Reviews

Random Acts of Magic
The Magic Circular, November, 2005
Reviewed by Matthew Field

David Acer pronounces his name funny (Acker), he looks funny, and he is, in fact, a successful stand-up comedian in Canada. But he is also a serious magician and author, a former columnist and now tricks editor for Genii magazine, and a darned clever chap.

His new book, Random Acts of Magic, is filled withinnovative material, much of which I really liked. Take, for example, the first item, Over Easy, which is a nine-card version of Triumph, and Overtime, a strange sort of trick in which half the deck reverses itself.

More than half the book is devoted to card magic, including tricks and sleights, with another third concerned with non-card effects. The final nine-sixteenths is a reprise of David’s Confessions of a Road Warrior columns for Genii, including his compilation of Ten Favourite Magic Books from more than a dozen magicians, myself included.

In a book of this size there are the inevitable throw-aways and minor stuff, but David’s good humour carries one through even these items. And the great bulk of the material is excellent. This is some of the stuff David actually uses in his act, excellently credited, and a pleasure to read.

The David Regal Review (Genii Magazine) Click here to read the full review.

The Michael Close Review (MAGIC Magazine) Click here to read the full review.

Random Acts of Magic
Review By David Parr (www.mylovelyassistant.com)
Rating: * * * * (four out of five stars)

Random Acts of Magic is an impressive collection of material (60 effects!) created by David Acer and a handful of his friends, among them Jay Sankey, Michel Huot and Richard Sanders. The routines involve mainly cards or coins, but occasionally find uses for other items around the house: magic markers, matches, rubber bands, aluminum foil. The skill level required to perform most of the effects is situated somewhere around the intermediate level, but there are a number of routines that make use of advanced techniques, as well as some that are within the range of beginners.

Given the wide variety of magic and methods in this book, I imagine that even the most finicky magician will find at least several appealing routines here - probably more. I’m reluctant to mention my favorite effects because I don’t want to encourage readers to skip over the rest of the material and miss out on making some discoveries!

To Read More, CLICK HERE

Random Acts of Magic
Review By Eric Rose (www.funtymemagic.com)

David Acer (pronounced “David Acker”) is a funny man. Very funny. He is also a funny magician and comedian (pronounced “successful entertainer”). Random Acts of Magic is his third book of his own material with some notable submissions from his magic-savvy friends like Barry Julien, David Sanders and Jay Sankey. Acer’s first two books, Natural Selections and Natural Selections, Volume II, have a wealth of real world magic – mainly cards – that come from a performing restaurant and comedy club magician. Both of the books are must-haves for people who want accessible material with proven results. Random Acts of Magic is a worthy successor to these books and goes beyond the original volumes by including Acer’s Confessions of a Road Warrior articles from Genii magazine. At 350 pages, Random Acts also stands as Acer’s biggest work to date.

To Read More, CLICK HERE