Fundamental Magic

As a Fantasy writer, I spend a great deal of time thinking about and playing around with magic – how it works, who can do it, the necessary limitations it has and the cost it must incur to the user. So it’s a natural step to start thinking about real life magic – sleight of hand and prestidigitation. This is most apparent in my latest series, The Extraordinaires, where Kingsley Ward has an abiding ambition to perform astounding magic on stage.

Writing about magic has also made me think about the possibilities of actually doing magic. I’ve dabbled, for years, and I’ve even undertaken a ‘Magic For Beginners’ course. All of this has increased my admiration for the practitioners of the art even more. The more I know, the more I realise how difficult it is to perform magic illusions right in front of people’s eyes.

The magic trick I show you below goes back to my early teenage years and it’s the first magic trick I mastered. The gasps and looks of respect may have been in my imagination, but I’ve never forgotten the satisfaction that comes from a successful routine. Here, I share the trick and how it’s done. If you don’t want to know – if you want the magic to last – just stop the video before my explanation.

I’ll understand.