Millenium Aces

by Karl Fulves
published by Karl Fulves, 1981

Karl Fulves is probably best known as the editor and publisher of avant-garde magic periodicals, such as Pallbearer’s Review, Epilogue, and Chronicles. But Karl has also written numerous booklets full of interesting and stimulating material.

Karl is an original thinker. Although he seems to follow a mainstream path, he quickly turns away from the expected and leads us to unexplored territory. And, his writing style is famous for its clarity and concision.

Millenium Aces starts out with an easy-to-do half-pass. Karl not only describes the mechanics in great detail, but also provides the motivation for the necessary actions and devises tricks that take advantage of the technique’s idiosyncracies. Here we find ‘Frontorback’, a quick, simple and humorous reversal of a selected card. In ‘Millenium Aces’, three Aces are distributed throughout the deck and turn face up, one at a time. The fourth Ace turns face up in the spectator’s hand. ‘Technical Knockout’, in which one selection is found between the red twos, the other selection is found between the black twos, and then the two selections change places — all done with one single move!

In ‘Touched Heart’, all the hearts, in order, are face up in the center of the face-down deck. When the deck is closed and spread again, the selected heart card has disappeared. Two versions of the self-explanatory ‘Gaffless Brainwave’. ‘Scoring’, in which the score card reveals the outcome of a series of games played by the magician and a spectator. In ‘Turncolors’, red and black cards are mixed, then the reds turn face up one at a time. Larry Jennings’ ‘Instant Aces’, an instantaneous reversal of the four Aces. And lots more.

Along the way, Karl explains a cinematography technique and how it applies to magic, challenges us with unsolved problems, offers experimental ideas to play with, and presents many variations and different approaches to the half-pass. There are such delights as “Neal Elias’ Half Pass”, Lin Searles “Half Passed Turnover”, the complete manuscript of the Elias-Taylor “Jiggle Pass” (one of the fastest and most indetectable passes around), plus a few more items. Surprisingly, most techniques are relatively easy to learn.

This is a great little book for anyone seriously interested in card work. I recommend it.

(I don’t know whether Millenium Aces is still available. For information on that and many other fine manuscripts, check with your dealer or write to Karl Fulves, Box 433, Teaneck, NJ 07666. And tell Karl I sent you!)