Review of Minotaur The Final Issue

“Mexicali Aces” offers a relatively easy, but visual four of a kind production by Marv Leventhal. A bit offbeat but with some possibilities for commercial and tradeshow work, “All You Need Is Love” offers a mashup between a “twisting the aces’ style routine and a color-changing backs effect. While Harlan uses the four cards to display letters to display the word “love” in a clever manner, you’re free to place four words or letters of your choosing.

“Money Laundering” makes use of a common magic prop to erase dollar bills and then print new ones from pieces of paper. “Beer Money” offers a variation on a classic bill change. Here, a dollar bill changes into a beer bottle label, followed by some other bits. With this routine, Harlan has taken the standard bill change routine and removed the need to repeat the effect to restore the bill.

“Fairest of Them All” is a “find a selected card” effect that is indeed fair and baffling. However, its selection process is rather convoluted and requires very specific instructions to spectators. As a result, it’s a magician fooler that is probably best presented to other magicians who will be able to follow the instructions. “Hebe, Hera, Hecate” offers a good twisting of the aces routine. There’s also a decent coins across routine, “Allied Alliance” that employs foreign coins, and a bit with a toothpick. Dan Harlan performs and teaches one effect from each of the previous volumes of the original magazine.

In all, “Minotaur The Final Issue” offers a lot of useful effects with a variety of props, and while most of the material is for close-up, there are some for stand-up. Best of all, you get the benefit of material from the brilliant mind of Dan Harlan. This is an excellent title that’s well worth the price.