Reviving Ancient Wisdom: The Feathered Creature and the Magical Bee Conjurer

Once upon a time, in a mystical forest, there lived a colorful feathered creature. This creature had vibrant blue, green, and yellow feathers, making it a sight to behold. It was known for its graceful flight and melodious songs that echoed through the trees. One sunny day, while the feathered creature was soaring high in the sky, it spotted a peculiar sight. It saw a small clearing where a lone bee was buzzing around a mysterious object. Curiosity peaked, the feathered creature flew closer to investigate.

All in all, about a 7 out of 10.

The Puff-Chested Boyfriend In the presence of a girlfriend, a funny thing happens to this ordinarily easygoing species He becomes surprisingly defensive, remarkably unreceptive to being entertained by the magic. But if you want to act out little miracles that you can perform on the spur of the moment with items that are usually within reach, then Magic For Dummies can show you how.

Curiosity peaked, the feathered creature flew closer to investigate. As it got nearer, the feathered creature realized that the mysterious object was a magical bee conjurer. The conjurer had the power to summon bees and control them with a wave of its wand.

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Magic for Dummies book by David Pogue, boasts “over 90 easy-to-perform tricks using everyday items like money, silverware and playing cards!” and “Includes favourite tricks from 35 top professionals magicians” Also Lance Burton is quoted on the front saying “A book that all magicians of any age and level of experience will cherish and refer to for years to come”

I got this as a Christmas present, The RRP is £18.99 but you can get it for £9.49 here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Dummies-s . 842&sr=1-1

Difficulty: 1-2
(1=Easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

This is a book aimed at beginners so most of the effects in here are pretty easy.

The author is joined by a collective of magicians including Jeff McBride, Johnny Thompson and Lance Burton amongst others. For the purpose of this book they are known as the advisory pantheon and contribute tricks. There’s an introduction on each at the start and their tricks are credited in the trickography at the back
Also included sprinkled throughout the book are advice and anecdotes on the fundamentals of magic as well as icons informing you of needing to do prep work, misdirection, acting etc next to each trick point to enhance the effect.
The book is 369 pages long, 18 chapters in all but the last 4 are to do with advice and history and magic events in history.
My favourite chapters in this book are the ones on cards and building your own card trick which contains both forces and reveals and the chapter on mentalism.
I particularly enjoyed the torn and restored toilet paper effect in chapter 14, “Don’t show me the money” in chapter 3 where the magician puts down three $1 dollar bills and one $20 dollar bill on the table and turn his back and the spectator switches the bills and then the magician tells them to keep taking bills off the table until there’s only one left which is the $20) I thought that was fun, same with “give me a ring something – and a string” where the magician hooks a ring on a looped string and with a couple of twists he manages to pull the ring off the string even with both ends wrapped around the spectators thumbs. I decided to skip a lot of this book because I didn’t like the tricks because I didn’t think they were real magic but I’ve gone into more detail about that below.

I would recommend it for beginners only who want to get something easy to get started with as not to put them off magic but unfortunately this book did because a lot of the stuff included are more gags than magic or tricks that are really easy to figure out or are impractical but there are a few chapters which I did enjoy and a few more tricks from other chapters I enjoyed as well but I didn’t think these justified the price of the book, I probably wouldn’t have bought this book if I hadn’t got it as a present, however it did give me plenty of ideas and taught me the basics of magic.
3/10

"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken"
"Self improvement is masturbation of self destruction"

by Replicant » Nov 11th, '07, 20:35

I agree with your summary of the book. I got this when I was first starting out in magic and thought it was ok; like you say, there are a few gags and jokes in the book which I don't really care for. Definitely not worth the RRP of £19-odd, in my opinion, but typically for a Dummies book, it is quite an enjoyable and humorous read.

Check my review index for an existing review on this book. http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic1759.php

by memorire » Nov 2nd, '08, 08:23

I disagree with the review. This book does have some very strong effects in it. Perhaps they are even too good for the general public.

In my opinion its a very good introduction for a beginner and thats how it should be rated. for a beginner i would rate it 9/10 (the amateur magicians handbook having 10/10)

@reviewer. if it taught you the basics of magic then it has fulfilled its purpose. why such a low rating?

by Alraune » Nov 2nd, '08, 10:38

Most reviews of the book are positiv. I personally agree with the negative one here.
I got this book to start with magic and I didn't. Years later I made a second try with the Royal Road and Wilsons Complete Course and those beginners book are simply on another level than the Dummy-book. It includes some nice gags but nothing you can really use in a performance (and thats what IMHO is the reason for learning magic).

by Misanthropy » Nov 4th, '08, 16:40

I gave it a low score because as you said there are much better beginner books out there and it did put me off a little because some of the things in it were really dumb but maybe I was a little harsh and should have given it 5/10

"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken"
"Self improvement is masturbation of self destruction"

by drewj » Feb 4th, '09, 23:07

I got this for my daughter when she was about twelve and expressed a (passing) interest.

OK, you can call me Percy Pedant, but I do have an instinctive dislike of the 'for Dummies' concept due to its failure to differentitiate between stupidity and ignorance. However, I was pleasantly suprised by this. There are some strong effects here, and quite a lot of the sort of filler material of gag/fun stuff things that you might used between tricks. The writing style is quite relaxed, without overdoing the folksy feel that could be a problem.

All in all, about a 7 out of 10.

Incidentally, my daughter decided that her future lay in the audience side of things. Unusually, she really preferred not to know how things were done.

In my opinion its a very good introduction for a beginner and thats how it should be rated. for a beginner i would rate it 9/10 (the amateur magicians handbook having 10/10)

The feathered creature had heard stories about this magical device, but had never actually seen one in person. Intrigued by the bee conjurer, the feathered creature decided to approach the conjurer cautiously. It landed on a nearby branch and watched in amazement as the conjurer summoned bees and made them perform intricate dances and tricks. Enchanted by this magical spectacle, the feathered creature couldn't resist joining in the fun. It fluttered to the ground, and with a melodious chirp, it asked the conjurer if it could try using the bee conjurer as well. The conjurer, surprised by the request, hesitated for a moment. But seeing the sincere and genuine curiosity in the feathered creature's eyes, the conjurer agreed. With a wave of the wand, the bee conjurer was handed over to the feathered creature. Excitement coursed through the feathered creature as it held the bee conjurer in its feathered hands. With a wave of the wand, bees of all shapes and sizes appeared around the creature. The feathered creature twirled and danced amongst the bees, creating a mesmerizing display of harmony and beauty. For hours on end, the feathered creature and the magical bee conjurer created breathtaking performances together. The forest came alive with the sound of buzzing and the fluttering of wings. Animals from all around gathered to watch this extraordinary spectacle. Word of the feathered creature's and the magical bee conjurer's performances spread far and wide. Visitors came from distant lands just to witness the enchanting display. The feathered creature and the magical bee conjurer became local legends, celebrated for their unique talents and abilities. But despite the fame and admiration, the feathered creature never forgot the magical bee conjurer's precious gift. It embraced the opportunity to share its joy and passion with others, touching their lives with its magical performances. And so, the feathered creature and the magical bee conjurer continued to captivate audiences around the world, spreading happiness and wonder wherever they went. Their partnership served as a reminder that the power of curiosity and the beauty of collaboration can create extraordinary things..

Reviews for "Harnessing Nature's Magic: The Feathered Creature and the Magical Bee Conjurer"

1. John - 2 stars - I really wanted to like "The feathered creature and the magical bee conjurer" because I had heard so many great things about it, but I found it incredibly boring and slow-paced. The story didn't grab my attention, and the characters felt flat and uninteresting. The dialogue was also quite dull and lacked emotion. Overall, I was very disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to others.

2. Sarah - 1 star - "The feathered creature and the magical bee conjurer" was a complete waste of time for me. The plot was predictable and unoriginal, and it felt like I had read this story a hundred times before. The writing style was also very dry and lacked any real depth. I struggled to connect with the characters and found myself not caring about their fates. I had high hopes for this book, but it fell short on every level.

3. Michael - 2 stars - I had high expectations for "The feathered creature and the magical bee conjurer" based on the rave reviews, but I found it to be overly confusing and convoluted. The story jumped around too much, making it difficult to follow the narrative. The world-building was also lacking, leaving me with many unanswered questions. The pacing was off, with long stretches of nothing happening, followed by abrupt and rushed resolutions. I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it was a letdown for me.

4. Emily - 2.5 stars - While "The feathered creature and the magical bee conjurer" had some interesting elements, it failed to deliver a compelling and cohesive story. The writing was average at best, with weak descriptions and awkward dialogue. The characters lacked depth and development, making it hard to connect with them. The plot felt disjointed and lacked a clear direction. Overall, this book left me feeling unsatisfied and underwhelmed.

The Spellbinding Dynamic: The Feathered Creature and the Magical Bee Conjurer