Wizard Headquarters Blog: Crossroads by Ben Harris

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Crossroads by Ben Harris

Crossroads by Ben Harris

. Thorough crediting supports a pleasing mixture of psychologically innovative applications of time tested themes as well as familiar approaches that both captivate and entertain. Well written and easy to understand, Mr. Harris' basic method and impossible vanish and reappearance routine are magnified by the fact that the deck is not touched by the performer!

'A second effect by Steve Shufton logically extends the possibilities. Properly done, a thoughtful, capable performer will be remembered as having demonstrated an Any Card At Any Number, again, where the untouched deck is handled only by the Participant in a very simple, straightforward way without any prior preparation.

'This is potentially a very strong impression to leave with any audience. The 'Crossroads Technique' alone, which we really like, will be seen as food for thought by many. As mentalists, our variation would be to use no deck at all. Just a single, thought-of card in the pocket.! The solution will dawn on you after reading the text.'
- Richard Busch & Larry Becker

'There are two main features here; a named card vanishes from a sealed deck that you never touch, and the card is found at an impossible location of your choice. Causing any card to vanish from a deck under such impossible conditions is not an easy problem to solve. However, Ben has hit on an elegant solution, and what's more; the whole thing is technically self-working. If you're looking for a direct and powerful card effect, you'll love this. And, if you enjoy experimenting and exploring the ins and outs of a trick, you'll love this even more because the possibilities seem endless...'
- Peter Duffie (from the foreword)