There are book effects produced for magicians where the method is so elegant you fall in love with it. "That is so fricking clever!" And the effect is.. . you gain the information of a sentance. But the method is so clever! I love it! Yearbook isn't like that. There IS a besides the point retrieval of information that isn't elegant. That's not the effect... Book props for magicians aren't really for the magician. They're for the audience. Yearbook is a book that will have greater impact on an audience than most of the elegant booktests. Because of what it is. The story. The object itself. That said, I also have a problem with how Outlaw treats it's customers. I paid for something over a year & a half ago that I've been told isn't going into production anymore. Where is my refund? Why do I have to ask for it?

For the record, I'm perfectly fine with the book not being a book test with a defined method. I've many a piece that's sole purpose is as a unique aesthetic piece to build a story around--no method or trickery to be found. My concern centers around some of the aspects done to the book. For example, the integration of 21st century technology into some of the photographs was... confusing to me. For me, it didn't seem to fit in with any narrative the book was telling (that, and two of the first people I showed the book to called these aspects out nearly immediately, which brought the yarn I was spinning to a jolting pause). Again, others may love such aspects and figure out a reason for them existing in the photos that works perfectly well for them--and more power to them! As always: to each their own.

The twilight zone, 21st Century out-of-time aspects of Yearbook are in deep background within the book. They'll never be noticed unless you point them out yourself. It took me weeks examing Yearbook to notice them all ( as I posted on the forum ) The hundredth time I show the book and they are noticed? Bonus! I know just what to say. No, Yearbook is about high school friendships gone wrong and vengeance from beyond the grave. I like that those weird little details are in the book though! Even if no one ever sees them
but me......I don't believe PA that anyone noticed those aspects unless you handed them a magnifying glass saying "examine this"! The way I'll use it, there's no way in hill anyone will notice.

With everything being very vague on here. I'm a bit confused. It seems people are stating the effect or method isn't all that great for getting information. So then we've got others who have said its about the story, saying it works as a prop to tell the story. So my question is what separates this from me going on the big auction site and just buying an actual year book from the time? The outlaw book tests I've had WA, Luna, Ipswich reflections are all good on method and impact and tell a story.

Ray, I empathize with you as I had pre-ordered around the same date as you, but finally received my YB about six months after my order date. My only "review" at the time, was an observation that most of the pages were still noticeably damp from presumed rushing of my copy to me Some may recall that I took a lot of "flack" from some other devotees of YB (who are happy with it now) for my postings about the delays prior to my receiving it. However, I have held off on my review and now find that I do not feel ths need. Pastboard Alchemist and ChrisMatch in their review and comments above have much more elegantly and deftly expressed about 100% of my opinion, attitude, concerns, pluses and minuses regarding YB and OE regarding customer service or lack thereof (I own many of OE's outstanding props, effects and have no regrets for past purchases, since the endurance of any lack of service I experienced has long since passed). I am sure OE will continue to put out some super quality items, but for me YB was the last item amd experience to endure. ( I am taking some time to even consider heading over to the Tricks for Trade or Sale site). I respect Rick's ideas and efforts, despite challenges, but I am sorry to say I had satisfactorily gone elsewhere before and I will continue to make other choices for purchases of this genre from now on.

Respectfully, Reese, this part of your post that you went back and added after I'd originally read your reply last night is... perturbing. Essentially, you're baselessly calling me a liar and/or a bad presenter. I haven't responded directly to your comments previously, as I feel everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own experiences with the product, so I'd appreciate it if you'd extend me the same courtesy.

I suppose there's nothing more I can say than: you're wrong. They noticed with no prompting. And, frankly, if you think someone won't notice an open laptop Photoshopped front-and-center onto a table in the middle foreground of an image so that it is made to appear like one of the primary people in the photo is looking at it while playing an instrument, and that such a thing is "in deep background", then I'd hate to see what you consider overt.

Also, I'll note: we're discussing (apparently arguing) about this aspect of the book as if it were a mistake. A binding error, an accidental misspelling, or as if it were something mistakenly left in a modern photo. "Don't worry, nobody will notice." This isn't a mistake. This is something purposefully injected into the book, which doesn't beg the response "Well, it's okay... nobody will see it." It demands the response "Why was this put there, and how did the maker intend for it to further the narrative of the prop?" And an acceptable answer isn't "Anything is fair game, because it's up to the purchaser to make sense of it to a spectator." If that's the case, then where's the line? At what point are aspects thrown into the book with no explanation or bearing upon the story given actually detrimental?

My intent is not to come here and bash anyone with a positive opinion of this product. If someone enjoys it, excellent! If they say "All 293 people I've shown this book to have completely thought in genuine, been enthralled by the story, and threw hundred dollar bills at me when I was done performing" then I believe them and I congratulate their success and their experience. I have no reason not to. My intent, rather, is to do what no one else to date has done: relate my experience and give any sense of concrete info about the product so people can at least be aware of what's arriving. After this many pages of a thread and people still saying "Wait... what exactly is it, again?" I think it's good that we're having this discourse. At least it will inform people who are considering purchasing this. And if they do purchase it, good for them!

I'd be happy to discuss how I plan to use this and give prospective buyers some more insight downstairs. I totally see why some people might not enjoy it, but it is exactly what I needed, and if you are like me you may love it.

But it would need to be downstairs.

Without going into too much detail on a public forum, I use YB for a seance routine. I tell the story about YB and the haunted artifact in front of them, and then afterwards I call upon the spirit of the student victim using some spirit slates I purchased through Marc Charisse. Pretty simple, but I feel the YB prop and story flow perfectly into the seance.

Sorry PA, I certainly don't think you're dishonest in the least. I don't like those futuristic elements too much either. The way I'm handling it they'll never be noticed. I do like the repeating time reflected in clocks & elsewhere; that's useful to me... I feel bad that I phrased things stupidly in my post. I apologize man.

Just want to add: when I first saw the photo with the "laptop", I didn't identify it as such. I viewed it within the context of the times. I thought it was a briefcase propping up sheet music... I do like the "demons", bad souls, in the background of many of the photos. I won't use them. It's cool that they're there.

No worries, Reese. I appreciate the response. There's countless ways to skin a cat, and I'm glad to hear yours is working well for you!

I received the YearBook today. Looks cool.

Here is a really dumb question, uhhhhhhih ........ Can someone pm me and tell me how it is used? Are we supposed to just look at the book and think of our own way of using it?

Are there something like instructions or maybe notes somewhere?



Best
Ray

Ohhhhhhh, I get it now..........This is a different kind of routine ....... Uhhhhhh maybe I shouldn't even call it a routine..... Let's call it an act of pure story telling.

Should be interesting sitting down and writing the copy for a good story.


Best
Ray

Yearbook for sale in L.M.M.D !

Man, that was quick! I won't be selling mine. I took time to give it much thought.

Man - he is selling it at a steal!

Yep, selling at pre-order price.

Well, a change of heart ... not for sale, again.

Tease ; )

IMHO, a very wise decision.