"Retro-Sight" by Devin Knight
Suggested Retail USD$25.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"Retro-Sight", a new effect by Devin Knight, is really two effects in one: the first is a strange piece of magic, the second a very unique mentalism routine, and both powerful pieces of work.

Let's get right to the effects.

"Dimensional Transposition" is the magical portion of "Retro-Sight". In this one, a packet of cards from a card gamed called "Word Chase" are freely shown, front and back. Each card has a different word on it and the backs are blank. The cards are held up to a mirror, one at a time, showing how the cards are reflected in the mirror. Suddenly, all the cards in the mirror appear to be normal and can be read: somehow the reflections have righted themselves. The cards? They are now printed in reverse. In addition to this routine, Knight also includes a real kicker ending using one of the performer's business cards or even a borrowed one (with some pre-show work on the side). This is a very neat effect and is so surprising it can freeze a spectator's brain into a concrete block. The handling is simple -- too simple to believe it will work until you try it -- and the psychological elements are in place to make this one powerful.

"Mirrored Thought" is the mentalism piece of the package and this is the real meat of things: this one is something else. The word cards are used again, and this time the spectator picks one from the stack (free choice here; no forces at all). The cards are shown in the mirror as reflections, letting the mirror "capture" the image of the selected card. A second spectator is then told to look into the mirror and asked that, if they get any sort of psychic flash or a word stands out to them, then to say "stop". Once again, the cards are passed in front of the mirror, the spectator says "stop", and the word they stopped on is the one freely chosen by the first spectator. This is another "oh-so-simple" method made into a powerful routine. There's no stooging, no pre-show work, no forces or cueing or anything like that in play (to paraphrase the ads, you don't even know what the word is until the specator stops you). This can be easily repeated if desired. This is excellent stuff here.

I could go on and on about this one, but I won't: the routines are simple and powerful and everything you could want in a routine, so that's enough of that. Let's look at the possible downsides here.

First up, the mirror. If you do this for more than a handful of people, you'll need a large mirror for this one. For platform work, this is a must-have. Doing this close-up, a smaller mirror will work (I used a pocket mirror and an improvised stand) but you'll need to gather your spectators around the action a bit carefully. You'll probably spend more thinking on this angle of things than the actual methodology.

Second, the cards. Some will be turned off by them but unecessarily so. This is Devin Knight we're talking about and he has the bases covered. Yes, Virgina, there really is a card game called "Word Chase", and Knight has packaged this so the cards look the part: they come in a vinyl wallet and with a rules sheet included. Thinking like magicians, we may feel weird about the cards, but spectators see them as we should: something used to provide an experiment and an experience.

Lastly, the language. Conceivably, this could be done with foreign languages, but I sure wouldn't want to take that task on. You'd need to follow Knight's lead on the construction of the cards, the have the cards printed, and, well, it would be a nightmare. If you plan on performing this in some language other than English, you'll have to take into account the extra work.

So that's it: the good and the bad. In the case of "Retro-Sight", the good is very, very good and the bad isn't bad at all. This is one I can easily recommend to anyone looking for a unique mentalism routine or a bizarre magic piece.

"Retro-Sight" by Devin Knight
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Practicality: 8
The biggest problem here is having the mirror available: you'll need a good-sized one if you do this for more than a couple of people. Otherwise, the set-up is very, very slight, there's no real reset, and repeating the main routine is not a problem.

Workmanship: 9
As with Knight's other products, the workmanship is extremely good here. You may want to play with the cards a bit (if not break out some fanning powder) so they handle a bit easier.

Documentation: 10
Knight's documentation is always wonderfully thorough and well done, and this is no exception. Every nuance and move is taught superbly.

Effect: 10
I had my doubts about this one, but it plays incredibly powerful. This is one that, once you give it a shot, it's hard not to break out time and time again.

Presentation: 10
Knight kept the presentation simple and all-purpose and it plays. Throw in the details of the routines, the directness and uniqueness, and you've got a winner here.

Shane

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