Review of More Power to You: The Very Best of David Acer

David Acer is a clever, funny and brilliant guy and his “More Power To You! The Very Best of David Acer” presents and teaches 29 great routines. I not only enjoyed his routines, I found his writing to be entertaining to read. This is indeed one of the “Very Best” magic books I have read in awhile.

The book opens with Cellular Production, an amazing production of a cell phone from an empty envelope. The production can actually be anything about the size of a cell phone, but the routine creates a comical and memorable way to introduce yourself to a crowd. As you talk, you suddenly hear your phone ringing, and it comes out of an impossible place.

In Rink, you cause a borrowed finger ring to link onto the arms of a pair of folded (borrowed) sunglasses. This penetration should prove to be surprising. Holiday Miracle allows you to make an ungimmicked light-bulb from a string of Christmas lights flicker in your hand, then go dark before you give it away as a souvenir.

Acer presents some excellent tricks with stick men that are drawn on playing cards. In Cheap Labor, a stick man is drawn on a card and then multiples onto other cards in a packet. At the end, the stick man is only found on the back of the selected card, which may be given away as a souvenir. One of my favorites in the book was Squancho, which also employs a stick man. You draw a stick man on the back of a playing card and he apparently performs the magic by finding the selected playing card. At the end, you accidentally hit the deck hurting the stick man, and the injured, discombobulated stick man is found on the card, which may be given to spectators.

Around the World in Eighty Dollars offers a paper bill that changes to represent different countries. Money Flies offers a coin production from a rope. It's a version of Acer’s competition routine.

I like Acer’s take on time travel that's applied to a coin trick. You cause spectators to apparently go back in time. To start, a quarter is resting on your hand and you remove your watch, which will apparently act as the “time machine” and place it into your pocket. At the end, the quarter is found back on your hand as it was at the start, and the watch is also found on your wrist. It reminds of a great Tommy Wonder effect, but it’s far easier. There’s a second effect that deals with time travel and employs matches called Rematch.

For those of you who are afraid of using the standard method behind traditional "Ring Flight," a gimmick-based routine where a spectator's ring ends up on your key chain - an impossible place-style effect,in Transposition Ring Flite, Acer offers an alternative handling. This handling of the standard prop greatly reduces the danger of losing the ring and I think it’s brilliant as well as practical.

Nomen Omen offers a bit of mentalism with cards. I love this self-worker because it employs names on each of the cards, much as in the well known Phil trick. Acer’s version offers a great premise and a stunning double prediction, and there’s lots of interaction with two spectators. This one requires no sleights and it’s a true winner. In Misguided Angels 2.0, an effect Acer created with Jay Sankey, the angels on the back of a Bicycle playing card switch directions. Swiss Pack offers a selected card that suddenly appears full of holes but is “whole” at the end.

There are some that are offbeat (even for the likes of a brilliant mind such as Acer).Hyper-Ventilate offers a transposition of air between a balloon and your lungs and involves a cigarette and smoke. A stage effect, Body Swap offers a means for two people to change places as they stand behind an opaque sheet that they’re holding.

Initially Yours offers initials that are written on a selected card and that transfer to another card. In the President’s Message a freely selected card is seemingly “thought of” by the president on a bill (a cartoon thought bubble actually “thinks” of the selected card). I really like this one. Coffee Break is a variation on the old boomerang trick that’s performed with the sleeves that are designed for paper coffee cups that you’ll find at your local coffee outlet.

p>The warped and amazing Wormhole offers a moving hole effect. A hole on your business card ends up on the side of a take-out coffee cup. And when the hole arrives at the cup, coffee begins to spurt from the hole. Lickety Flip offers a four ace production from a deck of cards. Money for Nothing features a changing picture that reflects the state of your finances depending on the bill that you are holding. There’s also an add-a-number mentalism effect and a great card trick that may be performed on stage and that offers lots of interaction with seven spectators. And for strolling magicians who may be looking for a trick for the holidays, there’s Gift of the Magi where presents appear under a drawing of a Christmas tree - and the book comes complete with artwork.

It’s not often that I come across a book this great. Read "More Power to You: The Very Best of David Acer" and learn some great magic and be prepared to laugh along the way. This one is truly good, very good.