Between the covers

Produced in a design which matches the first five Subtle Card Creations volumes, this is a lovely hard-backed book of more than 230 pages containing over 100 tricks in 13 chapters. Effects are grouped by theme and cover an enormous range of card magic – including 4-Ace tricks, tricks using Court Cards, Poker and Gambling Tricks, ESP tricks, etc.

I didn’t spot any that used anything other than an ordinary deck of cards (though a couple did require some special dice) – so you can pretty much sit down, deck in hand, and dig in.

The word ‘Subtle’ in the title does imply that careful thought has gone into the methods to avoid them relying on much in the way of sleight of hand. However, many of the routines do require basic card handling – false shuffles, double undercuts, counts etc. – this isn’t a completely ‘self-working’ volume.

Like me, as you work your way through the amazing variety of effects, you will learn or be reminded of some subtle forces and sneaky procedures. Trost (who died in 2008) was clearly extraordinarily well-read. In fact, these volumes would be a great way of surveying the wider card magic literature with Nick Trost as your guide or curator to lead you to the gems. He appears to have read everything written on card magic since around the 1940s! He is also fastidious in his crediting/attribution which always wins bonus points with me.

A few minor niggles

One small frustration is that moves already described in earlier volumes aren’t always described again – so if you don’t have the whole set you may have to look things up elsewhere. The writing style is straightforward and clear – but not particularly engaging. Some magic books are just a joy to read – this is much more functional – clear and informative rather than entertaining in style.

From my perspective it contained a very high number of poker and other card games or gambling-based tricks. Although I love playing Cribbage on occasion, I’m not sure a cribbage based trick would appeal to many of my audiences. And effects themed around Gin-Rummy/Euchre/Casino even less so.

Trost also tends to take a principle and work it to death – in fact I think we get an insight into his creative process here. He will often take someone else’s effect and try to streamline or simplify it by applying some of his enormous repertoire of principles.

Final thoughts

That being said, there are some real gems in here. In this quantity of tricks you wouldn’t expect them all to be of the same quality/interest. As always with a decent magic book, the price per trick value rating is fabulous! And if you were to collect the whole set you would find yourself with an extraordinary resource and a lifetime of study. I’ve still got a couple of volumes missing from my set – so I better get saving…

The Subtle Card Creations of Nick Trost Volume 6 is available from the Merchant of Magic for £39.50 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Nick Trost – Subtle Card Creations Volume 6 – review

3.9 / 5 Reviewer

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The post Nick Trost – Subtle Card Creations Volume 6 – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Don’t judge a book by its cover – so the ancient wisdom goes. But I have to say that first impressions here were very pleasing. I am a great fan of magic books and have a reasonable collection, but in a world where every other book is a paperback (perfect-bound or otherwise!) it was nice to receive a hardback book with an understated and stylish cover.

But what about the content?

In a reversal of the often traditional order, the first chapter details the sleights and techniques used in some of the following routines. For those that want to get straight in to the magic this might seem surprising, but there is a certain logic to giving you the moves needed before you get to the actual routines. The moves, as you would expect, are primarily card-based, but there is also a coin sleight and a couple of stacked decks. Most of the sleights originate in the group, but the credits for each move and its development are given. There are some useful little moves here – some are a bit ‘knacky.’ But then most good things need working for…

And the effects?

The next three chapters contain 17 effects and there isn’t time to review them all in detail.  But here are some highlights and reflections.

We’ll start in chapter 4, titled ‘Some Assembly Required‘ which points to the non-impromptu nature of these effects.

ACAAN.  As an ACAAN geek, this was the first routine I turned to.  [NB: Each effect has a quirky caption, quote or comment before it (another of the little details I really appreciate about the thought that has gone into this book) and the ACAAN quote tickled me – “Amaze your fellow magicians, bore your friends”.]  There is some clever thinking in this routine (which owes a little to one of my all time favourite ACAANs – Barrie Richardson’s Impromptu ACAAN) but as its creator hints, it is probably more of a magician fooler than an everyday worker.  A great addition to the genre though.

I Don’t Trost You is a neat little Poker deal with some subtle handling to fool the spectators.  Buckley’s Angels is a really entertaining routine – a reworking of a classic routine from the 40s.  It requires a few sleights you will probably already know but manages to pack a lot of magic into a small space.  Really strong.  Another Flippin’ Collectors does what it says on the tin, but requires a bit more competence or practise!

Sesame Street is a sort of Do as I Do come prediction routine.  I really like the routining, and a small set up means there is not too much hard work to do.  Very clever.  Lazy Man’s Memory Test is a simplified version of a three-phase routine by Bill Malone which doesn’t require the memory work!  The final effect in this chapter, Two Faced Mother FIRPer is a card to card case routine with no palming, but it does require the FIRP move, taught in chapter 1.

Continuing to work backwards, chapter 3 is entitled ‘Minus 52‘ since it contains non-playing-card magic.  A Small Price to Pay is a prediction routine using coins.  There is a Quick’n’Dirty 3-Fly routine which still requires more competence with coins than I have!  This is also true of Quick’n’Dirty Hanging Coins which is described as an impromptu dance with three coins.  The final routine in this chapter is called The Zen Stack.  I have a fondness of mental magic and this is a sneaky stack for an ESP deck which to my mind has many uses beyond the ‘thought transference demonstration’ outlined here.  Very clever thinking.

Chapter 2  is called ‘OK Show Me Something‘ and contains half a dozen card effects.  Jack’s Departure is a variation on Elmsley’s classic ‘Point of Departure’.  To an entertaining patter routine a chosen card vanishes from amongst four of a kind a reappears in the deck.  Amass Aces is a nice borrowed deck routine where the aces are used to locate the mates of a previously unseen selected card.  The routining is clean but does require a few moves you may already know.

Regurgitator requires a couple of moves taught in chapter 1 – both of which are a bit ‘knacky’ – but provides an amusing way of locating a chosen card from the ‘mouth’ of pair of playing cards.  In Radical Decency two Jokers visually transform into two signed and lost selections.  Still Smiling is a sandwich effect.  If I’m honest, this one didn’t do much for me.  Sorry.  Frankenstein’s Bunny is quite an involved routine where the four queens locate a chosen bunny rabbit!  It is well explained and illustrated to teach the various moves required.

Final Thoughts

Although I really enjoyed the magic in this book, magic books aren’t just about the magic.  I loved the informal and quirky writing style and all the thought that has gone into the presentation of the book which make it an enjoyable read on top of everything else.  They also do a good job of crediting influences and references which is important.  All in all this is a first-rate first volume – I’m looking forward to the next one?!…

Available for £24.99 direct from the authors at The Nine of Diamonds.

The post The Nine of Diamonds – magic book review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.