I like John Bannon’s work (I came clean on that one when I reviewed Bullets After Dark) so it is probably no surprise that I enjoyed this book, which was first released at Blackpool earlier this year.

It’s 75 pages long and contains 7 tricks (all cards, all ‘packet tricks’) – so it is only just over £1 a trick which is a bargain. They are part of his ‘fractal magic’ thinking – packet tricks which end clean and examinable (like Duplicity or Spin Doctor). Here are my thoughts on the routines.

Mega ‘Wave – is a close cousin of Steven Tucker’s Omega series of routines (in its latest incarnation that is available in another BBM DVD – Alpha to Omega) which in itself has some links to Max Maven’s B’Wave. The plot is a bit like Twisted Sisters but ends clean, and unlike Omega requires no palming. I will probably say this again, but much of the value here comes in reading Bannon’s thinking on plot, effect and method. Learn from this man! But it is a great trick and not too difficult to do.

Fractal Re-Call – a no-gaff version of his Call of the Wild effect – or Wild Card with a rationale (and some extra magic!). A few more moves here though still do-able. I like the plot but am not convinced that the original Wild Card presentation was as week as Bannon suggests. Also, it is a bit of a set-up to go into from a normal deck (which to my mind is necessary for the presentation he suggests). So for me, this is not one of the strongest items in the book.

Short Attention Scam – this is a re-mix of his Royal Scam. In brief, from a set of 9 red-backed Ace of Spades, 5 turn into a royal flush, and the other 4 get completely different back designs. I love this routine – lots of magic in a short time, and not too difficult to do. It uses the same set of cards as Royal Scam so if you already have that you are on to a winner.

Mag-7 – a streamlined handling of The Magnificent Seven (from Smoke and Mirrors) which is essentially a no-gaff Wild Card routine. Not much to say here. It builds on a number of the concepts in the previous effects and works well.

Poker Pairadox – a re-working of Nick Trost’s classic Matching Court Cards. This is not the most mystifying effect for the audience, but it has a nice patter and routine and is all but self-working making it very clean from a presentation point of view. My only real gripe would be it isn’t an instant re-set (though the re-set isn’t difficult) – so not ideal for walkaround.

Fractal Jacks – almost an oil and water routine where the Jacks keep on returning to the performer’s hand (in spite of being dealt into two hands) – with the kicker of the other cards being the four aces, and as usual all examinable. For me, this wasn’t too magical. It did contain an interesting digression on why Bannon didn’t go with Simon Aronson and David Solomon on a plot variation here. I think I’m with them…

Wicked – this is a transposition effect where a card travels from between two black queens to between two red queens. I have mixed feelings about this one. It is a pretty clean transposition. But in the first phase, the ‘extra’ card (the one which transposes) is not actually shown until after the transposition has taken place. Given Bannon’s own comment that “in any transposition, it’s important that the spectators know which cards are where” this seems like a bit of a problem. On the other hand, I like the fact that the second phase ‘happens in reverse’ – since it is always good to keep the spectators guessing!

General Thoughts

There are seven effects here – I think most people would find at least a couple that would suit them. Several of the effects require a table which may be a problem for some contexts. Some require a set-up (though with the more truly ‘packet trick’ ones – that is to be expected). As ever, I enjoy Bannon’s thinking and discussion of the evolution of the effects almost as much as the effects themselves. They will, I hope, help you think more about your own magic – the why and the how.

For the price I think it’s a bit of a no-brainer. Get it! Especially while BBM are throwing in some free cards. And if, like me, you are a bit of a book collector, the you’ll want to get one before they’re all gone!

I was delighted when a review copy of this Bannon two-disc set landed on my desk (well, technically it landed on my floor having come through the letter box). One of the reasons it has taken me so long to write this review is because I have been busy. The other, is because I didn’t want anyone else to know how good it is.

At the outset it is worth saying that the discs are produced to the usual high BBM standards, though I detect that Bannon’s influence may have toned down the overall design. The title menu picks up the DVD title with words appearing to the sound of gunshots.

The introduction is miss-able, unless you have a liking for quotes, so I will get straight on to the effects.

Dead Reckoning
This is a spelling card location after a very fair looking selection and mix. You will love or hate Bannon’s presentational style, but he certainly thinks carefully about his plots and patter. The very clever ‘layering’ of different techniques produces an almost self-working miracle. Brilliant! (originally published in Dear Mister Fantasy)

Dawn Patrol
This is a card sandwich effect that looks unbelievably fair. It does require a perfect faro (on which he has some comments) – which makes it one of the more technically demanding effects on the set. (originally published in Dear Mister Fantasy)

Doctored Daley
This isn’t a new trick, simply Bannon’s presentational premise for The Last Trick of Dr Daley. I can’t really say more than that without spoiling it. But I like it and it works!

Power of Poker
A brilliant self-working effect where in spite of 10 free choices of the spectator, the performer’s poker hand always wins. Again, clever construction removes the need for complicated sleights.

Counterpunch/Four Faces North
This routine starts with a nice little in the hands variation of the cross cut force which then gets you into a clever 4 ace location where they appear reversed in the deck. That sets you up for a second phase where 3 of the aces disappear leaving only their ‘selected’ one. This immediately leads into a Triumph type finish where again the aces appear reversed in the deck. A little more handling is required for this routine than some, but it is still within the reach of all but the terminally incompetent cardician. During the explanation, some helpful subtleties on handling are described.

Watching the Detectives/New Jax/Full Circle
This is another sandwich type effect where the spectator is led up the garden path before the magic happens. An ace is selected and lost in the deck, and then located between a pair of Jacks. It incorporates a very clever little switch which is dead easy to do. The lead into the next part of the routine does require a multiple shift which may put some off. If you can perform the multiple shift then the routine cleverly moves straight into a further sandwich effect which has some relationship to the One Eyed Jack sandwich of Harry Lorayne (I first saw this in My Favourite Card Tricks – now reprinted with several other books in Classic Collection). The whole thing is then ‘cleaned up’ by locating all four aces again.

Origami Prediction
This is a prediction effect where the spectator makes lots of choices and shuffles, including an ingenious ‘folding procedure’(hence the name) yet the magician predicts the final outcome. Some set up is required. It is more or less self-working though, as with any effect, you need to remember the order of handling. He explains a nice little false cut to start with. This is a streamlined ‘final’ (?) version of a principle explored in the excellent Dear Mister Fantasy. At the end of the trick Bannon briefly defends the use of maths in magic – though I think the trick actually speaks for itself in this regard.

The Einstein Overkill
I first encountered this principle in the Koran Jackpoint Coins presentation (which I first saw on an old Paul Daniels show in the 80s/90s – sorry – end of nostalgia trip). I hadn’t realised this was itself based on a principle that was old even at the time of the classic Greater Magic. This is a clever prediction effect with an extra kicker at the end, though for some people the ‘mathematical’ nature of the presentation may not appeal. I do think the principle has more appeal in a money-based presentation, though the use of cards does mean it can be performed anywhere.

Bullet Train – Iconoclastic Aces/Syncopated Aces/Interrobang Aces
The ‘title track’ and for me one of the strongest sequences in the set. Essentially 3 versions of the ‘4 Ace Trick’ but with all the magic happening before you expect it. Extremely direct, classic Bannon routineing, and not even that difficult to perform. Wonderful. (These also appeared first in Dear Mister Fantasy)

J.B. Flytrap False Cut
As its name suggests, this is a false cut. This one is entirely in the hands, doesn’t look too showy, and maintains whole deck order. It is very clearly and carefully explained in Bannon’s usual succinct way.

Bannon Triumph
Do we need another version? In a sense, this isn’t another version, but a 20-year-old version first published under a different name in Impossibilia. It requires some set-up and Bannon gives some discussion of suitable false shuffles to use at the start of the effect. Instead of ‘righting’ a face-up and face-down deck (with the exception of the spectator’s card) as in the classic Triumph routine, this effect ‘rights’ all but one suit of the deck – which then reveals the spectator’s choice as the only missing card in the sequence. Because of the slightly different plot, it enables the ‘Triumph’ part of the routine to look particularly fair.

Some Concluding Observations

Bannon’s style wont be to everyone’s taste. Nothing ever is. He has a very ‘measured’ performance approach – perhaps something to do with his legal background? – but it suits him. His cleverness often lies in very careful routineing to eliminate difficult sleights, but there is an occasional payoff as routines sometimes feel slightly ‘procedurally’ heavy. On the other hand, if you are interested in developing your own routines (and I hope you are) then his comments on the thinking behind the construction of several of the routines is very stimulating and helpful.

I very much appreciate his honesty in attributing influences and sources from which particular routines have been developed. If I had one criticism, it would be that (as you will see above) quite a lot of the material has been released before, in print. So if you are familiar with his books you may crave some more new material. On the other hand, it is always good to see how the originator performs his effects, and some of the effects have ‘matured’ since publication.

The bottom line is that there is some really excellent magic on these DVDs. For me, I think I will always slightly prefer the books – especially his quirky way of often describing effects as a kind of dialogue between himself and another magician. But the clarity which is a major strength of the books is demonstrated in spades on the DVDs.

Buy it. Learn from it. You will certainly use some of the routines. But please think carefully about your own personality and how you might shape the routines. I don’t want to start meeting a series of poor Bannon clones…

Well the good folk at BBM are shortly releasing a 2DVD set of his work called Bullets After Dark and have kindly made a review copy available to me. I haven’t had time to view it yet (but soon…) but if you pre-order you get some brilliant extras which I HAVE looked at already.

There is a an e-book called Open and Notorious which is on the theme of the classic Open Prediction. This is fantastic! I love it. There are 3 different versions – they won’t please the purists since they do not fulfill all the original requirements – but to my mind they are still very strong effects, and potentially more entertaining for the spectator than the original premise. Classic Bannon.

You also get a little video preview and explanation of a trick called Chain Gang. This is a sort of 3 card sandwich (collectors) type effect – requiring some facility with cards, but very clean.

I presume that these goodies will only be supplied with pre-orders, so I suggest you go over and pre-order now!