Book Review: Fooling Houdini

Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind by Alex Stone (New York: Harper Collins, 2012. 291 pp)

Alex Stone has written for Harper’s, Discover, Science, and the Wall Street Journal. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English and has a master’s degree in physics from Columbia University. He grew up in Wisconsin, Texas, and Spain. He currently lives in New York City.

Magic and Me

I’ve always loved the art of deception. I had a small magic kit as a child, complete with a card deck and plastic magic wand. I, however, lacked the patience to learn the dexterity of sleight of hand or even a decent shuffle. To this day, I still have trouble shuffling cards for a poker game. But, I still value the medium, and enjoy watching stars like Blaine, Copperfield, or even Penn and Teller. My love story, however, pales in comparison to Alex Stone’s, a tale he recounts in Fooling Houdini.

The Magic Olympics

Photo by Steven Depolo

Fooling Houdini begins with Alex Stone competing in the Magic Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Yes, the Magic Olympics. Already a member of the oldest magical fraternity, The Society of American Magicians (once headed by Houdini himself), Stone simply wishes to showcase his skills in competition. He, however, is humiliated, getting “red-lighted” during his act, disqualified for dropping a deck of cards, and putting his hands beneath the table. 

In a quest to redeem his failure at the conjurer’s art, and even fool the masters, he studies with anyone and everyone he can. The first person he meets is Jeff McBride, leader of the Mystery School. McBride holds three Guinness World Records for his card handling abilities, and was crowned magician of the year by the Academy of Magical Arts. He’s a big deal. So, Stone goes to school.

“McBride likes to call his school ‘Hogwarts for grownups,’ and what happened on the first day was straight out of Harry Potter. To begin with, we were asked to congregate around a flame burning at the center of the room atop an iron pedestal. The shutters had been drawn against the January light, and it was murky inside. As we rose to our feet the flame trembled, casting a ripple of shadows on the walls. Contorted by the shifting play of light, the masks seemed to flicker awake in a momentary flash of borrowed life” (35).

Magical Archetypes

Here, Stone learns of four archetypes of the magician: Trickster, Sorcerer, Oracle, and Sage. Stone sadly realizes that he has remained in the cycle of Trickster for quite some time, but that only renews his fervor to continue his journey as a magician. Stone, then, decides to find someone under which to apprentice, discovering master illusionist Wesley James, now retired. Wesley basically lives at a pizzeria.

“One weekend turned into many. Saturdays at the pizzeria became my newest ritual—harking back to the one that began in my early childhood, when my father would take me to the magic store on the weekends. My friends and family soon learned not to call me on Saturdays; I observed the magic Sabbath more faithfully than the Hebrew one. (I may be half Jewish, but I’m all magician)” (52).

Breaking the Code

Photo by Steven Depolo

On his journey of magical education, Stone learns to read minds (or fake it), to count cards, and then, he does the unthinkable. He breaks the magician’s code: the promise by working magicians not to reveal the basis of their tricks, or else risk getting blackballed by fellow magicians.

“Keeping a magic trick secret clearly isn’t the same thing as hiding a childhood trauma or an extramarital affair. Nonetheless, the double-edged nature of secrecy goes a long way toward explaining what makes magic, and the people who practice it, so unusual” (135).

Stone describes the mechanics of wristwatch stealing, cardsharping, and finger calisthenics within the book. But, what’s worse is his first attempt at exposing trade secrets occurred in a Harper’s magazine article, a mainstream magazine for the laypeople. 

Stone was shunned from the magical community altogether, had he written for a magical magazine, the punishment wouldn’t be harsh, but alas he plays his cards (pun intended) foolishly. Few have forgiven him, and even his mentor Wes found it hard to do so. But, the truth is this kind of thing happens all the time. Stone cites magician Val Valentino, known for his television special Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed. So, the magical community has moved on, somewhat. If they can forgive Val Valentino, why not Stone?

Fooling is Bliss

Nonetheless, Stone continues on the journey to become a master, and finds a way to fool his mentors (I won’t tell you how). After all, 

“[T]he biggest draw is that it’s just plain fun to fool people. Anyone who claims otherwise—that fooling people isn’t one of magic’s central joys, one of its primary pleasures—is being dishonest. To truly astonish someone, to freak them out so badly they can’t sleep at night, to blow their mind and make them question their sanity—that, to me, as to all magicians, is heaven. It’s one of the chief upsides to becoming a magician, aside from the fact that black is very slimming” (172).

If you want a journey from failure to discovery to magic tricks and mentalism, Fooling Houdini is a fantastic memoir. Alex Stone proves himself to be a great story teller of magical proportion.

Verdict: 4 out of 5
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Book Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus: A Novel by Erin Morgenstern (New York: Doubleday, 2011. 400 pp)

Erin Morgenstern is a writer and artist. She studied theatre and studio art at Smith College. The Night Circus is Morgenstern’s first published work. She currently lives in Massachusetts.

Mind Tricks and Sleight of Hand

There’s something wondrous about a magician. Setting aside the cheesy music and the fantastical costumes, the magic trick is mesmerizing. Having been deceived by sleight of hand, I always want to deconstruct the illusion in attempts of learning the trick.

However, understanding the guts behind a magician’s work forces the viewer to comprehend the illusions differently. In short, the magic trick loses its luster. With ignorance comes joy as illusions erupt in splendor.

In Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, the same principle holds: unaware of magic’s foundations, the book’s magic envelops the reader.

Two Protégés Compete 

Set in the late 1800s, The Night Circus follows two main characters: Celia the illusionist and Marco, a circus bookkeeper trained in magic.

Celia, mentored by her father, Prospero the Enchanter, and Marco, taught by the puzzling Mr. A. H., are connected by their mentors in a challenge of magical wits.

Celia and Marco learn the ways of magic by drastically different means. For Celia, the innate ability to alter her surroundings inspires her father to cultivate her talents.

“Even tasks as simple as tying her boots he forbids her to do by hand. She stares at her feet, silently willing the laces to tie and untie in messy bows, scowling when they tangle into knots” (24).

Marco, on the other hand, ascertains magic principles through intensive study supervised by Mr. A. H. Scooped up from an orphanage, Marco’s formative years are spent in books.



Unaware of the scope and results of the challenge, the two utilize the newly formed Le Cirque des Rêves—a circus open from dusk until dawn—as a staging ground for their effulgent acts of magic. Celia works as an illusionist adding her magical touch to the circus while Marco manages and operates the Circus from London, designing new attractions through magic.

A Dangerous Love 

As the years progress, the circus grows with each attraction more grand than the last. As each person’s magic influences the other due to a mutual understanding as competitors, Celia and Marco eventually shift from a competitive spirit to one of collaboration. To the chagrin of their mentors, the challengers fall in love.

Speaking of a rare moment when the two are in each other’s presence, Morgenstern notes,

“He turns to the crimson tree and it glows brighter, the red of embers shifting to the bright warmth of fire.
The surrounding trees follow suit.
As the light from the trees increases, it becomes so bright that Celia closes her eyes.
The ground beneath her feet shifts, suddenly unsteady, but Marco puts a hand on her waist to keep her upright.
When she opens her eyes, they are standing on the quarterdeck of a ship in the middle of the ocean.
Only the ship is made of books, it sails thousands of overlapping pages, and the sea it floats upon is dark black ink” (261).

This relationship threatens the balance of the competition and the circus operations. In truth, neither mentor expected such an occurrence. As the years progress, the weight of holding together the magical foundations of the circus causes considerable stress. With everything hanging in the balance, Celia and Marco need to devise a way out of the circus without losing everything.

To Remain Unenlightened 

Photo by clogsilk

The Night Circus is a quick, entertaining read. Without complex sentences and overtly flowery language, I wouldn’t label the book literary by any stretch of the imagination. Nevertheless, Morgenstern writes an impressively crafted narrative. With imaginative settings and characters, the story seems like magic. I feel much like the clock maker and circus-lover, Friedrick, when he discusses the circus with Celia:

“’Why haven’t you asked me how I do my tricks?’ Celia asks, once they have reached the point where she is certain he is not simply being polite about the matter.
Friedrick considers the question thoroughly before he responds.
‘Because I do not wish to know,’ he says. ‘I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark’” (183).

The Night Circus feels like a 400-page magic trick. Much like illusions in real life, not knowing the foundations of the magic adds to the story’s enjoyment. If you like magic and fantasy, The Night Circus is for you.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5

What are your thoughts on magic? Do you need to know how it is performed? Have you read The Night Circus? How does it compare to other works of fantasy?
Share your thoughts below.

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Book Review: The Magician King

The Magician King by Lev Grossman (New York: Viking Press, 2010. 400 pp.)

Born in 1969, Lev Grossman has a degree in literature from Harvard, and spent three years at Yale in the Ph.D. program in comparative literature. He writes for TIME as their book reviewer and as one of its technology writers. Codex (2004) became an international bestseller, and The Magicians (2009) was named one of the best books of 2009 by The New Yorker. In August of 2001, he won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. He also has a wife and two daughters.

Sequels are Dangerous

Sequels are a dangerous thing. In looking at literature throughout the ages, sequels fall into one of two categories: either they rest on the laurels of their predecessors, or they continue to develop characters and plot even deeper than before. I think that The Magician King falls into the latter category for one reason in particular—Lev Grossman develops Quentin, the protagonist, as a character. In this sequel, the reader delves into the deeper inner-workings of Quentin’s soul. We find out that he, like so many of us, wishes to be a hero.

Didn't You Know that You're My Hero?

As a child, I paraded around the house wearing my Superman cape. I know, in retrospect the far more logical, far more bad-ass choice would have been Batman, but you can’t win them all. I thought Superman was the coolest—he could fly, shoot lasers out of his eyes, couldn’t be penetrated by bullets, and won the affection of a lady (Lois Lane). So, I wanted to be Superman, despite the red underwear eccentrically worn on the outside of his pants/tights. I ended up falling a little short (still working on the shooting lasers thing), but I think in my heart I still want to save the world, or at least save something.

I think that in every person’s core, there is a desire to be heroic. Now, I don’t mean that everyone wants to save the world from hunger, cure cancer, or even do something so minute as to give a dollar to someone who is homeless. I mean that people want to have a positive impact on their surroundings in some way—even just to one person. The protagonist, Quentin, is immersed in his new world, Fillory (discussed in a previous review), as a King, and yet he feels that his life is incomplete. Something just isn’t right. He wants an adventure. Or does he?

Quentin’s Heroic Quest

Photo by Ranga Krishna Tipirneni

Quentin, convinced that he needs to go on a new adventure (the previous having occurred in the novel The Magicians), does just that. He finds an excuse to round up a ship, in order to travel to an island in the middle of nowhere to collect taxes for the kingdom. While on the island, he finds a quest—to search for seven golden keys (whose purpose I won’t reveal to you, so the book isn’t spoiled). Along the way, he has some introspective revelations about his character.

“If he hadn’t been so tired, and a bit drunk, it probably wouldn’t have struck him the way it did. But as it was he felt himself filling up with a sense of—how could he put it? He thought he’d learned a lesson about the world, and now he was realizing that the lesson he learned might have been the wrong one. The right adventure had been offered to him, and he walked away. If being a hero is a matter of knowing your cues, like the fairy tale [the one about the golden keys] said, he’d missed his. Instead he’d spend three days faffing around on Earth for nothing, and nearly got stuck there forever, while Eliot was off on a real quest” (223).

What it Really Means to be a Hero

Finally, Quentin has an epiphany. Everything he is missing, the hole he had in his life, is because he didn’t realize he wanted to be a hero. And, he is given a chance.

Photo by Christopher Hawkins

Quentin finds himself to be a rather adept magician, and he follows the trail of the golden keys; he travels to Brakebills, Venice, and throughout Fillory. He and his friend Julia (who, as a side-note, also takes up a large portion of the novel with her own story and how she developed magician herself) even fight death in order to restore the world (again I’m purposefully not revealing some details here).

In the end, Quentin finds that being a hero frankly sucks.

“‘This isn’t how it ends!’ Quentin said. ‘I am the hero of this god-damned story, Ember! Remember? And the hero gets the reward!’

‘No, Quentin,’ the ram said. ‘The hero pays the price’” (396).

Quentin is forced to find, through his adventure that being a hero doesn’t mean that the grass is greener. Being a hero requires sacrifice—it happened to Superman whom I tried to so fiercely imitate as a child. And, sacrifice changes people for the better, as Quentin finds out.

This book surprised me, as I’m eternally dubious of sequels. They tend to lack substance, plot, and redeeming qualities. Not so with The Magician King. In fact, I liked it just as much as the first book, if not more. As a result, I’m very much looking forward to his next novel in the series, entitled The Magician’s Land, which will be heavily influenced by The Tempest, The Phantom Tollbooth, Casino Royale (James Bond Novels), and some P.G. Wodehouse of all people. I’m also looking forward to the FOX TV Series based off The Magicians, which is currently in the works—this series could turn out to be quite the entertaining enterprise.

Verdict: 5 out of 5
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Book Review: The Magicians

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (New York: Penguin Group, 2009. 402pp).

Lev Grossman is the senior writer and book critic for TIME. Among several notable publications, he has written for The New York Times, Wired, and The Wall Street Journal. At only forty-two years of age, he is beginning to gain wide acclaim for his work in TIME magazine as well as his novels.

Doubt and Humanity 

I love fantasy novels. I find that they provide a way of escape from a world filled with some terrible things. In fact, I re-read The Chronicles of Narnia every summer, and have done so since I was about fifteen years old. I’ve also read the Harry Potter novels, and loved every moment.

Unlike Harry Potter, Quentin (the protagonist) of The Magicians gets snatched into the magical realm just before college, and as a result is a little behind the curve. Fantasy aficionados saw Harry Potter go through magical high school, and with this book they see Quentin attend magical college. When Quentin is accepted for a particular adept magic trick which actually and unknowingly uses real magic, his reaction is one to be expected.

“Part of him, the part he trusted least, wanted to leap on this idea like a puppy on a ball. But in light of everything else that had ever happened to him, in his entire life, he checked himself. He’d spent too long being disappointed by the world – he’d spend so many years pining for something like this, some proof that the real world wasn’t the only world, and coping with the overwhelming evidence that it in fact was. He wasn’t going to be suckered in just like that. It was like finding a clue that somebody you’d buried and mourned wasn’t really dead after all” (37).

The author portrays Quentin as a real human being; he draws his themes from the aspiration to escape the monotony of this world. Quentin just doesn’t believe this change is happening to him, and he fights the reality that he’s becoming a magician throughout the novel. His reluctance to accept this truth makes his character believable because magic is, by definition, extraordinary, and we, too, would act similarly given the same circumstances.

Photo by Dmitri B.

Once accepted into college, Quentin attends classes, studies, and makes friends, and is involved in extra-curricular activities as well. Those at Brakebills College of Magic play an inter-collegial game called welters. Similar to NCAA sports, colleges of magic compete for supremacy in welters, much like in Harry Potter and the game of quidditch. Quentin’s team, obviously making fun of Harry Potter, does not take the sport seriously.

“‘Hang on,’ he said. ‘Gotta get my quidditch costume. I mean uniform. I mean welters’” (129).

After college, life becomes a series of monotonous parties and frequent sex. But, soon a forgotten friend from college greets Quentin and invites him to travel with him to what he thought was a fictional land named “Fillory”.

Fillory 

In The Magicians, Quentin and his group of friends religiously read a collection of stories on the land of “Fillory” much like I have my annual Narnia readings. These books on "Fillory" are famous, and children and nerdy adults alike read them for entertainment. Quentin loves the novels and, once accepted into the college at Brakebills, he doesn’t lose his interest in them. Just like my Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe binges during the summer, Quentin delves into the Fillory novels with great intensity. Much like in The Chronicles of Narnia, there's even a requirement for two queens and kings to rule the land from a magnificent white castle on the coast.

“As he usually did when he was stuck at home, he went on a Fillory binge. The old 1970s-era covers looked more and more dated every time he saw them, with their psychedelic Yellow Submarine palette, and on a couple of them the covers had come off completely and had been tucked back between the pages as bookmarks. But the world inside the books was as fresh and vital as ever, unfaded and unironized by time” (167).

Quentin also wants his own Fillory-like adventure. But fears he never will encounter such fantastical events in such a mundane world. The professors around Quentin try to remind him that he will never really have an adventure, and that magic can be quite boring.

“‘You are not going on a mystical adventure here, Quentin. This process will be long and painful and humiliating and very, very’ – he practically shouted the word – ‘boring’ ” (144).

Familiar Adventure 

Photo by Adam Foster

With super-obvious foreshadowing, Quentin and company finally travel to Fillory, which turns out to be not fictional at all. The group wants the adventure, and they get it; only to be reminded by the equivalent of Aslan, a ram named Ember that the magicians should not use other worlds as a playground for an adventure. Perhaps their own adventure can be found in their own world.

“‘I am sorry you came here,’ Ember said. ‘Children of Earth. No one asked you to come. I am sorry that our world is not the paradise you were looking for. But it was not created for your entertainment. Fillory’ – the old ram’s jowls shook – ‘is not a theme park, for you and your friends to play dress-up in, with swords and crowns’” (351).

There’s a lesson learned here, and Quentin takes it to heart: You may look for paradise and never find it, but you must be okay with who you are, and with whatever may happen along the way. Quentin loses lovers, friends, and confidence. But, toward the end of the story, he finds redemption. He meets his heroes, fights great enemies, and has the adventure he always wanted.

There’s humor, reality, seriousness, sex, anger, fights, drunkenness, collegiality, adventure, mockery, and suspense all present in The Magicians. If you like fantasy novels, read this book. If you don’t like fantasy novels and want to read a complete mockery of fantasy novels, read this book. The Magicians is a fantastic book that you can’t put down if you tried, and one that once you’re done will undoubtedly re-read every summer.

Verdict: 5 out of 5
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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