What the pros have to say:
“Bryn Reynolds is one of the most exciting creators I have come across in many years. Whenever he sends me something it is top notch and is usually an item I add to my repertoire. The Safwan Papers is the latest batch of material to peak my interests. Developed in Iraq, for his fellow soldiers, the material is dynamite! (Or C-4 given the situation!) There are great routines, gadgets and gimmicks that will become standard items in your act and just plain, good ole straight-thinking behind powerful effects! One is already slated for my next set of DVD’s. I highly – very highly – recommend this ebook!” – Richard Osterlind”You know how to take an idea or effect, make it your own and add a wonderful twist to them. Wonderful thinking and inspirational. Keep up the great work; we need more original thinkers like you in our ranks. Well done.” – Banachek
“As in much of Bryn’s work, these ideas, ploys, and psychological refinements should be kept a military secret. Reclassify these papers as Top Secret.” – Moshe Botwinick
“The Safwan Papers has several very clever ideas for the serious mentalist. The emphasis is on language … not props. Your Lucky Nite could be sold as a separate routine.” – Chuck Hickok
These effects primarily rely on psychological and verbal manipulation, as opposed to focusing on props or gimmicks. They are designed to be performed almost anywhere, at anytime, with either none, or very little, preparation. While the routine names may have been altered to so as not to tip any of the methodologies utilized, here is a brief description of each of the items:
SEVEN – A one-card variant of the Kilossal Killer genre of effect…with one big difference: there are NO outs. NONE. The one-and-only prediction you place on the table before the routine begins will match the card the spectator envisions. Bold, raw, and almost always works. And in the rare occasions it doesn’t, you still get credit!
BCK – By using real psychometry (and a clever subtlety) you, and perhaps a participant, will be able to determine the outcome of an experiment of several runs of “object placed under one of several items.” And if you want, you may show you predicted in writing the exact results. NO gimmicks at all, and everything is borrowed.
YOUR LUCKY NITE – Hopefully, all are worth more than the price of admission, but this one seems to shine with a little more luster: an anytime-anyplace routine with a Bank Night flavor. Those whom I highly respect have said the following about this effect:
BOHT: My pet. Please read my story why in the book. A subtle cultural difference has been refined & exploited to make the “Which Hand” type of effect a perfect success…but only once per performance…THE perfect out for when mechanical, physical, or psychological outs and tells may fail…and it stands as a methodology all on its own!
******STRING: Figure out the “asterisks,” if you will, but you will still enjoy the storyline and thinking behind it: A participant is brought back in time to an ancient carnival scam in which an entertaining story is told. By eliminating 4 out of 5 colored strings, she wins a very nice prize for the performer through her own FREE choices. No Equivique at all. NONE. In the interest of full-disclosure, SOME of you may have to buy a $20 prop, but most already have it. It is perfect.
$4 Billet Index – It is what it is…The least you will ever spend on an invisible 8/16 billet index that renders all specialty Predator-type wallets unnecessary. Complete with photos on how to build one!
1st edition 2008; 56 pages.
word count: 16405 which is equivalent to 65 standard pages of text
