"Superior books seem sculptured to be easily and smoothly understood. While mixing surprise with comprehension, Queen Spirit entertains and delights. Bannon's engaging ideas and effects immediately invite you to play with and practice them. What else could you want in a book?"
- Jon Racherbaumer
"There is literally not a magician alive on Planet Earth that can create magic like John Bannon. His new book, Queen Spirit, is as scintillating and entertaining a read as you'd expect, and further proof that he is a prestidigitation maestro!"
- Owen Packard, Bigblindmedia
"I knew that when one of my favourite magic creators took on one of my pet card magic plots the results would be good, but I couldn't have imagined they would be THIS good! Bannon has brought all his methodological creativity and handling expertise to bear and created some brilliant minimalistic magic that is surprising, fooling and commercial. And I never thought I'd say that about the seven-card assembly! Highly recommended."
- Mark Elsdon
"Bannon does it again. "Queen Spirit" perfectly blends rock and roll, the seven-card assembly, and streamlined magic into a fun piece of up close theater. Even if you don't do assemblies, this is a must have if for no other reason than to learn the power of the Discrepant Block Switch."
- Jeff Stone
"John Bannon's Queen Spirit is an enjoyable exploration of the seven card assembly. This beautifully produced hard-back book features several variations on the seven card assembly, each with their own stimulating twist on the theme - any one of which would serve you well. To round it off, John includes a couple of what he calls queen-friendly effects to go with your seven card assembly choice. Highly recommended for lovers of card magic."
- Charlie Randall
Less is more ... more or less.
John Bannon attacks the challenge of card magic minimalism. In this series of études, Bannon investigates theory, problems, and solutions illustrated by the underground Seven-Card Assembly-a trick involving only the four Queens and three spot cards. Tackling the questions: "Is less more?" and "How low can you go?" Bannon treats the Seven-Card Assembly as metaphor for tight construction. Construction so tight that you may have to cheat a little.
With a practiced eye for commercial card magic, he parses this esoteric plot and combines the pieces in exciting new ways. Queen Spirit unleashes seven cutting-edge tricks that can be performed alone, or combined to produce an onslaught of magic moments. Typical of Bannon's style, these sophisticated constructions require no difficult moves and are performed impromptu, anytime, with cards from a regular deck. Bannon also includes a startling, iconoclastic four-card production to start off with a bang!
(As a special extra,
Queen Spirit embraces a far-from-typical Sixteen-Card Assembly that's acclaimed as one of the best assemblies ever.) Bannon clearly describes the mechanics of the tricks so you can see how to do them. He also dissects the presentation, theory, and method so you can understand where he's coming from. He fills in this important, often overlooked dimension in his clear, but conversational style. He gets it. You'll get it.
If you like your card magic unpacked or you're just on the lookout for tricks that snap, startle, and pop, you'll love every trick in the book!
Forget about "masterclasses," spend some quality time with an accomplished master.
John Bannon has been screwing around with playing cards for a long time. He still has a few tricks up his sleeve.
