Volume Two includes a smaller number of routines, but some of them are much meatier routines resulting in a slightly larger book than the first (this one rocks in at 80 pages).  Don’t be alarmed by the picture – the actual printed volume is a more subdued shade of blue!

As before space means I will only comment on some of the routines but will try to describe the effects of them all.

The Routines

1-2-3 Jumbo Cards Across – I have to confess that I have come up with my own version of this effect which I am very happy with, but Mark’s version has many strengths of its own.  He has a number of helpful observations about the shape of the effect and his routine is easily adaptable for an audience of adults or children.  Some clever gaffs do most of the work for you leaving you to concentrate on the presentation.

The Blankety-Blank Pack – three cards are chosen from a double blank deck.  Almost immediately the deck becomes fully printed and the selections develop faces.

Diary of a Nobody – like Mark I have long had a soft spot for the diary trick and have played around with a number of different routines over the years.  I have one in my current working set, but here’s another version from ML.  The strength of this version is the extra kicker where your own ‘birthday card’ (with a different coloured back) is shown to match the spectator’s freely chosen card.  But for me, the use of the dealing procedure in the selection process makes it a less elegant solution than some on the market.

Corrector – this is similar in effect to Switchback in volume one but uses a different (and very old) kind of switching envelope to achieve its effect.

Seeing is believing – this is a nice little packet trick which I actually bought from Mark many years ago.  Two handlings are provided for this effect where four blank faced cards become printed.

The Free Selection Collectors – this is a massive routine (originally published as one of Mark’s Master Routine Series).  It has several phases.  A card is selected and signed by a spectator.  It is inserted into the ribbon spread deck and finds its mate.  These two cards then manage to find a third matching value card and the fourth of the set appears in your pocket.  The signed card is then placed in the card box and its mates are inserted into the deck at various points.  These instantly turn into Aces – as does the card in the box.  And the original signed card is discovered reversed in the middle of the deck.  This is a really nicely constructed routine and is full of magic.  It is the most complex routine in terms of handling skills but I would say is still accessible to the intermediate level magician.  There are some clever touches in the routining and the whole thing is very clearly explained and illustrated.  Well worth spending some time on.

It Pays to be a Lady – is an unusual twist on the three card trick and utilises jumbo cards.  Unlike many similar tricks, the lady is consistently found, but each time real bank notes are discovered underneath with an extra gag finish.  You will need to spend a bit of time with your craft knife to make this one up but it is a novel effect which is worth the effort.

007 – a spy theme (can you guess which spy?!) provides the motivation for this coin on card effect.  There are a number of subtleties in this routine which appeal to me and the theme seems timelessly relevant.  I like this one a lot.

The Modest Card – this is a sort of Card Warp variation utilising a cardboard ‘sleeve’ and incorporating a colour-changing back kicker.

Transparent Switch – this effect feels like it is just here to illustrate another kind of a switch wallet (the effect is materially the same as Corrector).  There is something about using a transparent wallet which makes this seem very fair – so you may well find your own uses for the principle.

Conclusion

Another good variety of effects here.  As ever they won’t all suit everyone, but for the price of the book, if you only get one or two routines then it is still good value.  Available direct from Mark Leveridge for only £15.

Exclusive offer for readers of Bicycle-Cards.co.uk

Mark is offering a special deal exclusively for readers of this site.  The normal price is £15 each volume, but he is offering us the two volumes together for £20.  This special deal is valid until the end of June 2013. To get the deal, you need to order direct from Mark Leveridge Magic and put ‘Bicycle Cards’ in the ‘Additional Comments’ box at the foot of the checkout page. You will initially pay the full price and then Mark will refund to your payment card £10.

The post Collected Card Magic of Mark Leveridge Volume Two – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Special Update – see the end of the article for an exclusive deal!

Some Background

Mark Leveridge has been producing and marketing magic tricks for over 30 years and now he has decided to collect together the best of the card routines that he has published or sold over the years in a projected series of 4 volumes.

Volume one features 15 routines. Space doesn’t permit going into massive detail on each item, but I will describe the effects and offer some thoughts on several of them.

I’m surprised you didn’t notice – this routine shows off what we perceive to be one of Mark’s great strengths which is in clever routining to simplify method. A lot of magic happens as a chosen card is repeatedly located and in a climax becomes the only card with a face in an otherwise blank deck. You end clean and there is no heavy finger-flinging involved.

Name dropper is a lovely effect where a spectator’s signature jumps off a playing card on to your business card. It is a great way of getting your business card out and looks very magical. With almost no re-set it looks to have real potential for walkaround magic.

Switchback demonstrates another of Mark’s passions – magic with envelopes. This is a prediction effect which serves as a vehicle for demonstrating a useful switching envelope. The plot here – of the magician getting it wrong and then everything being corrected by magic seems to come up quite regularly in these two volumes.

Give me a number is a long lost cousin of an ACAAN effect – really a named card at given number. It requires a special deck and a bit of memory work. This one doesn’t really do it for me though it is not unpractical…

Instant Card Reversal – not a great mystery but a nice quickie which is one of the few effects in the book which can be performed impromptu with a borrowed deck. I can see myself using this.

The Unprint Button – a nice little packet trick where four cards become ‘unprinted’ with an extra surprise at the end. The plot here suits Mark’s rather gentle performance style very well. I like it, but it wouldn’t suit everyone.

Cards on Parade – just when you thought there couldn’t be any more variations on the Parade of the Kings/B’wave type effect here’s one more.

It’s a giveaway – this is the second routine in the book utilizing playing card sized business cards – this time in a neat in the spectator’s hand transposition. The two of them together are seriously tempting me to get some cards made up…

New Aces Through Newspaper – Does what it says on the tin. Not a plot which inspires me (nor suits my normal working environment) but a clean piece of table magic.

Thought Indicator Cards – a blank card prints itself to match a spectator’s selection. Really a vehicle for a nice visual little move.

Spin Out – after correctly reading the spectator’s mind to reveal his chosen card, the card itself then spins out of the boxed deck. There’s nothing amazingly innovative here but it is a very pleasing little effect which would work well in a strolling situation and could be done with a borrowed deck.

Pacey Aces – a very clean four ace effect utilising some faked aces.

Three Card Tricky – a queen vanishes from an envelope leaving your business card in its place amongst two other cards and re-appears in a previously empty wallet. This is ‘straight line’ magic which is easy to follow and easy to do.

Ultimate Jumbo Stretch – A jumbo card stretches between two others with a surprise kicker.

Brainstormer – this is a very nice effect where you and the spectator both freely select a card from a blank faced deck, and then the cards magically swap places and print themselves. A funny combination of ‘Do as I do’ and the ‘Brainwave’ and ‘Nudist Deck’. Well worth a look.

Final thoughts

This is a nice mixed bag of card magic and I think there really is something for everyone here. Many of the ideas lend themselves to your own variations. If I had a criticism it would be that many of the effects require special decks or set ups which make them ‘one trick wonders’ – but to some extent that is a payoff for keeping the working simple and the effects direct.

Mark is good on crediting sources and inspirations and provides clear (though brief) explanations of all the necessary moves and some alternative handlings are provided. He writes clearly and concisely which is always a bonus.

I think there is a danger that some magicians will avoid this kind of magic because it feels too straightforward – it is clear that Mark is more interested in magic that plays strongly for lay-people than in finger-flinging or impressing magicians. But to my mind that is the right way round – so I would encourage you to take a look. Only £15 and available direct from Mark Leveridge Magic.

Review of Volume 2 will follow shortly…

Special Update!  Mark is offering a special deal exclusively for readers of this site.  The normal price is £15 each volume, but he is offering us the two volumes together for £20.  This special deal is valid until the end of June 2013. To get the deal, you need to order direct from Mark Leveridge Magic and put ‘Bicycle Cards’ in the ‘Additional Comments’ box at the foot of the checkout page. You will initially pay the full price and then Mark will refund to your payment card £10.

The post Collected Card Magic of Mark Leveridge – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

The effect

4 blank cards become printed with a picture of a yale type key. The last key actually falls off the card – leaving a blank card and a real key.

This is a really nice routine that has a number of strong points. It ends perfectly clean – everything can be examined – and the re-set is very quick, making it ideal for walkaround.

It has been nicely routined, and Mark credits Jay Fortune who helped develop the current version of the effect. It has a couple of extremely convincing moments as the routine builds to its climax. The cards well printed and handle fine. In fact, my only real gripe is that the pattern on the key is slightly odd.

The DVD

This is not a flashy production – there’s no menu, instead you loop through the performance and then the explanation. The performance is carried out in a house to a seated spectator. Mark’s performance style won’t be yours. But come up with your own presentation! It would have been nice to see this in a ‘real world’ setting but that is not a deal breaker.

The explanation is clear and detailed. The routine requires two moves which you will probably already know if you have been in magic any length of time and which are taught if you don’t. It would have been a nice touch to separate out the teaching of the moves from the teaching of the routine itself since many would already have known them – though given the lack of a menu I suppose this doesn’t make sense.

The effect also comes with a printed cue sheet which to my mind is really helpful so you can practise without referring to the DVD. In fact, the first time I went through the effect I didn’t even use the DVD and the instructions were clear enough for me to follow the basic routine.

I think this is a logical and appealing routine and the final phase means it has more impact than lots of all-card routines. We’ve already mentioned the simple reset, and the minimal pocket space requirements mean that to my mind this is a real worker.

Available direct from Mark Leveridge Magic. £15.

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