Force of Thought by Charles Reynolds

This is from Charles Reynolds’ lecture notes Observations & Effects c. 1999.

Effect: A great force of any two cards by Charles Reynolds. The handling is above board and easy. Fan the deck and display the array of cards. Then simply riffle the deck towards the spectator. He is asked to mentally think of a card as the cards riffle by. DONE! It’s that easy and can be repeated with another card immediately.

Blaine and others have used Force of Thought to great advantage. The fact that the spectator is given a choice of cards as they riffle past their eyes is quite disarming and may I add, never fails.

Complete with Charlie’s handing and routine. Every performer should have this deck in his kit. Perfect for walk-around. No reset. Ready to work at any time.

Bicycle backed deck.

May be used for a great prediction effect as well.

This is what Mike Close had to say about Observations & Effects 

Observations & Effects
By Charles Reynolds

I’m sure most MAGIC readers know who Charles Reynolds is. For almost thirty years Mr. Reynolds has made his fulltime living as a magic director and consultant for theater, television, and motion pictures, including a long-time association with Doug Henning. Observations & Effects is a set of lecture notes prepared for a lecture Mr. Reynolds presented in Germany. The notes are in two parts: Observations – containing six essays on various aspects of the performance of magic; and Effects – eight close-up and mental routines.

I very much enjoyed and appreciated the essays in Observation & Effects. The topics covered are: A Definition of Magic, Creating the Magical World, The Theater of the Mind, The Moment of Magic, Surprise and Fulfillment, and Effects, Methods, and Presentations. These are subjects that are important to me, and ones that I have written about. Mr. Reynolds, however, presents the material so articulately that it makes me envious. Rarely is theoretical material discussed so clearly and concisely.

Observations & Effects would be worth the price just for the essays, but the tricks are also top-notch. I would especially draw your attention to “Prediction Card in Wallet” (a restructuring of the classic effect that changes the climax from a moment of surprise to a moment of fulfillment), and “Force of Thought” (a method for determining a thought-of playing card).

What more can I say? These notes are great, and they’re worth every penny.

Pros: Articulate, thoughtful, and easy-to-understand essays combined with practical tricks.

Cons: Too short. I want more.

(Michael Close – Magic Magazine, January 2000)
Text Source: michaelclose.com – click for details

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