Magic Is Dead audiobook

If you’re anything like me, it means that 1) you possess a mind that might charitably be described as "unusually obfuscated"; 2) you have my condolences; 3) you smell terrific; 4) like a bird flying into a window, your nose has inadvertently come into contact with more than one hard surface by virtue of the impressive degree to which it protrudes from your otherwise proportional face; and 5) you’ve been mistaken on at least one occasion for a professional dancer, leading you to believe that the wedding DJ who made that mistake was likely a) sight-challenged; b) a terrible judge of quality dancing; and c) far too freely availing himself of the open bar during working hours.It also means that you have an abiding love of magic and secret societies.Frisch’s account of modern magic is also a memoir of his own spiritual journey and his grappling with who he really wants to be in the wake of his father’s death when Frisch was a teenager, and it’s simultaneously fascinating and a little disappointing. It’s fascinating in that it illuminates a subset of young magicians whose innovative approach to social media and brand management is transforming what has become a somewhat hokey and hackneyed profession and making it relevant, and perhaps even expanding its popularity, for a modern age. The characters behind the movement are compelling, at least in how Frisch portrays them—flawed people for whom magic has been a lifeline, or at least a means of bettering their situation in an otherwise challenging life. There’s a sense of camaraderie and kinship that pervades their interactions at conventions or over drinks at a bar, and the added allure of many of them being members of a secret society—the52—creates a pervasive air of mystery that hangs over the whole enterprise like a storm cloud ready to burst…And therein lies the disappointment, though it’s a disappointment that has little to do with the narrative itself or the individuals involved (though it’s obvious at points that Frisch is really reaching to say something profound, painfully self-aware of the need to make his journey through the magical underground Important and Meaningful and all sorts of other words that become more impressive when you capitalize them). The disappointment derives from the fact that, despite the tremendous skill and dedication of all involved, and despite their ability to create genuinely baffling “wow” moments for people, they’re ultimately just a bunch of people obsessed with doing card tricks, specifically trying to come up with new spins on tricks that have been around for decades. That’s not to disparage what they’re doing, mind you—the creativity and aptitude these magicians display is awe-inspiring. If you’ve ever tried to do any sleight of hand, you know how difficult it is to pull off effectively, and these folks make it look effortless on a level that truly does seem magical. But, when you start talking about magic…about secret societies…there’s always the hope that there really is something more. Something unknown and unknowable. Something truly inexplicable happening. That there is a cabal of people somewhere in the world who have knowledge the rest of us don’t, and access to abilities we can only dream about. And, well, maybe there is. Maybe Frisch knows and he’s just not letting on. Maybe he hasn’t gotten in deep enough and he’s still in the dark like the rest of us. But, that underscores the problem with diving into this kind of subject—the unknown (and perhaps unknowable) is always going to be more interesting than the known. It’s a little bit like a present you’ve been told will be the best one you’ve ever received. Before you open it, that box contains a myriad of possibilities. When you open it, it contains one. And while it may indeed be the best gift you’ve ever received, it’s likely that your imagination can conceive of something you could have received that would have been even better, which means that even the best present in the world is better before you open it and know what it is. This is an entertaining and engaging read for those interested in magic subculture, but be prepared to walk away feeling a little bit disappointed, a little bit cheated, a little bit flim-flammed, and a little bit annoyed (so, it’s basically the literary equivalent of a conversation with me).

I'm not the biggest fan of non-fiction, so to be completely honest, I didn't know if I was going to like this or not. BUT surprisingly, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was captivating from the beginning, and I really loved the narration style. Since I was little, I've always been interested in magic; however, I did have a specific stereotype attached to the term "magician." This book helped me think of the magic industry in a way I've never thought about before and brought to my attention a lot of things I never would have considered otherwise. This book talks about how the emergence of social media and popularity of platforms such as Instagram and YouTube changed the way magic is both performed and received.The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because there were some parts I skimmed over. But overall, I think everyone can find something that they like about this book.

A cool peak behind the curtain at Magic’s young guns blazing a new trail for magicians. As a bonus we get to see the secrets behind some of the tricks and the process of what goes into creating an original one! A fascinating read for anyone with the smallest amount of interest in magic or who still has that childlike sense of wonder about the world.

This is an interesting blend between a journalist's experience getting close to the young magic community and memoir exploring Frisch's father's death and his mother's poker habits. I can't lie, I teared up a few times.

Received as an ARC via my employer Barnes & Noble. Started 1-25-19. Finished 1-31-19. Well-written book about the history of "Modern" magicians--the young and brash street type; the fast-talking, tattooed fast-moving type; the creative, no-nonsense straight up deceptors who see magic as a way of life and a psychological process, not just entertainment. These are the ones who are constantly looking for new techniques and inventing new tricks. The author also explores "the52", a secret society of new magicians, each with a card suit tattooed on the side of their middle finger. He tells about how some tricks are done, but doesn't give away too much, just enough to arouse your curiosity. Because of his book, I've been watching videos of many of the magicians he mentions. Fascinating!!

I must say, this book thoroughly surprised me. I picked it up on a whim at the libraryfor two reasons: 1, because "why is this book with a fictional-looking cover and nearly unbelievable premise in our biography/memoir section?" and 2, simply because I have often been drawn to the YouTube/Instagram savvy young guns of today's magic such as Chris Ramsay. For a spontaneous pickup at the library, this book certainly did not disappoint! The first 100 pages hooked me unlike any book I've read in awhile, and and I felt like I was experiencing the same range of emotions as Ian Firsch did wading into the shallow end of today's hidden world of magic. Firsch's strongpoint in his story is how he manages to elucidate larger-than-life personas out of magicians who readers often only see in impersonal online or TV environments, such as the mysterious Daniel Madison, Laura London, or Xavior Spade. Additionally, I was also personally touched by a lot of Firsch's musings on his father, and how his father's passing was still influencing his life and journey decades later through. The biographical touch to what would otherwise be purely a journalistic narrative really give the reader a chance to fully invest themselves in the book as a whole.Still, this book will be frustrate some. If you picked this up hoping to learn more about the52, a secret society involving the 52 brightest minds in and around magic alive today (one for each playing card), you will probably be disappointed. You'll learn that, yes, it does exist, along with bits and pieces concerning how it was formed. However, the "why" and the "what" will have to be further clarified by Madison (who remains equally mysterious throughout) at a later time. You might also be frustrated by Firsch's wanderings at times. He rarely stays on one point for more than a few pages, usually interspersing his own personal musings and a plethora of magic's key historical moments with the chronological events of the book. As a result, there are certainly enough moments of downtime within the book that you begin to wonder if it could have just stayed as a multi-part Vice or New Yorker article. TL:DR, Despite this, I believe the positives far outweigh the negatives, and if you're on the lookout for an intriguing personal memoir and wish to investigate the basic state of magic in the modern age (or post-top-hat-and-bunny-rabbit age), this book certainly fits the bill!

Couple ideas I noticed: The relationship between father and son as Ian spoke about his own and Ramsey's. Ian refers to Laura London as the matron and identifies with his mother's card playing skills. These magicians try to form a clan, a family, that is exclusive because their family lives have fractured or the need to find and share similar skills. Some look down on the fact that learning magicians use the tricks they learned from buying or stealing from magicians who sell them. It seems strange to me that it's their business to sell these tricks to lesser magicians but then scuffs at how it's being practiced. It reminds me of Strange and Norrell, and how Norrell looks down on the other magicians who are less talented then he is. In fact, it was a wager to shut the other lesser magicians down that prompted Norrel to do his trick. But Norrel learned his crafts through books that he's read, so he's a hypocrite. Strange has the innate ability and that's why Norrell respects him. He has an intuitive sense I also think it's strange that Daniel Madison respects performance artist more than magicians. What's interesting is that these magicians have a different point of view on the world and perhaps that's the message, not to copy but to bring something to the table that furthers the thinking and move beyond the magician and gimmicks and tricks. I get a sense that magic is pain from these characters. The book, 'The Magicians' talks about the source of pain as fuel for a conjuring. It compares academic magic of Brake Bills and the rogue practitioners on the street, or underground. Some of the characters in Ian's book remind me of rogue practitioners and Daniel Madison as a figure with a hypersensitive brain that suffers pain and possibly his source of magic. He has an innate ability to make tricks which later were to be discovered in books. It is through the ancient art of storytelling, the narrative that adds to the trick and it is through the ancient medium of the book that knowledge is disseminated. So Daniel Madison sees Ian as an important figure to codified, romanticize and mythologize their movement in the modern age of magic. Magic consists of symbols and words are symbols that weave nothing into something, imagined and real. In a sense, Ian is conjuring, an illusionist. The other important theme is that we want to be deceived to have a sense of wonder, to move beyond logic. But as we see that once the trick is revealed as to how it's done, we still enjoy the performance of it. But the good magicians are reluctant to perform. And perhaps this is what Daniel and others rail against. A good example of this is when the professor at Brake Bill asks Quinten to perform a trick as a last admissions test. He simply does not do it until the emotion and the pain arises and he conjures a house of cards replica of Brake Bill building is formed on the table. This is a jab at playing cards as the fetish object of street magicians but in this case becomes the brick and mortar, a model, a representative of the 'real' thing. What is real and imagined? This is the precarious balance represented in the fragile and symbolic structure of the house of cards. Magic is symbols after all. The mirror is a symbol in the trick that Strange performs for Norrel. The mirror merely reflects light and reality but when that mirror has an object not reflected from reality, it suggests the mirror is a window into another realm. The mirror is a symbolic and potent fetish object to another realm. There is the scrying mirror of John Dee. Ferries arrive through mirrors in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel. Childhood fables ingrains in us the mirror symbol when the witch asks the question, who is the fairest of them all. The Ministry of Magic forbids magic being performed in the real muggle world. And this is the key, the other realm needs to be protected from 'reality'; the performance of magic attempts to contact that otherness. Magic's serious role is to connect, contact other regions and spirits and not as entertainment. It is used to bail us out of life and death situations not to amuse us. The Ministry of Magic forbids magic being performed in the real muggle world. Magic is performed out of necessity. Religious factions have shut down this door to the other realm early in progression of magic on earth. Histories of persecution burn magical text and English magicians became less and less. But it is thrilling to see some of the principles of magic. The idea of transformation, lead into gold, philosopher's stone or a face card turned blank in a dexterous hand. Transformations ingredient is time. The orange tree trick is marvelous because we can witness from seed to fruit, the miraculous grow within minutes. The notion of teleportation or transposition of being here and not here and appearing there as in the Lord of the Ring teleportation device ring or beam me up Scotty command electronic remote device. Objects dematerializing, defying gravity and Newtonian mechanics are otherworldly. The theme of transformation occurs in the characters as well. Daniel and Ian changed drastically during this process, this journey of discovery and self-discovery. As with any good novel or narrative, the transformation of a character is what we witness and be inspired by. Daniel becomes more adjusted and normalized and Ian became more magical. It’s as if the possessed Daniel slowly rid himself of his inner demon and caricature, so-called alter ego. Technology is a form of magic in itself. It can read as a social media strategy platform for business startup.

Different and I thought it was interesting….

Really enjoyable. As a lover of magic and magic theory / history this book was a nice addition to Magic’s bibliography. It’s historical approach is simple and direct without covering too much of the same old ground, a real tight look at card manipulation and it’s history in gambling was a nice approach. Not only that but the fast forwarding into today’s very fresh internet ( Instagram ) approach to how to renew and invigorate young magicians was interesting. Also as to not be a dry history, the author truly gives a very personal touch about growth and individuality; all the players involved are lovingly handled. Recommended

Just as Madison, Ramsay and others brought Ian into the magic community and the 52 Ian makes you feel like your there. An inside look at the history of magic both past and present , from card sharks to illusionists and consultants and the era of YouTube and technological magic. It’s A deeply personal journey and I felt like I was right there, from Blackpool to Las Vegas to the dark room poker games and smoke filled casinos with his mom and meet ups all over the world.

Before I start, I feel a little context is needed.I've been a cardistry and sleight-of-hand enthusiast since about the 10th grade, when I got my hands on my first deck of Bikes (still have it!). Years had passed without me opening a deck or taking an active interest in magic of any kind.Until I stumbled upon Chris Ramsay - this bearded, tattooed behemoth of a guy with his cap turned back and his eyes glowing with excitement when he spoke about cards, puzzles and the world of magic as a whole. He got me back into it.My first social media interaction with Ramsay was asking him not about some trick, but if there's any great book out there about the world behind the cards, cups and balls - I wanted to understand them before I let myself be taught.He didn't reply, but the internet never sleeps: I stumbled upon a video of him promoting his buddy Ian Frisch's new book. Had to be karma, right? I didn't even bother to read any reviews or see other promos. So I purchased the book and went through it. What you're about to read - if you're still with me - is the review of a person interested in sleight-of-hand and magic at a moderate level, with minimum experience and knowledge of the world behind it.I'll start with the style of writing. As a copywriter, I often find myself subjectively bothered by the way an author is trying to tell the story if it's not "right". Ian's way with words is contemporary, matching the world and the people he's trying to describe. You won't have unnecessary flourishing unless it's with a deck of cards. Some people may find this style a bit flat and lacking in grip, but that's not the case here. He's managed to take a huge investigatory journalism piece and let it devour him whole, then tell the story as he lived it.As I see it, you follow several stories. First is Ian's growth, his decisions and relationships with characters you would think were made up if they weren't a YouTube search away. Then, you have the "Secret Society of Magicians" with its intricacies and people. Finally, there's a thin but immensely important layer about the52 founder Daniel Madison and his demons. It his his particular story that sold me on becoming a fan and a student of his craft.Ian's journey has plenty of ups and downs, relating to both himself as well as the people he gets involved with. A little bit of insight into what it's all about would go a long way as far as understanding what the52 and its members stand for, but you could definitely go through Magic Is Dead as a complete "layman" and still enjoy it thoroughly.Don't expect this to be a book that will teach you tricks and don't expect it to deify contemporary magicians - you'll be completely disappointed. You'll be getting an inside view at some of the old world, not just the new, through the eyes and understanding of someone as uninitiated as yourself. It provides a great look into a universe otherwise kept under lock and key for most people.One last time, this review comes from the keyboard of someone who didn't see past the deck of cards, but ended up discovering a place beyond it that jumpstarts the brain into seeing so much more. It truly is a refreshingly unexpected read that takes you on a great ride and leaves you wondering - is magic really dead?

If you don’t know who Daniel Madison or Chris Ramsay are, this book might not be for you. If you are in the know, you’ll LOVE it!!!! I had to listen to the audiobook version, (which was incredible, for the record.) so I’m not sure just how the ebb & flow of the vibe of the writing “feels”, but I’m a huge Madison fan, and Frisch really came through. I learned a lot about a true hero of mine..... Shaquille O’Neal. Ha!

I guess I connected with this book more than other reviewers, though some of the people disappointed in it make good points.My first job, if you can call it that, was working at a magic shop near my home when I was in junior high. As a young teenager, I delved into the world of magicians and became obsessed with it. I got to meet Harry Blackstone, Jr and work with him backstage at a performance. I performed on stage for a while and, like the people in this book, I even invented a unique magic trick and sold the rights to it to a magic retailer located in Dallas.But I moved on to other things once I got to high school in the late 1980s and have had an affinity for the ideas behind magic since then. It's worked its way into many of my projects, especially the original short plays I have written and produced over the years. I find myself still working on creative projects in a manner that is not unlike the way magicians work in stealth mode.So, the stories here hit home, for me. Yes, the author is overly starstruck by the members of the52, which is not the most secretive society of magicians as the title claims. It's an invitation-only clique of the current generation of younger magicians who use social media and viral buzz to do their thing. They are remixing the industry tropes in a way that is current, seemingly shunning all that came before them while actually building upon the foundation of magicians of the past. They're of the times: iconoclastic in ways but also highly dependent on and reverent of the history of the art of magic.I really liked how personal Frisch makes the story. It's a little confusing why he includes autobiographical chapters that have nothing to with the52 early in the book, but eventually his journey of self-discovery melds with the documentary he's writing about the52 in the last couple of chapters. Other reviewers really disliked this aspect, likely because this book is itself a kind of bait-and-switch. It's a memoir, not an exposé of the52.The people who founded the52 came from troubled lives: absent parents, gangs, drug dealing, etc. and discovering magic set them onto a renewed path in life. Many members credit magic with saving their lives.The story of Daniel Madison was relatable to me. He is a founding member of the52 but is remarkably absent from much of the story until the end. This absence is due to his struggles with mental health, and the way Frisch concludes by talking about it with Madison struck a chord with me. Frisch does talk about himself a lot, but I wasn't put off by it like others were because that's really the trajectory of the book. I didn't find his fawning over the star magicians he befriended to be off putting, either. Maybe that's just me. I liked this book more than I expected to.So, this book is more of a memoir about the author and how he changed as a person through his experiences with an insular gang of Instagram and YouTube magicians. How or why Frisch, a journalist and not a magician, got inducted into the52 is never really explained. Perhaps it was a marketing decision by the members; a PR move. In the end, it seems to have worked out.Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea. But I'm probably the prime target audience for it and liked it a lot.

I would really like to learn a magic trick.Ian's exploration of the emerging world of magic was an excellent read. He was able to contrast the stage sorcery of the past with the intimacy of the next generation's magic. I went to a short talk on magic and there was a lot more to it than I had imagined. This book confirmed it, and really dove in.Everyone in this book had an incredible journey in just a couple of years. The author's journey started a long time ago, and the death of his father was an important part of it. As far as I can tell, no one's path has been completed by the end of this book. Just about everyone is in a better place than where they started. They have more followers, more exposure, and more opportunities. They are still becoming something.Magic as I understand it now centers around a connection. The magician will employ some deception, but it is spread within a story or a series of movements. In this generation of magicians, they are really focusing on what they can do with one person, and I think that is really compelling.I will try to learn a magic trick, just to see if I can make a connection. I want to learn the mechanics and see what comes out of me when I try it out. This book is one of the only ones I read where I wanted to take notes. Its been a while since that has happened.

I will admit. It took me a while to get through but I found the book easy to return to and remember what had happened. There is certainly a distinct voice throughout. I want to say that it is INTENSELY difficult to describe magic tricks without visuals and the author has done a masterful job. I had a little bit of trouble with the order of things sometimes. And there are A LOT of magicians but the author does a really good job describing them in ways that you remember so even if you aren’t good with names you’ll remember the people by the way they interact, react, and the style of magic they do. Formatting wise, I actually love the footnotes. I know that’s a little thing but I really enjoyed them because there’s an element of “there is more information here but to put it would detract from the flow” and I love having the information and maintaining the prose. I am not sure how to approach YouTube with this book though. On the one hand, I want to check out the videos. On the other, I’m concerned about spoilers. So I think that’s a personal preference.

This was a fascinating read - both a deep dive into the intriguing world of modern magicians and a memoir / coming of age story of sorts.The story of the modern magicians was what I went to this book for and why I stayed - completely enthralling. I’d stumbled upon a few of the characters on YouTube and on Penn & Teller’s ‘Fool Us’, but what this book did was reveal what happens behind the scenes within the magic community, and its that which made me appreciate magic as an art form in a whole new way.Recommend this read if you’re intrigued by what’s going on with magic and magicians nowadays, in the world of social media and online communities and new audiences, and if you fancy meeting a whole host of characters - truly fascinating characters - who’ve made a life and a career from the art of deception.

pretty familiar long magazine article kinda format, but it's breezy and earnest and came to me at what felt like the right time, so naturally devoured it. the very last trick in the book, a section i read 10 minutes ago on the subway before going into my office, is the very first one i learned, yesterday, and i had more than a few different little synchronicities like that throughout my reading, which only served to enhance its effect. also worth mentioning that there are a few really nice passages in here that made me mist up, about family and identity and finding purpose. light and breezy, but i'll carry it with me a while, and that's more than i can say for a lot of books.

Like a magician forcing the right card into your hand, this book just found its way to me. I grabbed it off the shelf blindly, no idea who the author was, no idea who the52 were, but I do have an interest in magic. Why not? I asked myself, shuffling this to the top of a carefully-planned reading list (slight sarcasm, I do this a lot). I didn’t regret a moment. Ian Frisch chronicles his own journey, and that of a deck of friends he meets along the way to self-discovery of who he’s meant to be, and how an art form can evolve. The book is funny, insightful, and heartbreaking. It’s the human experience.