|
|
Last Laugh Inner circle Grass Valley, California 3498 Posts |
Tom Phoenix
Book of Odyssey I enjoy Tom's style of writing and especially his presentations. He has a really unique and colorful approach to storytelling in his magic. Also, he clearly is deep thinker regarding methods too. I get the feeling that he is always working on something, looking for new ways to create miracles. The effects in the Book of Odyssey are all very solid and entertaining. Much of the book is based around an exploration of a principle, a way to make much entertainment out of a simple mechani'c (a p**k). Besides the routines, there are 3 p**ks taught. They can be used for the routines or you can you use your own 'favorite method'. Regarding the p**ks, I'd say 2 are related to AN, though they are different. He does have permission from Millard Longman . I find them both somewhat similar to Spidey's Sneak Peek, especially the last one, the Pillar Peek. Not identical, but similar. I'd actually recommend both since they have complimentary aspects. The third peek isn't related to AN, and is done with a card that has only been folded one time. The routines: The Aspen Glade is a very nice multi phase routine using 2 participants. It mostly stems from the basic mechanic, but wrings so much value out of it and does a great job of revealing much information that has not apparently been written down. There is a particular ploy used in The Aspen Glade that others have mentioned, and I concur it's intriguing as a direction to play around with. It seems simple and is definitely one of those classic 'why didn't I think of that?' ideas. The routine involves automatic writing and origami, and while he uses a special box that he makes for part of it, it doesn't take much imagination to come up with an alternate way to accomplish what needs to be accomplished. It should probably be noted that this effect, and the ploy in question, requires two participants. Beyond the original presentation, he explores other directions using the basic framework, and then shares yet another (with a drawing dupe) as a separate document that accompanies the book. Gilly's Revenge is another piece of theater that uses playing cards. Theme wise, I'd say that it's somewhere between Out Of This World and Oil and Water. Again, he has created a very interesting presentation, with various phases, ending with the naming of 4 cards and the name of someone close to the participant. I like the progression of the stages and the kicker ending. Grasp of Time Also uses a p**k combined with another classic method in a way that allows for a nice amount of information to be revealed. This uses origami as well, with a prediction ending up folded inside an origami swan (which he kindly teaches how to make). It also uses the special box, though just like The Aspen Glade, it is not the only way to accomplish it. While it's not exactly a variation of Aspen Glade, I don't think you'd want to perform both in the same performance. This is for a single participant so does not employ the 'ploy'. Disposable Swami Now, I have not tried this since I a) don't use them much and b) already have one that I like, but if it works as well as he says, it's an easy way to make some disposable, boon type swamis from things that most everyone has. Could be a great thing to know if you ever lose your props. Thoughts: I enjoy his writing and ideas and I think these are great pieces to get you thinking. Everything is very theatrical and I imagine very entertaining in the form presented. While he does present them as fully scripted pieces, his character is not going to suit everyone (which is a good thing). However the foundations and ploys are all very solid and adaptable to many different presentations and methods. I think that performers of various levels will find something of interest here. The p**ks are definitely good though p**k handlings are very subjective and what may work for some may not for others. Personally, I am happy with what I already use, but who knows. One of these might work perfectly for you.
My Mentalism Podcast:
The Mystery Arts Podcast Check out my products! Direct from me (PW: cassidy) On Penguin Magic |
TheSecretFire Special user 597 Posts |
Hey, thanks!
I'm not familiar with Spidey's Sneak Peek, but the Billet Father did give his blessing on the 3 p**ks I included, so I figure there's enough difference to make them publishable. There's so much that can be done with a single p**k, so why not make the most of it? In the process of making it look real, there are all these opportunities to get other hits, aside from the main piece of information. I tried to accentuate that in the method sections, so I hope it came through alright. That Aspen Glade ploy... it's one of those times when I was really glad a dream was interrupted long enough for me to write that down... And the disposable swami. This thing changed my life. It took a while to find a better construction, but once I worked it out, it only took about 10-15 minutes to make 30 writers. Here's the link to the complete descriptions of each routine: http://wanderingmagic.com/products/the-book-of-odyssey Tom |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Mentally Speaking » » Book of Odyssey by Tom Phoenix (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.03 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |