Deep Astonishment II

THE BLURB:
You display a leather gypsy envelope and a beautiful old
gypsy fortune telling deck. Each card has a fortune printed
right on its face. You ask your "client" to utter the name
of a special someone to create a relaxed fortune telling
atmosphere. Let's say her special name is "Rose."

You then do a short three card reading for your client. The
first card predicts good luck. The second card indicates an
impending mystery. The third card hints that this impending
lucky mystery might have something to do with an envelope.
Could it be referring to the leather envelope lying on the
table?

You open the leather envelope and remove a small packet of
fortune telling cards. Their backs are a different color
than the cards you've been using!

You slowly and cleanly deal the cards from the envelope on
the table. The first card has a large hand drawn "R" on its
back. The next card an "O". The nest an "S". The final card
an "E"...spelling "Rose"!

No one says anything for a very long time. Then a single
word escapes your client's lips. "HOW?"

    * NO Cue Cards!
    * NO Memorization
    * NO Mnemonics
    * NO Lead-in Effect!
    * NO Cards to Hold!
    * Totally Angle Proof!
    * Completely Streamlined!
    * Includes a custom-made leather envelope and a
         full-color gypsy fortune telling deck!

MY COMMENTS:
Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with the original Deep
Astonishment, but I am familiar with its predecessor, "The
Anything Deck," which is in Paul Harris' Art of
Astonishment. This effect, as it appeared in the book, is
one incredible card trick. I remember making up a deck and
stunning folks with it. I think the only reason I stopped
doing it was because it was another card deck to add to my
case and I already had way too many separate Bicycle card
decks to carry around that did stunning effects to carry
around.

With this version, those concerns, as well as others, have
been addressed. Using a Gypsy Witch deck is a brilliant
idea and, even better, uses the theme of doing readings,
even though the readings aren't genuine. The presentation
also allows for a nice justification of having that extra
deck. Also, the handling has been improved. There's no
memorization or crib sheets (which evidently the first DA
had) and the one card sleight that must be done is really a
very subtle move and very easy to do. You can do this
effect within minutes after reading the instructions.

The one drawback is that the three cards drawn for the
reading will be the same each and every time. You can't
vary that. However, though I would have liked it to be more
versatile, the three cards are deliberately leading the
presentation towards the mystery in the envelope, and that
mystery will be different every time. So this becomes a
minor point. Also, though the reading can't change, the
reason for the cards in the envelope can certainly be
altered to suit your presentation. For instance, you can
include a letter inside the envelope that describes the
sitter. (Experienced mentalists should realize how this can
be done.)

The re-set time takes only a moment, though not in front of
spectators. As the blurb states, the package includes the
instructions, the cards, and the nicely made leather
envelope. Unlike the preparation needed for The Anything
Deck, everything comes ready to go. This is a very strong
routine that is highly recommended.