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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
Hi all,
Resigned to Miracles is now also available at Vanishing INC. My best wishes, Peter |
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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
Hi all,
Here's a link to Alex's PropDog book review of Resigned to Miracles: https://vimeo.com/447479456 My best wishes, Peter Gröning |
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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
I thought I would chime in with another review.
A Clever title and an artful dust jacket makes for a good first impression. “Resigned to Miracles” by Sweden’s Peter Gröning is the latest offering from Stephen Minch’s Hermetic Press, and it’s a good one. The book is lavishly illustrated by the talented Tony Dunn. I counted almost 120 illustrations. Here's what’s in it. Front and center is the fusion effect, where two signed cards are fuse together, back-to-back. Peter Gröning has come up with a diabolical method of obtaining two cards with genuine signatures. In a section titled Concept, Peter provides the reader his thinking and psychology behind the method. From there, the book is broken up into three main sections. The first section, titled Resigned, provides you with four different approaches Peter has created for the Fusion effect; Resigned, Half Resigned, Resigned in Color and Resigned by Remote Control. Each has it’s own unique feature. This also is where you’ll obtain those secret signatures. Half Resigned for instance is designed to obtain one spectators signature, with the second being yours. Leaving the spectator a souvenir with your name on it. In section two, Resigned Accepted, Peter provides several very visual effects in which to use the secret signatures. All but one uses cards. The one that doesn’t, shows how the concept can be applied to coins. The effects in this section, that really resonated with me include; Bit by Bit, Fade In, Gifted and Bizarre Assignment. Bit by Bit involves the face of a card, which is signed on it’s back, becoming blank, then disappearing, only to be found in a sealed envelope that has been in view the whole time. Gifted involves the production of a ring size box from a card case in which you just removed the deck. The appearance of the ring box is a prelude to a signed card to box effect. It occurred to me that if you used a Jack, you would have a Jack in the Box. Bizarre Assignment is a cool melding of two classic Paul Harris effects, Bizarre Vanish and The Bizarre Twist. The last section includes a few effects that don’t use the Resigned concept. It includes one of my favorites from the book, along with those listed above. It’s called Torn Between two Worlds. A card is torn in half, with each half being signed by a different spectator. The cards then become fused together, back to back. This could be a nice lead in to another effect using torn cards. The writing is clear, with plenty of details. Peter’s personality shines through, with sprinkles of humor through out. No stone seems to have been left unturned. Peter covers all the nuances, subtleties and psychology for each effect in the book. You can tell he’s lived and breathed this concept a long time. For me, this was an enjoyable read. It’s one of those rare books that sparked a lot of ideas. I could see using this concept for some type of spirit writing or invisible ink idea. Some gaffed cards are required for several of the effects. All are easy to obtain or make. In general, I would say the material in this book is beyond a beginner in magic. “Resigned to Miracles” is a small, but deadly book you’ll want to have in your arsenal. A Big Thumb’s Up.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
Hi motown,
Thank you for your thorough review and your kind words. It's greatly appreciated. Your taste is impeccable - I like the same routines. Smile One comment about Bit by Bit; the selection vanishes gradually in a couple of stages: A card is selected and signed on its back; its face becomes blurry, still signed; then blank, still signed; it disappears, only to be found in a sealed envelope that has been in view the whole time. I think you get a lot of mileage out of one secretly signed card. My best wishes, Peter |
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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
Hi all,
Here's a new review from the Penguin site, by Todd Ace from North Highlands: "Absolutely Genious! For my style of performing every effect in this book has something new and solid to offer. It has elevated the mystery of my performances to a level far greater than expected! Huge Thanks to Mr. Groning!" My best wishes, Peter Gröning |
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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
I had an interesting thought for the effect Gifted, in this book. Gifted involves magically producing a ring size box from your card case after removing the deck. The ring box is for use with a signed card to impossible location effect. It occurred to me while reading this that it would be perfect for a playing card cube, under the right circumstances.
A square, the size of the card cube could be cut in the foam that's in the box, to hold it in place. The cubes can be made showing either the back or front of the card. If the front of the card was shown, A diamond card could be used, functioning like a diamond ring in the box. Either way would be an interesting use of the cube to revel the card. I came across the idea making a cube out of a playing card from an issue of Gene Taylor’s periodical Antinomy (“Like a Rolling Stone”, by Dr. Giorgio Tarchini. It’s on page 13 of the 2005 Annual)and Robert Neale's book “Life, Death and Other Card Tricks”. He has a few of items that use the playing card cube. Both sources teach how to make it. Neale’s book mentions the idea came from British magician Bob Ostin.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 20, 2020, motown wrote: Hi motown, This is a nice idea, thanks for sharing. I forgot to mention that I really your previous idea "Jack in the Box"! My best wishes, Peter |
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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
Thanks Peter.
Your idea in the book for the Card Under Bottle made me think of those Russian Nesting Dolls. That would be a great prop to use with one of the signatures.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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Sophocles Loyal user 251 Posts |
Congrats Peter for your book and offering this to everyone.
Do we need to carry around a lot of extra stuff? Is there a video performance of any of the effects? Thanks, Sophocles |
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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
@motown:
Great idea! I'm a huge fan of introducing an item, that in the end is utilized in a very unexpected way. That was my purpose with the Card Under Bottle; having the signed the selection eventually appear in a bottle that has been in play the entire time (As you know it's quite possible to have the bottle capped, but the effect is more or less the same regardless.) Your Russian Doll idea is really a nice take on this. I think I have a set somewhere in the basement - I'll go on a scavenger hunt. @Sophocles: Thanks for your kind words. I'm really happy with how the book turned out. You needn't carry anything, but an extra playing card and a marker. (Unless the manner in which you plan to use the secretly signed cards demands extra stuff.) Unfortunately there is no footage of any of the material available, since it would a dead give away. (That said, there are a quite a few details discussed in the book that you wouldn't get from just watching a performance, but still. I must stress that rest of the material in the book isn't possible to perform without utilizing the concept; you need the secretly signed cards to perform them.) Previously in this thread there are quite a few reviews contributed by others, which rather accurately describes the effects. However, if you have any specific questions about them, you just have to ask, and I'll do my very best to answer them; either in this thread, or if you prefer you can send me a pm. Anyone else is welcome to chime in too, since it's always nice with an unbiased opinion. My best wishes, Peter |
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novasteeple Regular user 170 Posts |
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On Aug 26, 2020, Sophocles wrote: In case this was something you were hoping to determine from a video... The spectators are openly asked to sign cards. In other words, there's no trickery regarding whether the spectators believe they're signing cards. It's not like you ask for their autograph in your guestbook and there's a cutout on the page with a card behind it, or anything like that (something I was imagining before I bought the book). The effects in the book rely on (not very difficult) moves and routining, not on gimmicks. |
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kissdadookie Inner circle 4275 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2020, novasteeple wrote: In my opinion, the convincers and displays are some of the strongest I've come across. Natural, fluid, and highly effective. |
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loudini1972 New user Central New Jersey 95 Posts |
Can these effects be performed in a strolling situation? Or are these more tailored for parlor/stage presentations?
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novasteeple Regular user 170 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2020, loudini1972 wrote: I don't see why the foundational effect (to produce the duplicate card) couldn't be done while strolling (and Peter even mentions that scenario in the introduction), although I think there are three caveats: 1) As with all strolling scenarios, any effect would be diminished if the second group of spectators has already seen the performance for the first. 2) The more time that elapses between the foundational effect in which the duplicate is produced and the later effect in which it's revealed, the better. If you only have a few minutes with a strolling audience, this may not be the best set of effects to do. That said, if you could come back to a spectator later, even alone, it could be very powerful. For example, you could destroy the first signed card as part of your strolling set, and then tap the spectator on the shoulder in the valet line and ask them to look in their glove compartment (having asked the valet to put the duplicate card there). 3) There's some very quick and simple reset that shouldn't be done in the open, so depending on how much pocket space you have for multiple setups you may want to do the reset in another room. After you have a duplicate card, you can do anything you want with it that you could otherwise do with cards while strolling (e.g., remove it from your wallet or shoe, tip it out of a matchbox). |
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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
@novasteeple:
Thanks for chiming in! I really appreciate having your honest opinion! @loudini1972: My two cents regarding strolling and routining. Like novasteeple says, it's quite possible to perform the necessary routine while strolling to obtain the signatures. II entered a magic competition in 1999, and performed material from the book. I started off with Resigned by Remote Control to obtain two signatures, this was followed by a routine solemnly based on slight of hand. The came my Torn & Restored Card, and I finished with Bit by Bit. This set was performed in less than ten minutes. There are factors that has to be addressed when it comes to routining, though in my opinion it's most oftenly possible to find a way to make it workable. I agree with novasteeple that it's much more favorable to let time elapse between the first routine and the one that follows utilizing the secretly signed cards, but I disagree that the following effect would be diminished if performed for the same group. In my experience, the spectators never connect the dots. It's difficult to explain without spilling the beans, but the signatures "stolen" will never be missed. @kissdadookie: Thanks for your favorable comment. I'm super biased, but in my opinion the first routine is a very strong item in itself, regardless if you use the secretly obtained signatures or not. As you well know it's my take on a very popular routine, and in my admittedly slanted view, it's pretty convincing. My best wishes, Peter |
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kissdadookie Inner circle 4275 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2020, novasteeple wrote: Or reverse your suggestion Who is to say that pr**ow can not be done for a strolling engagement? |
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novasteeple Regular user 170 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2020, Peter Gröning wrote: To clarify, I meant that it might be less impressive to the people sitting at Table B if some of them saw your performance at Table A already. This is an issue with all strolling -- it has nothing specifically to do with Resigned. Reveals just have less impact if you know already they're coming, that's all I meant. |
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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2020, kissdadookie wrote: Hi kissdadookie, This is true! My first intention with the concept was to use Resigned in a strolling situation, and to utilize the duplicates in a second set on stage. Perhaps not pr* sh*w per se, but not far from it. My best wishes, Peter |
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Peter Gröning Regular user Stockholm, Sweden 166 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2020, novasteeple wrote: Hi novasteeple, I see your pointy, which is a good one. My best wishes, Peter |
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kissdadookie Inner circle 4275 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 26, 2020, Peter Gröning wrote: It’s the logical thing to do! |
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