Street Magic

Briar is a plant mage - he can distill medicines and grow a garden in the blink of an eye. But learning how to channel your power is vital. Evvy is a street urchin who doesn't even know she has stone magic, let alone know how to control it, and Briar's empathy with nature can heal - but it could kill just as easily. Ages 10+.

“A modern suburban fantasy . . . There are quests and complications, conflicts and charms. . . . Card’s back in top form, doing as well as or better than any of his fantasy work so far.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune In a prosperous African American neighborhood in Los Angeles, infant Mack Street is found abandoned in an overgrown park and taken in by a blunt-speaking single woman. Growing up, Mack senses that he is different from most, and knows that he has strange powers. Yet he cannot possibly understand how unusual he is until the day he discovers, beyond a mysterious narrow house no one else can see, an entryway into a magical world. Passing through, Mack is plunged into a realm where time and reality are skewed, a place where his actions seem to have disturbing effects in the “real world.” Whether he likes it or not, Mack has become a player in an epic drama. His reward, if he can survive the trip, is discovering not only who he really is . . . but why he exists. Praise for Magic Street “A great read . . . Card’s take on his characters [is] as sure as ever, his narrative rock solid, his dialogue crackling and authentic.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review “[Card] is a master at creating a sense of urgency that keeps you turning pages.”—The Charlotte Observer “Mind-bending . . . Card’s clever tale comes with sharp writing and crisp dialogue.”—The Tampa Tribune “Compelling . . . By the time the ultimate conflict comes into focus, the novel is propelling the reader forward like a bullet.”—Deseret Morning News “A suspenseful fantasy thriller that, during the race to the last page, has one mulling over myth, morals, salvation, and will.”—Booklist

Forget about David Copperfield, cruise ship illusionists, and birthday party magicians. They're so old school, so 20th century. The conjuring that people starting out in magic today want to do is edgier, grittier, quick, visual, and maybe a little dangerous - magic to the max. Welcome to the world of street magic! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Street Magicwill teach you how to do it! Even some of the simplest stunts, if performed effectively, have the same strong potential to amaze onlookers as the more challenging feats. Out of the literally thousands of tricks that can be included, only those that are the most direct and have the greatest impact, both visually and psychologically, will appear in the book. Each magical effect will be rated on a scale from one-to-three stars, easy to difficult, according to how hard it is to learn and/or to perform.

Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete's eyes—or so she thought. Now a detective, Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster's chilling prediction has led police directly to the child...but when Pete meets the informant, she's shocked to learn he is none other than Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self. But he's able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget's kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey. Even though she's spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget—and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago...

STREET MAGIC is a romantic history of the world's most elusive conjurers-the itinerant magicians who, from ancient times to the present, have made the world their stage. Here are tales of the tribal shamans of North America, of Hindu fakirs and oriental illusionists, medieval mountebanks, European street jugglers, fairground hucksters, charlatans, mediums, and mystics. Also included are lively accounts of some of the legendary stage magicians who performed street magic as well (Robert-Houdin, Comte, Herrmann and Houdini), and a portrait of Jeff Sheridan, who today is one of the most popular performers in New York's Central Park. Illustrated with 133 photographs, paintings, etchings, and engravings, STREET MAGIC conjures up all the mystery and entertainment of the magical arts.--Back cover.

This book contains the very best tricks and illusions as popularized by today's greatest magicians. It is an accessible book, free of buzzwords and fully photo-illustrated, featuring tricks using everyday objects, designed for those who want the lowdown as quickly and easily as possible.

Over recent years, magicians have had to work harder to keep their public happy. The traditional role of the stage magician in sweeping tailcoats and top hats, has been usurped by a new generation, who are taking their tricks to the street. In Ultimate Street Magic, Gary Sumpter reveals the tricks of the trade with the use of easy-to-understand text and clear step-by-step photographs. Working through magic involving common objects, such as playing cards, coins, rubber bands and lighters, that will delight and amaze most audiences, he moves on to explain a range of even more impressive tricks to confuse the steel-willed and scare the strong of stomach, such as an easy-to-master street levitation. Wherever you go -- pubs, clubs, markets, restaurants -- you will be able to entertain the public with your new-found magical knowledge, and polish your act with a range of smart card flourishes.

DIVSimple-to-use book gives versatile repertoire of first rate card tricks. The authors, both expert magicians, present clear explanations of basic techniques and over 100 complete tricks. 121 figures. /div

An extraordinary memoir about finding wonder in everyday life, from magician Nate Staniforth. Nate Staniforth has spent most of his life and all of his professional career trying to understand wonder--what it is, where to find it, and how to share it with others. He became a magician because he learned at a young age that magic tricks don't have to be frivolous. Magic doesn't have to be about sequins and smoke machines--rather, it can create a moment of genuine astonishment. But after years on the road as a professional magician, crisscrossing the country and performing four or five nights a week, every week, Nate was disillusioned, burned out, and ready to quit. Instead, he went to India in search of magic. Here Is Real Magic follows Nate Staniforth's evolution from an obsessed young magician to a broken wanderer and back again. It tells the story of his rediscovery of astonishment--and the importance of wonder in everyday life--during his trip to the slums of India, where he infiltrated a three-thousand-year-old clan of street magicians. Here Is Real Magic is a call to all of us--to welcome awe back into our lives, to marvel in the everyday, and to seek magic all around us.