"Exodus" by Cosmo Solano
Suggested Retail USD$19.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

"Exodus", an effect by Cosmo Solano, is a take on the classic Princess Card Trick with an attempt to not leave it "unfinished" that, in the end, becomes a very good teleportation.

The effect is pretty straightforward. Eight cards are pulled from a deck of cards, a spectator is told to think of any one of them, and then to hold the cards between their palms. After a magical gesture, the spectator counts the cards and finds there are only seven - the thought-of card is missing. The deck is then spread and shown to be a regular deck but in the middle of the face-up deck is a single face-down card: the spectator's "thought-of" card.

Now, I have to admit my biases right off the top: to me, I don't consider this the Princess Card Trick. By "completing" the effect with the reappearance of the card, the vanish has become a teleportation. To quote the popular excuse, "Not that there's anything wrong with that", but I actually prefer my Princess to be left hanging; the version I perform does exactly that and does so with the vanish being a bit of a punchline.

But that's just me, and "Exodus" is a fine effect regardless of my bias. I'm a sucker for the handling (which consists of only the most minor of sleights) and the use of the gaffs is just too slick by half. The vanish is my favorite part of this, but the reappearance is old and devilish and I applaud Solano's thinking here.

There are, though, some things to consider. Yes, this does require a gaffed deck that you cannot use for anything else. This means extra pocket real estate. Also, the deck can't be examined, so you may have to deal with that (although this is a fairly remote chance; a dozen performances and no one bothered to ask about it). You're also going to need some privacy to reset as well which can put a damper on doing this in some performance venues.

Still, even with those minuses, "Exodus" packs some much larger pluses. First, the handling is extremely open (which goes a great way toward keeping spectators convinced everything is on the up-and-up". Second, it makes the most of the "thought-of" portion of this, which in turn makes the reappearance just that much more startling. I do this whole thing without the name of the card ever being mentioned and the looks of astonishment are just plain wonderful.

So, is "Exodus" for you? If you like the plot, if the theme appeals, this one is certainly worth a look. It's working is clever and interesting and the end result is a striking piece of easy-to-do magic.

"Exodus" by Cosmo Solano
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Practicality: 8
You'll be carrying an extra deck around that you won't be able to do anything else with, the reset will require a quick trip down the hall, and you're far from clean. Worry about the first two; the third isn't all that much of a concern given a very clean handling and method.

Workmanship: 10
The cards are USPCC so you know they're good to go, and the necessary work was done beautifully. You'll need to do a little maintenance now and then but not for a good long time.

Documentation: 5
This one hurts but fair is fair. The printed documentation is gorgeously done. It not only reads great - and will get you going quickly with this effect - but it's beautifully illustrated as well. In short, it's excellent. So why the low score? There's first-page hype in the instructions about the website having an instructional video and even gives you a username/password to use. However, the page doesn't exist. So… half the documentation, half the score.

Effect: 10
This one fries brain cells. It looks so clean and the routine is so unusual it'll leave a mark on the psyches of spectators everywhere. That's why it's a classic, after all, and now a classic with a defined climax.

Presentation: 10
It's all about the routine here, the openness, the handling, with little in the way of a verbal presentation to go with. But for that, it's an incredible piece of magic.

Shane

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