Final Exam Book Test by Harvey Berg

[Steve Hook]

Does anyone have any pros or cons about this book test? The ad sound great but Berg's "Intercept" wasn't so great.

Any advice out there?

Thanks,

Steve H

[Doug Dyment]

Final Exam is an excellent book test, very ingenious. After you get it, you'll be stunned by the amount of effort that was necessary to create it!

Pros... the books are familiar ones, not some obscure murder mystery that nobody ever heard of. There is an absolutely free choice of everything. The revelation is extremely believeable... not just a word or two, but a full description of the passage/scene being envisaged... just like one imagines a "real" mindreader might do it. The books are examinable in detail... someone would have to spend a lot of time before uncovering the secret.

Con... the entertainer needs to know the number of the page the participant is viewing. There are many ways of ascertaining this, so it's not a big drawback, but some don't care for this aspect. And no, there are no crib sheets used.

Harvey is a recent arrival to the magic scene. A bit like Jerry Andrus, he is not well versed in the "standard" technologies, and thus tends to come up with unique ideas. In some cases, there are better solutions than what he devises. In others (such as Final Exam), he creates truly breakthrough concepts.

... Doug
www.oratory.com/mindsights

[Guest]

Greg Edmonds (Bishop) has a way to turn the necessity of having to know the page number into an effect in itself in his book of routines with his Retractable Thumb Writer.

[Guest]

I recently got this effect, and I love it, with the caveats that Doug mentioned (I'll have to check out the reference John suggested). It was the first time I've actively contacted the manufacturer to express how impressed I was with the attention to detail that went into the product. They took four months to seamlessly weave the necessary "doctorings" into the book so as to make it absolutely deceptive, and the level of detail you can provide as opposed to most book tests that end up more as word tests is incredibly cool.

I would not hesitate to recommend this to anybody serious about mentalism, although I kinda hope few will buy it, so I can have it to myself :o)

--Andy

[Guest]

I read a "great review" on Berg in Genii

[Richard Kaufman]

Moshe, what is the point of your remark? The fact that "Intercept" was problematic was addressed in the very first post in this thread. Berg's book test has NOT been reviewed in Genii--so what's the point of your remark? To tell us that you didn't care for the review of "Intercept" in Genii? One must gather that since you have placed the word 'review' in quotation marks.
If you have a point to make, make it and be done with it.

[Guest]

When I read it I got the imperssion of a "Berg reviw" and not the trick

Moshe

[Andy Hurst]

I hope this post isn't too off topic. I know the original question was about Bergs book test, and although I'm sure we could all name our favorite and turn this into a 'which is the best book test' thread, I wanted to make mention of Val Andrews Unfaked Book Test which is available directly from him for 5 UK pounds (thats about $8 approx).

Ian Rowland has some info on it on his web site. Val Andrews only takes orders by mail and if you live in the US you have to work out how to get the money to him, etc. Don't ask my advice on how to do this - I got my mum to order it and send it over for me! Vals mailing address is on the page of Ian Rowlands Site .

I've used a number of book tests, including some of the expensive, commerically marketed ones, but now when I need one, I'm going with Val Andrews.

Andy