Afterglow

34.95 usd

Book by John Graham (34.95$34.95)

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Full performance

A complete act using a borrowed, shuffled deck.

Following the massive successes of Stage by Stage and Encore, John Graham presents Afterglow: The Anytime Act. This special book features seven amazing card tricks that can be done from a shuffled deck in use (FASDIU), as well as every detail needed to seamlessly blend them into a nearly 20-minute close-up show that can be performed anytime, anywhere.

“Powerful, beautiful pieces of magic. But it’s more than that. It’s an act with a beginning middle and end. If you study this book carefully, John will teach you how to turn magic into a show.” Asi Wind

Afterglow is filled with the very best versions of proven stunners. John will teach you his takes on classics like Jack Miller and Al Koran’s “Lazy Man’s Card Trick” and John Bannon’s “Play It Straight”, the latter of which contains a clever new prequel that many of you will use for the rest of your life. John has even developed a way to naturally flow into Paul Curry’s “Out of This World” from a shuffled deck.

While the effects are modular and can be performed separately, the true value of Afterglow comes from seeing how John routines each effect together into a multi-phase act that steadily builds toward a jaw-dropping finale. Even if you don’t often perform formal close-up shows, this book will make you rethink how you can structure all your magic for maximum impact.

"John's done it again. Highly recommended! Learn how to take card tricks and make them an act." Jeff McBride

You’ll learn how to both get in and out of the effects. This includes all the scripting and transitions you’ll need to effortlessly transform a collection of individual tricks into an audience-proven, tightly-structured 18 to 20-minute show. Everything is taught in incredible detail alongside more than 50 illustrations in this beautiful hardback book.

No setup or preparation is needed for Afterglow. As long as you have a deck of cards, you’ll always be ready to amaze everyone in any close-up situation from small groups to parties with 20 or more people.

While a good trick can wow your audience, a great act takes them on a journey. Afterglow by John Graham is your detailed roadmap for bringing every audience on an adventure they’ll never forget. Learn the secrets to the act that has served John, and saved him, on more occasions than he can count. Get Afterglow today!

John Graham’s new book Afterglow is a real-world winner! The anytime act is a mini show from a shuffled deck that will knock your spectators' socks off! Well written and very detailed. John also explains how he constructed the act every step of the way. This alone is worth the price of the book. With a little practice you can have a close-up card act at your fingertips, anytime you want. All of John’s books offer way more than the price of admission! Bill Malone

Hardcover | 6" x 9" | 53 Pages

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Jonathan

In Afterglow, John Graham presents seven effects that comprise a 22 minute, close-up card act that can be done any time/anywhere with a shuffled deck in use. The effects themselves, however, are--in a way--secondary. Graham's major purpose is to show the reader how to construct an effective magic act that is cohesive and that flows logically from one effect to the other.

The effects themselves are no secret: Graham has posted a start-to-finish live performance on the product page. For those who haven't watched it yet, they are:
--Sparkler, a version of Eddie Fechter's I've Got a Surprise for You
--One at a Time Aces, an ace assembly trick from Tarbell that was majorly promoted by Harry Lorayne
--Numero Uno, a Harry Lorayne stunner--basically, a lost card is found at a named number
--Triumph #1: The Play It Straight Prequel--a version of triumph that has the 'look' of Bannon's classic triumph
--Triumph #2: Bannon's Play It Straight Triumph
--The Lazy Man's Card Trick--a Jack Miller effect, also
--Worldwide, Graham's version of Paul Curry's Out of This World, where two members of the audience participate

Okay. That's out of the way. Now to the important stuff.

If all you want to do is perform the seven effects, you probably have at least some of these effects in your repertoire and the you could look up the rest.

But you'd be missing the whole point of the book.

The purpose of the book is to illustrate how to put together a series of effects into an act that transitions smoothly one to the next. Graham gives you tips on how to present each trick effectively. You are shown how to set up for the next effect one or two effects in advance, how you might adjust the tricks from their original form to make them your own, how to use patter tie it all together, and how to prepare set ups one or two effects in advance--all of this making the whole greater than the sum of the parts. This is worth its weight in gold.

There are a lot of books that reference how you might do this, but it is rare for a magician to give you a real-world example of a completed act that illustrates how all this can be put together.

What I found most fascinating about this book is how well Graham's theory works in practice. All of this translates into keeping the AUDIENCE amazed and entertained. This IN SPITE OF THE FACT that there is no knuckle-busting sleight of hand and effect, nothing cutting edge or brand new presented here (the 'youngest effect is Bannon's and is about 34 years old)... and yet the audience is floored.

Why? Because as magicians we are jaded: 'Bah. A simple transposition. Meh! A plain-Jane ace assembly. Ugh! A trick Harry Lorayne came up with in 1960-what that he finally put in lecture notes from 1980? And Triumph... twice???? Then, a trick that a child could do? And--OMG--OOTW? That old trick????

Well, if you think that way, you would be wrong. Hell, I was wrong too... Audiences care about the magic they see and they don't know 20 versions of OOTW, they only know if the one they saw was amazing. When you tranistion effect-to-effect smoothly, it only multiplies the amazement. And if sleights aren't breaking your fingers, you can concentrate on the presentation rather than the mechanics of the trick. And guess what? Your audience will still be amazed and entertained.

So what John Graham has done here is give you the Rosetta Stone to translate magician-ese to a language your audience will understand.

What's more is that the book is well written, well illustrated, and the instructions are crystal clear. There's also no fluff: so the book is short and to the point. You get the act, the theory, and the practice in just the right amount of prose. Interestingly, you will notice a lot of references to the late Harry Lorayne. Graham is a fan and goes Lorayne's philosophy of ungaffed, raw card magic, and preparing the deck on the fly--even a couple effects ahead-- making everything seem all the more impossible to your audience.

Are there any deficits? First, just a quibble... He does use Dan & Dave Buck's Kryptonite cut as part of his presentation for his opener. It is not integral to the effect, but I did get hung up on it. The cut is about as well described as it could be in a book, but I really needed visuals. Vanishing Inc--they don't sell a video of the Kryptonite cut suggested (the dreaded) YouTube. This kind of thing is not just about the motions it's about how to angle your hands to use gravity. One video in particular really helped. (For those who are not so obsessed, however, you could substitute in any other fancy--even a two-handed--false cut and still do Graham's presentation. [NOTE TO VANISHING INC: would be nice if you could upload a tutorial for the Kryptonite cut for buyers of the book or make it available at a nominal price point...]

And Graham's writing is a pleasure. Always clear and always engaging.

At least for me, this is a book that is a game changer. Even though Graham outlines how this book could help professionals, I see this book as a way for amateurs and intermediate magicians to learn how to construct an act.

It really has changed my way of understanding how to perform and has given me concrete example from a seasoned professional of how to construct an effective card act. Kudos to John Graham for writing a perfect book. Highly recommended!

 

Billy

Great book, what you’re buying here is an impromptu routine that flows well with solid close up card tricks. You may have/know some of these tricks already but the way they flow from one to another and how it’s been constructed as a routine is the value. If you’re looking for something good “impromptu” with a here’s a deck of cards, then this may be for you!

 

Ken

I can't stress enough just how good a deal this book is!
John Graham was the answer to a prayer I didn't know I had. It isn't just the tricks - I'll come back to those - but the thinking behind the routines.
At least one, if not two of the tricks I already perform but one was just a standalone and the other I rarely get the chance to do out and about because it needs set up. JG's routining means I can now add this in whenever I want to (as long as I'm going to do at least three tricks with a deck of cards).
But there are other tricks I've always wanted to do that I've never had chance to use at all. Ace assemblies are things I've dabbled with but never had the opportunity to build into something. Out Of This World, likewise, I've played with countless versions but never properly used.
Now, I can use all of these with some of the best, most practical, methods I've come across - and all IMPROMPTU!
The great thing is you can take tricks out and replace with others you'd rather do. I've already changed the first to a Doc Eason version of the same trick that involves two spectators (might as well when you need them both for the final OOTW). I'm also considering removing the Estimation effect and replacing it with a clock prediction I love doing but rarely get the chance. There's one or two constraints, depending on what you want to keep in, but otherwise this routine is entirely modular and allows for several substitutions of tricks.
I also love that I'm now doing tricks I would never have imagined doing: Estimation and elevator tricks for instance.
But perhaps the greatest gift of this book is that it has inspired me to think of other routines I could build - long and short - string together effects I couldn't have easily done otherwise. I've already started putting together a few sets of routines that are far from variants of what's in this book. For instance, a packet oil and water followed by triumph and ending with an ambitious card, for a shorter routine.
In summary: the tricks are not just good but excellent and needing minimal skill. The principles are excellent and the whole modular nature of the routine means you can easily see how this can be adapted to your favourite set of tricks with a deck. This was the BEST buy of the year for me.

 

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Josh

I can't get over how beautiful this performance is. It's some stuff you might know, others you might not. Either way, these tricks are routined in a way that just makes sense to the participants. Each trick builds on the next one to make this entire performance a true masterpiece. I can't wait to get out there and start performing this.

 

jordan

john graham is a powerhouse performer, 7 epic ticks in a nice tight streamlined show that builds and builds into a insane 22 min show. such classics as bannons play it straight, roy Waltons out of this world, harry laraines lazy mans cardtrick, and ed marlos easy ace assembly. the book is clear clean and precise, it gives you everything you need and nothing less. i cant recommend this book enough, if you've ever struggled to put a card show together let along from a shuffled deck in use, then look no further than Afterglow.

 

Alistair

What a wonderful book. It is a truly comprehensive look at how to routine a set of card tricks together to make something cohesive. As a a beginner this is a great resource - especially in how it teaches to use the space within and between tricks to do "dirty work" of arranging and sorting cards for later tricks as you do the current one.

My only nit pick is that the performance video unfortunately cuts away whilst John Graham is doing his dirty work. It would have been great if purchasing the book would have got access to an uncut video so that we could see how smooth "out in the open" hidden work can be.

 

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Jack

Excellent routining of some classic effects, with very well thought-out reasons for why each was selected and where it was placed in the overall act. The setup for each effect is cleverly contained in the methodology of the prior one. I have a great deal of respect for the thought and care put into the craftsmanship of a full 20ish-minute close-up act that can be performed impromptu with a borrowed deck. And seeing how that act evolved and the choices made in its construction is an invaluable masterclass in show planning.

 

Roy

Another great book by John Graham. His work is so well written and so enjoyable. I would highly recommend this or any of his other books to anyone. Roy

 

Frank

This is a great book for both the expert and novice card mage. The effects are great and the whole show flows really well. The real value here is in learning to structure card magic routines to build and actually have a finale. Well done again John Grahm

 

Curt

Fantastic, love the seamless from each effect, Bravo!!

 

Gerhard

Oh wow Vanishing Inc and John Graham nails it again. This is an excellent book. The production values are fantastic, the book reads like a dream and all the effects are takes on classics but nicely routined. One can learn a lot by studying this book on terms of routining. Only read about half of the book but I can wholeheartedly recommend this.

 

Adam

A great book with a lovely overall routine that flows well and incorporates some really strong effects. Nothing in this book is that difficult if you already have some pretty standard card magic techniques. The effects flow well and your favourite version of one of the effects can be easily exchanged for the ones explained in the book, without losing the overall impact of the routine. Great purchase well worth the money.

Community questions about Afterglow

Have a question about this product? It's possible others do too. Ask here and other Vanishing Inc. Magic customers will be able to respond with assistance! Alternatively, email us and we can help too.

• Luca asks: I got the book in Blackpool and is really good! Just wondering if the show that we see in the promo will be available for the owners of the book? Thanks

  • 1. Andreas answers: The full video is in the description below
  • 2. Luca answers: Thank you!
  • 3. Malcolm answers: The show is now on YouTube on Vanishing inc channel

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• Michael asks: What’s the skill level required for these tricks? Sell working/some slights?

  • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: There are some sleights involved however with some practice these shouldn’t be to difficult

• Alexander asks: Could indicate level of sleights required? Also, is the book's binding sewn or glued? Thanks.

  • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: The sleights require are an intermediate level however with some practice a beginner could accomplish these, the book is sewn

• Jose asks: Do you need to faro for Play It Straight sequence or will riffle shuffle as in Bannon original routine work?

  • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: A Riffle would be fine

• Mark asks: Will this be avaliable as an ebook in the future?

  • 1. Jack answers: I presume No, as John’s other books haven’t been made into ebooks.
  • 2. Giuseppe answers: I hope so! Would buy in an instant

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• Matthew asks: Are the sleights taught in this book or are you expected to have already a working knowledge of all them?

  • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: The sleights needed are taught in the book

• Martin asks: Any word on when this book will be back in stock?

  • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: We ordered the reprint the day after our warehouse fire. It will be a couple of months. If you pop your email in on the page where it says "notify me when this is back in stock", you will get an automatic email as soon as we get them in!