Magic Tricks

First things first, it takes courage to market your first effect, opening yourself up to the critique and criticism of the magic community. For that I commend Iain Bailey, and I hope he continues inventing and marketing. If Penguin allowed decimal ratings, I'd have given this a 3.5. I bumped it up to a 4 because I like Iain's style and think he's an excellent teacher.

This is probably the best coffee shop routine I've seen, though it's limited because performing with a cup of coffee would seem out of place just about anywhere except a coffee shop. (Albeit I bought this for the high school Sunday School I teach, where it does fit in because everybody has a cup of coffee or cocoa.)

It lost a star because "the move" was done off camera. While this frustrates me as a consumer, I can understand why, and this should not be read to mean that the move would be flashed in a real-world application. There's a clever deception that provides a boatload of misdirection at the crucial time.

I also wanted to address the claim that the gimmick takes 20 seconds to construct. While that's true for the main gimmick, the secondary gimmick takes more effort and costs a few bucks. (Technically, you could do the effect with just the main gimmick. But the secondary gimmick adds an additional layer of cover and helps sell the miracle.)

Finally, kudos should be given for the twist that keeps the audience from thinking a step ahead of the magician, detracting from the "miracle." While even the most unseasoned laymen knows where a card trick is going when the magician pulls a citrus fruit out of his pocket, nobody will see this ending coming. Good work Iain, and I'm looking forward to your next release.