Kaleb first came to my attention through his debut release via Bazz at Black Cat Magic, an unknown name, releasing a book-test. Of course being somewhat of a book-test devotee I was curious to see what Kaleb brought to the party. The book was based on The Alchemist novel, and it would go on to cement Kaleb’s place in the mentalism community, and make him one of very few people I will buy products from, sight unseen! He has continued to produce innovative releases in Afterglow, Cinematic, Occult and Hacked to name just a few, and his free eBook’s also contain a wealth of ideas.
What Kaleb brought to the release of the Alchemist book-test was an attention to detail, the book was perfect in that it looked exactly like a copy you would get from a shop. It looked like a regular book, and believe me that can be rare in a lot of book-tests. You want it to have all the little details that make this seem innocent, typeface, spacing, cover design, paper quality, and this was all here.
Not only that, the level of detail extended to the method, introducing us to Kaleb’s Alchemy principle that he has added to the U.F. Grant method for getting the thought of words, and allows you to start getting hits immediately.
From there Kaleb released the next iteration of this in his Frankenstein book, the perfect book-test for walk-around and close-up, which retains all the level of detail brought in the Alchemist release, and beyond. This release alone has brought him rave reviews, and rightly so.
This brings us to his current release, the third book-test, Treasure Island.
As noted what Kaleb brings to these releases, and this can’t be stressed enough, is his level of detail and hard work. He has mentioned to me and in the instructions that this was truly a labour of love, and he nearly scrapped this release after several production problems. I for one am glad he didn’t.
The book itself is gorgeous, hard-back, matt finish, cream pages, and looks and feels exactly like it would if you picked it up from your local bookshop.
The book itself contains three main principles. It was Dai Vernon that said “Most Magicians stop thinking too soon”. Kaleb cannot be accused of this as he has taken three of the best book-test features and taken them above and beyond with his excellent touches.
You can again find his version of the U.F. Grant method with his Alchemy principle layered on top, to allow you to begin your divinations before you need to do the necessary. A participant can think of any long word anywhere in the book and you can immediately start the mind reading process.
The book also contains a ‘Tossed-out-book’ element which has become popular in other recent book-test releases. Several participants sat in the audience can open the book anywhere and think of the last word on the page, and again you can get get all the words in one go. But again Kaleb didn’t just stop with what most releases have done to implement this feature. He thought about this element and he has added something that he didn’t need to, but again helps in the disguising of method and goes to elevate the whole package.
The final main principle is Kaleb’s take on Larry Becker’s Dictionary Kicker. Again Kaleb has taken this principle and injected his super smart thinking. The level of care and detail it must have taken to craft this alone is incredible, and something that shouldn’t be glossed over. Kaleb didn’t need to build this in, but he has! I don’t think I am revealing too much, as it says this on the sales website, but this allows you to begin to openly write the prediction which is always 100% correct, before you even address the participant. The participant can think of the first word on any page, even changing his mind several times, and you can write your prediction and finish with the dictionary kicker.
Kaleb’s level of detail doesn’t just extend to the book however, he has given you the tools you need to make your investment really shine. Including an IKON Marker to help you with the various methods and an instruction booklet. This like many of Kaleb’s releases is a book in itself. He doesn’t just give you just a few sheets of paper or a short PDF this is a 95-page booklet, jam packed with hints tips and routines. You get Kaleb’s fantastic performance write-ups along with detailed methods that show you how to use all the features, as stand-alone routines, or combined. And hints and tips along the way, including some great methods on the U.F. Grant/Alchemy principle.
In these routines you will learn how to use one, or two or even all three methods together. Culminating in Kaleb’s own personal routine he uses in Parlour and Stage ‘Don’t Wade in the Water’. This sees a total of 8 words being chosen and revealed in an increasingly impossible manner. However you don’t need to do this full routine, and can pick and choose from the three main methods, and Kaleb gives you routine ideas for every possible combination.
I think you can tell from this review that I am a big fan of all of Kaleb’s releases. This most recent one is no exception. The watchword here is ‘detail’ and Treasure Island imbues and embodies this. Kaleb has made a tool that allows you to be confident in your performance, having thought through all the details and gone above and beyond to include extra levels to each method.
If all of this sounds like something you could use then Kaleb currently has a special pre-order price of £100 but he only has 3 units remaining. The price will go up to £120 when fully available. This is still more than worth it for a tool of this calibre, and whilst you are on his site, if you are on the look out for a close-up book-test then add Frankenstein to your cart and thank me later! Treasure Island along with all of Kaleb’s other releases are available here – https://www.kalebwade.co.uk/