this... I couldn't find anything new behind this at all. I thought this was not a good way to end the book. That said, if you like the sound of the effect, this is definitely one way to do it quite simply. It does require a set up of a quarter of the deck. Steven raves about this routine saying it could be a show stopper. I just can't see it. Maybe I need to see him perform it. As it is, this was one of my least favorite effects in the book.

6/10



Over all, the book is pretty nice quality. The pages are a bit thin for my liking, but that's just me being picky. There are some really nice thoughts throughout the book. The routines are all practical and commercial. The real value is in the subtleties here. There are some fabulous subtleties that make this book. Without these little nuggets of gold, I probably would have been quite disappointed. Because of the gold and the fact that there are many routines I want to try from this book, I'll give the overall book

8/10

Thanks for the Indepth reviews guys, really pleased your enjoying the material.
Everyone seems to be finding their own individual favourites in the book which is nice.
Always a compliment when people take the material and use it in their performances

Forgot to say, there is now an indepth talk about the book online.
Should give people a more information about the content.
http://youtu.be/pYrm0Ua1kCg
Available from ellusionist and www.thought-reader.com
Thanks again

Hi, Are any of these effects sleight free for those of us casual hobbyists performing for family and friends? Thanks in advance.

Most of them are essentially "sleight free"

They use very basic moves. Nothing complex at all.

Magic.Maddy is absolutely correct, very basic sleights if any.

Thanks again for the interest