I purchased my copy from alazazam.co.uk, also available from the author at
http://www.hutch.demon.co.uk/lewis/index.htmCost £28 + £5 post and packing
Well, I really tried to review something that I could be nasty about, but after a couple of sentences I’d think “why am I wasting my time on this rubbish?” So it’s back to reviewing something I think is very good, very underrated, and…well, here’s my review.
'Seventh Heaven' is really a compilation of seven booklets, with revisions made when the author combined them into the one hardback book. The density of thought that comes across through its pages shows the benefit of the author taking his chance to distil a ‘best of’ compilation. Also, it follows the lines of thought of the original seven booklets, so it covers a lot of ground, and you get a good solid book for your money, and it's attainable for people at all skill levels as it deals with clever thoughts and principles rather than difficult sleights. The tricks mostly cover 3 - 4 pages each, and are clearly written and easy to follow and understand. At 377 pages overall, you get a lot.
The last review I wrote was for the Buck brothers’ ‘Trilogy” dvds, and this is at the opposite end of the spectrum to this. Mr Jones’ take on card tricks is that the effect is what matters, and that the best way of achieving it is through the most economical means, and he has applied his thinking to streamlining the effects he describes. So this is definitely not a book which will let you get much practice for your sleights. The author also has a preference for tricks that can be done with a 'borrowed' deck, so there is no great need for gaffed decks or spending hours carefully hand crafting strange gimmicks. The book it most reminded me of (although it's entirely different in many ways) is “The Greater Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields”, in the way it uses clear and cunning thought as its first line of attack in order to come up with baffling methods.
The website contains several hype-tastic quotes from ‘name’ magicians, and the general line people seem to take with this is “it’s too good – please keep quiet about it so that other magicians won’t find it”. Which is an understandable line of thought, but then again not very fair on Lewis Jones, who deserves a very wide audience for this book.
The best thing about this book is that it is absolutely bursting with ideas, which fire off in many different directions in the various chapters, which means there will be something for almost everyone. Most of the items are card-based, including new tricks, refinements on older tricks, and the author’s own sleights. The book covers a huge range, and there are around 110 tricks and sleights covered. There are a few photos and diagrams, but everything seems to be well explained. The quality of the book is good, being hardback, good quality paper, clear printing and having obviously been proof read before printing (which is not always the case with magic books).
I thought of some other books I’ve read recently when reading this, such as Eric Mead’s “Tangled Web”, and John Carney’s “Carneycopia”, both of which, while describing magic skills beyond mine, stress the need to focus on what the effect you are aiming to create is, rather than getting lost in the mechanics. If anything, Lewis Jones’ book goes the other way, refining tricks to a very streamlined minimum, which you can then build up yourself into an effect or incorporate into a routine. As such, I can see it being a useful reference, in addition to being a very interesting read.
If you enjoy reading magic books, you should look into getting this. I’ve read a decent number of them, and this is one of my absolute favourites (and I’ve read a good number now). The bang to buck ratio is very high, and it will get you thinking of ways you can use some of his methods to adapt and streamline things you do too. If I was exiled to a desert island and was only allowed three books (assuming the ship's cargo was playing cards also, which would be helpful), this would be one of them. Actually, I've changed my mind - it IS too good. So maybe don't consider buying it - Lewis Jones "Encyclopaedia of Card Forces" (around 500 card forces) is also very good - maybe you should look at buying that instead?
