First there was The Alchemist, I’d heard some noise about how good it was, how the creator was this mythical figure, almost like Tyler Durden.
The name Kaleb Wade was being pimped out to us all by Bazz of Black Cat Magic.
Yea right! I thought. He’s probably just some guy that Bazz met in a dodgy bar!
Although I absolutely love book tests, I decided against investing, for a few reasons; I have quite a few book tests already, I’d never heard of this Kaleb Wade character and because money was a little bit of scarce around that time!
Soon, there was much more noise and now he’d created a new book test;
FRANKENSTEIN!
I could no longer resist, I was hearing so much good stuff about Frankenstein and its creator, I just had to pay attention.
I took the plunge and boy am I glad I did!
Frankenstein is made by one of Britain’s finest mentalists that you’ve probably never heard of. Yes, that’s right Kaleb Wade, who by his own account is a ghost and doesn’t exist on social media.
Many thought this was a gimmick and that Bazz was/is Kaleb Wade. But I know that Bazz has a long history in the dark murky world of professional wrestling. So I was sure that Kaleb Wade was in fact a Latino wrestler!
Could this masked mauler be Kaleb Wade?
After meeting Kaleb, I can confirm that this is most definitely not the case. The real reason he doesn’t exist on social media is because he’s actually a member of the British intelligence community.
Therefore, anonymity is essential for this dashing young chap.
It’s a joke!
Stop waffling and tell me more!
Alright! Just give me a minute to put my socks on…
Oddsocks!
The first thing you’ll notice with Frankenstein is just how authentic it feels.
It looks and feels exactly like the kind of book you might pick up in your local book store, supermarket, petrol station and even some local shops, everything from the front cover to the paper and text is exactly the same as many other books in the novel section, making this ideal for close up performances.
It even has a mix & match sticker on the front, not only is this a nice little convincer that Frankenstein is a genuine book, it actually serves another purpose, you see the sticker is placed in the optimum position for you to hold whilst flicking through the book in performance.
This was one of the very first things I noticed. Kaleb really has thought of everything, and as we all know;
It really is!
Would you carry this with you on a daily basis?
Of course, Why wouldn’t you?
It’s small enough to fit in a bag or a pocket.
You could just as easily have bought this 10 minutes prior to performance or be reading it on your commute to work.
Many places sell books just like this.
Do they really?
Well no!
You see, Frankie as it’s affectionately referred to by those “in the know” is gimmicked up to the eyeballs, yet it will withstand some serious scrutiny by just about anyone, save for Mary Shelley herself.
The thing that really makes Frankie special is it’s clever use of gimmickery. Most book tests are usually gimmicked in one or two different ways, namely FB and the LW principle. However, what’s really clever about Frankie is that it incorporates a different kind of FB in such a way that it will simply fly by even the most eagle eyed spectator and most magicians and mentalists.
The LW principle; Now usually the LW’s will run through the entirety of a book test.
Not Frankie!
Kaleb has kept the LW’s in the second half of the book, creating a bank if you will, meaning that this can be examined without too much fear of the LW’s being spotted.
Kaleb’s AlchEmy principle; this is not only a great way to start revealing their chosen word but it also provides you with some extra hits for the LW’s!
None of the words in the book seem out of place, Kaleb makes that very clear in the instructional manual which is very reassuring.
Nothing worse than opening a classic written in 1832 and seeing the word iPhone!
Is it complicated to use?
Absolutely not!
After reading the instructional manual, I was able to perform the first two phases very easily, obviously to perform the third phase (or the hands off version) I’d have to memorise the LW’s.
I know from previous experience that this can be done very quickly. However, should you not want to commit the 18 LW’s to memory, Kaleb has you covered. He’s currently in the process of having special cribs made and they should be available from Black Cat Magic very soon.
So what do you get for the money?
You’ll get the book (obviously)
The instructional booklet which is packed full of yep you guessed it, instructions!
Ha, no really it’s got routines, performance tips and some nice ideas for plots.
Kaleb, being the good soul that he is, also offers a recycling scheme.
Should your book become damaged in performance, at the park or even if your goldfish tries eating it, he doesn’t care and doesn’t need to know how it became damaged, just send your damaged book back to him and he will let you have a brand new copy for half the current retail price.
How many people would do that for you?
Not many… That’s how many!
As previously stated, I love book tests and own quite a few, some I’ve used frequently whilst others just sit there making my bookshelf look pretty.
Frankie is definitely not going to be one of those that gathers dust, I can unequivocally tell you now that this has become part of my everyday carry, I absolutely love Frankie and am waiting with baited breath to see what genius ideas Kaleb has in store for us next.
Summing it up:
This is a book test like no other I’ve ever seen before!
It really does have the ability to freak people out. The method is amazing and extremely deceptive.
Frankie is ridiculously devious and the perfect tool for mentalists and magicians!
In simple terms: Frankie allows you to perform EFFOMS!
(Fantastic Feat Of Mentalism)
How much does it cost?
This really is a steal for the price of only £70.
I’ve paid more than that for a Cookbook!
Where can you buy it?
Available directly from Kaleb at Kalebwade.co.uk
or Bazz at BlackCatmagic.co.uk
P.S. I recently heard a whisper that Bazz, is currently in the process of creating bookmarks for Frankie, I’ve heard that these bookmarks will be loaded with some cool little secrets of their own, so that should be something worth looking out for!
Did you enjoy this review?
Do you have any questions about The Frankenstein book test?
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Take care and I’ll see you at the bus stop.
Ryan