Pete, I agree with you 100%. No one should ever be criticized for giving an honest review.
Steve

I think it's clear from reading all the different reviews that everybody has their own take on the piece and that's why it is good to have negative as well as positive effects. I've heard of lectures which, in public, everyone has very openly and vociferously praised but in private have been excoriated. I am always wary of things with ONLY good reviews that mention nothing bad, because nothing is perfect and if no review mentions a downside then that makes me twitchy. I don't think Paul needs anyone to defend his work, it speaks for itself IMO.

All that said, I would mention that the illustrations absolutely were there ONLY to increase clarity, not to pad it out - if PB had wanted to brag about the number of pages and somehow use that to increase the profit margin he could just have taken copious photos and padded it out with them. As it is, having the illustrations pushed down his bottom line - each one cost money and he was adamant that they all be there. We had quite a long discussion about how necessary they were and PB said he occasionally had people contact him ref: previous books about weird minor things so he wanted to produce something that covered everything.

If anything is not in there I expect his response would be that he was miffed at having missed it, but I can't speak for Paul.

Phill

This is the best clear way to explain.Great stuff don't listen to the haters. They will miss out and that's fine.

Phil : Fair and balanced reply.

Nick : You totally missed the point.

Sound,

Pete "Hater" Carroll

I think the mind reading portion of NIX4 is clever and strong. I've adapted it into a routine using a single volunteer.

If you're a NIX4 owner and you want to check it out, PM me with the following info:

1) The # of your copy of NIX4 (If I get the same # from two different people, someone's gonna be in trouble!)
2) The last word on page 87 of NIX4 (to establish you have the book in your possession)
3) Your email address (so I can send you the PDF)

Here's my two cents:
I own NIX4 and very happily so. Done well with a great audience, on a great night with the moon in the seventh house and jupiter aligned with mars, it is fantastic. On a few nights, challenges bear as it can in ANY performance. It is really up to the experience and confidence of the perfomer to steer his/her way through these... challenges. That goes for the perfomance of any and every effect and why we must always tailor our performances to oueselves. It is far easier to manage.
We are in sector that has a lot of lookers (mere collectors of information)and a lot of interest with some really good artists and performers.
Prices for effects and literature are high specifically to keep the former away and to limit exposure.
It is the price we pay.
Understanding that, it is natural to be cautious on these high priced items. Especially since exposure is growing more and more.
The best advice is to actually attend a performance so you can see it the effect for yourself or contacting the originator. Krause and Cassidy are great examples of that.
These forums are a great way to discern what "IT" really is... along with talking to the creator.
I have no problem with negative reviews as long as it does not expose anything about the effect. If it is disagreeable, challenge it. If it is wrong, challenge it. Even contact/pm one of the people with specific posts. With experience, you'll realize that the true discription lies between the originators notes and actual performer's posts... and even then it depends on the performer.
For the most part, we are a supportive community.
Let's keep it that way.

Instead, say "I happen to know that there are 3 truth tellers and two liars in total, so by process of elimination - you're a liar."

Simple as that...

I'd like to hear from those who have used this so far. I own a copy and think it's brilliant but really want to hear how it's working with other performers if they've had a chance to perform it yet.