"Magictales" by Leslie Melville
Suggested Retail USD$39.95
Available direct from Leaping Lizards Magic
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Fan-boys are one of the more aggravating aspects of magic. You know the types: they slavishly grab on to every word from this or that Name, they drool over the idea of aforementioned Name releasing some new gadget or some new booklet. They argue endlessly about how great their chosen idol is.

I have no room to talk, though: when it comes to Leslie Melville, I'm a fan-boy and his latest book, "Magictales", contains all the reasons I go nuts when he puts out something new.

Leslie Melville, you see, is a performer and a creator of the first water. He works at his magic and works his magic. He also tells stories. Yes, he's a storyteller that does magic that tells his stories. And he does it for real people in real circumstances. That means his magic and his stories are entertaining, that when it comes to mixing the two, he's got it down pat.

Just like his material in "Magictales".

This is real-world, workable stuff. No killing yourself with difficult sleights, no impossible-to-get-horrible-to-carry props... Melville has, typically, boiled the magic down to its essence so that you can work on the stories and tales that make your magic memorable.

Yeah, I know. Mention storytelling magic and watch magicians cringe. Can't say I blame 'em much -- I've seen some stuff in the genre that makes me cringe -- but that simply ain't Melville. He has to make a living with his stories and his magic, so they have to be good. They have to be artistic. They have to be entertaining and engaging..

They are.

Take Melville's piece, "How To Exorcise a Vampire". The magic is simple: the old "Bending Glass/Mirror" thing and a change bag. Melville takes those props and weaves a story for a spectator about how a vampire's image in a mirror traps its soul and must be freed. That it involves a spectator and his image hooks the spectator and makes this a great piece.

Or "A Young Man's Meeting With Death", a simple card transposition (and I do mean simple: a double-turnover is about it when it comes to the working). However, the story, drawn from an ancient tale about a man who meets Death a bit too soon, is wonderful and, in Melville's hands, framed perfectly.

Lest you begin to think this is a collection of dark stories about vampires and demons and death and all, I have to mention "The Friendly Witch and Her Linking Pins", which is a funny bit of doggerel for "Slydini's Linking Pins" (I do this one without the Slydini set, which is a testament to Melville's magic's innate flexibility) and "Which Came First?", a surreal comedy routine for the "Egg on Fan" centered around the creation of -- what else? -- eggs.

I could go on and on, but I won't. Melville's stories run the gamut, from the slightly dark to the child-like to the absurd. His magic, as much a potpourri as the stories, uses everything from common props to well-known gimmicks. The bottom line is that this stuff is good. I'll cop to using more than one of his routines myself, which is about the highest praise I can give anyone for anything.

And if that's all "Magictales" was, it would be worth the money. After all, using stories to create memorable magic is worth a lot more than the cover cost of this one. But this is Melville we're talking about here, so he goes above and beyond... way above and far beyond.

First, the "way above".

In addition to the material, with all the tips and nuances you'd expect, you'll also get a primer on storytelling magic. This one chapter is worth its weight in gold. In it, Leslie Melville goes into the hows and whys of mixing storytelling and magic, how to come up with your own stories that fit your magic, and covers the theatrical bits that increase the power of your magic. I can tell you, as a storyteller myself, if I had this one chapter in my grubby hands back when I started, I could have saved myself years of trial and error.

Next, the "far beyond".

Included with "Magictales" is the critically-acclaimed (and rightfully so) "Kismet, or The Enchanted Stepping Stones". This is Melville's previous book, in its entirety, making "Magictales" two books in one. "Kismet" went into my repertoire as soon as I saw it. Not for the workings, of course, which has been around forever, but for where Melville took it, for his thinking on it. Melville, you see, took a basic math-based trick and turned it on its ear, presenting it in so many different ways for such varied audiences as you can imagine. There's a Harry Potter-esque plot, a pirate plot, and even an ancient Egyptian theme. Of course, that got the wheels turning and, well, you can guess where it went from there.

And that's the biggest reason I'm a fan of Leslie Melville. His stories are great stories, good tales; his magic is strong, practical, engaging; and his material is so wonderful Melville draws you in and makes you think of where you can go with the gems he gave you.

That's why I'm a big fan of "Magictales". It's Melville at his best.

"Magictales" by Leslie Melville
In A Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
Great stories, great magic, and a wonderful look at working the combination of storytelling and performance magic the right way. You can't ask for better material than that.

Quality: 10
Melville's writing style is clear and concise; no problems learning the ins-and-outs of his thoughts and material.

Illustrations: 10
The illustrations, provided as line drawings, are plentiful and serve the text perfectly.

Presentation: 10
Presentation is what Melville's work is all about, and he's a master of workable, engaging presentations. This collection reflects that perfectly.

Shane