Media Reviews
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The Phoenix: Volume 1 Number 9
All of the magic in May 15, 1942 edition is “Chinese” themed or as Chinese themed magic was in the mid-twentieth century. This was the time of slapping some pseudo characters on a prop and calling it a mystery of the east. Magic dealer, U. F. Grant was infamous for his spray painted characters on… Continue reading
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The Phoenix: Volume 1 Number 8
May 1, 1942’s issue features an unusual layout as write-up’s don’t flow as one would expect. For example, the Gibson submission, Soothsayer, starts on the right hand column and ends on the left. One would expect the other way around. The opening effect is L. Vosburgh Lyons’ Call It A Puzzle is a bit of… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Quick Takes
Picks and Shovels – Cory Doctorow This is the third of the Martin Hench novels. Hench is Doctorow’s forensic accountant who was first introduced to readers in Red Team Blues and then again in The Bezzle. Red Team Blues was a great caper in the world of crypto while The Bezzle wasn’t for me. Picks… Continue reading
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Monsters Abound
Seattle area writer, Claire Dederer, wrote a piece for the Paris Review in 2017 entitled, What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men? She expanded this into the book, Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma in 2023. It was on my library “for later” virtual shelf since it arrived. It was the recent revelations of… Continue reading
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The Phoenix: Volume 1 Number 7
Number 7, dated April 17, 1947, marks the first submission by Shaman to the Phoenix. He’d made contributions to the Jinx in the past but this was his first here. While there’s evidence that Annemann, Gibson, and Elliott all contributed magic under the name, there was a performer who went by the name Shaman. Dennis… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Bringer of Dust
Bringer of Dust is the second book in the Talents trilogy by J.M. Miro, the pseudonym for Steven Price. Ordinary Monsters, the first in the series, was the first book I read in 2024 and a delightful surprise. I was a little hesitant about the second book because, well, it’s a second book and second… Continue reading
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The Phoenix: Volume 1 Number 6
Number 6 was a free issue and also dated April 5, 1942. The opening effect is a cut and restored by Walter Gibson using a paper tape measure. I don’t know how readily available they are today as the last time I saw them was at the IKEA store a few years ago. It would… Continue reading
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