I bought this earlier in the year and have to say first of all I'm quite surprised I haven't heard much more about it since. As someone who has tried and tested a large number of book tests over the years I was slightly hesitant to pick this one up when I saw Max perform it at a lecture in Liverpool. Not because of the performance which was excellent but simply because I was thinking "Do I really need another book test?" Nevertheless the low price and the fact that you can do this with a borrowed dictionary encouraged me to take the plunge.

I'm glad I did! As the title says this is much more than just a book test in my opinion.

First of all one issue I have always (and still do) have with book tests, is that if you're a real mind reader why do you need a book? Why can't the spectator just think of a word and you tell them what it is? I know I'm not alone in having this love-hate relationship with them but one thing I really like about this is the fact that you use a dictionary.

In my opinion if you are ever going to ask a spectator to pick a word out of a book surely a dictionary is the most logical choice. When I perform walkaround I alternate between MOABT PE, AREA by Looch and a dictionary I gimmicked myself. While I think both MOABT and AREA are brilliant on a number of occasions I have heard comments as to whether they are genuine and people have asked for a second look at them. Fortunately they are that good I am happy for people to take a second look but the interesting point I am making here is no one has EVER asked to look at the dictionary or even questioned it (the dictionary I use for walkaround wouldn't really be examinable)

Max's ideas here have allowed me to do implement part of the routine into my walkaround set with an examinable (if need be) dictionary...but to be honest this product is better than that.

What really sets it apart for me is the parlour/stage routine you can do with it. Personally I don't think the trailer is the best and really doesn't do the effect justice.

A lot of book tests are quite simply 'Think of a word and I'll tell you what it is'...There's nothing wrong with this at all and it's something I regularly perform myself when working close-up.
However while with this routine you can have that effect, you also have a lie detector routine in there, a word association routine as well as the direct mind reading and as a result it really allows you to perform and help establish your character to the audience. I think with abit of creativity there are ways you can develop this routine to fit with your character more also.

For the low price compared to other book tests on the market I think this is an absolute steal which is why I will be giving it 5 stars. I highly recommend anyone who is currently performing (or has any interest in performing) any parlour/stage mentalism to try this out.

Not being familiar with the creator in question, I was a bit
worried about getting another book test. However, there are
some really good ideas in this.

The dictionary test has two phases. In one phase, the
participant thinks of any word on a page (as opposed to the
first or last word) and is asked to write down that word
plus any other four words. For the second phase, the
participant looks at the last word on a page and then writes
down three words that can be associated with the thought-of
word. Naturally, the performer is able to reveal both
words.

I find these concepts quite unique and have not seen these
before in dictionary tests, especially considering that
there are no electronics. The methodologies are not new,
but the thinking is what really impressed me. They're
different.

On the other hand, I do recommend that you look past his DVD
presentation as I found it rather weak. He has both
participants look at the two words and then waits until both
have written their words. That's way too much dead time. I
did perform this and after I had one participant look at a
word, I instructed that person to write down his words.
While the first participant was busy, I now dealt with the
second who chose a word and received instructions. By the
time I finished so was the first participant. And so I
turned back to the first person and revealed the word. Then
revealed the second participant's word. I also reversed the
phases, but I'm not sure yet if that was best. I'm still
working on that.

The dictionary used is an ordinary one. I use a vest pocket
dictionary, but any dictionary can be used in whatever
language you need it in. You just need to make sure that
the participant can read it, of course. There is some
slight preparation involving the dictionary for one of the
phases, but it is a one time set-up and there are certainly
alternate methods you can use. I definitely used an
alternate method, but that's because it fit my style.

The DVD contains detailed instructions and performances.
The original language is Italian but there is an English
voiceover. I really liked many of the ideas on this and I'm
looking forward to future releases from Max Vellucci.