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Reviews
Magic Is Dead: My Journey into the World's Most Secretive Society of Magicians by Ian Frisch
gemmamilne's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fascinating read - both a deep dive into the intriguing world of modern magicians and a memoir / coming of age story of sorts.
The story of the modern magicians was what I went to this book for and why I stayed - completely enthralling. I’d stumbled upon a few of the characters on YouTube and on Penn & Teller’s ‘Fool Us’, but what this book did was reveal what happens behind the scenes within the magic community, and its that which made me appreciate magic as an art form in a whole new way.
Recommend this read if you’re intrigued by what’s going on with magic and magicians nowadays, in the world of social media and online communities and new audiences, and if you fancy meeting a whole host of characters - truly fascinating characters - who’ve made a life and a career from the art of deception.
The story of the modern magicians was what I went to this book for and why I stayed - completely enthralling. I’d stumbled upon a few of the characters on YouTube and on Penn & Teller’s ‘Fool Us’, but what this book did was reveal what happens behind the scenes within the magic community, and its that which made me appreciate magic as an art form in a whole new way.
Recommend this read if you’re intrigued by what’s going on with magic and magicians nowadays, in the world of social media and online communities and new audiences, and if you fancy meeting a whole host of characters - truly fascinating characters - who’ve made a life and a career from the art of deception.
neighbor_reads's review against another edition
I am sad that I could not get in to this book. It promises a journey in to a secret society but never really gets off the ground. We are asked to immediately care about the people involved and feel the high stakes when there really aren't any. It's a secret society that frankly isn't so secret. I skimmed through chapters with multiple life stories from people that the book thinks we should really care about, but doesn't help the reader get invested. I love magic and reading about magic, so I was very excited to pick this book up. The hardcover design is beautiful; the title is intriguing. But ultimately promises that don't go anywhere. It's a bummer.
thehouseinthesouth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
rochellehickey's review against another edition
3.0
Magic is Dead is the first-hand story of Ian Frisch with the world of modern magic and his journey with and into the52.
It was interesting to read the history of Magic, where inspiration and stereotypes come from, and see how it has evolved and where magic is going now. The reason I rated it 3 stars instead 4 because when he starts to go into the history of Magic, when it’s more than a paragraph or two, it starts to read like an essay and takes you out of the story that he’s trying to develop. This happens more than once making reading it slow to get through because your mind has to keep switching writing styles.
It was also interesting to note how audiences and social media have impacted Magic’s evolution. “They [The Audience] no longer want the all-powerful wizard doing supernatural feats; they want a real person dedicated to an art form, their struggle to overcome obstacles laid out honestly and evolving in real time. They want the magician to be more human than ever before, and they want to see the people with whom the magician chooses to surround himself as he accomplishes the show’s goals. In a word: authenticity.” Through social media, magicians are now able to reach a large audience and intersect with people at a more personal level rather than detached on a stage. With the development of the52, Magic still contains the air of mystery while being more accessible to people.
If you love magic and are interested in its evolution I would say this book is worth the read.
Thank you to Dey Street Books: An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers and iHeart for sending me a copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.
It was interesting to read the history of Magic, where inspiration and stereotypes come from, and see how it has evolved and where magic is going now. The reason I rated it 3 stars instead 4 because when he starts to go into the history of Magic, when it’s more than a paragraph or two, it starts to read like an essay and takes you out of the story that he’s trying to develop. This happens more than once making reading it slow to get through because your mind has to keep switching writing styles.
It was also interesting to note how audiences and social media have impacted Magic’s evolution. “They [The Audience] no longer want the all-powerful wizard doing supernatural feats; they want a real person dedicated to an art form, their struggle to overcome obstacles laid out honestly and evolving in real time. They want the magician to be more human than ever before, and they want to see the people with whom the magician chooses to surround himself as he accomplishes the show’s goals. In a word: authenticity.” Through social media, magicians are now able to reach a large audience and intersect with people at a more personal level rather than detached on a stage. With the development of the52, Magic still contains the air of mystery while being more accessible to people.
If you love magic and are interested in its evolution I would say this book is worth the read.
Thank you to Dey Street Books: An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers and iHeart for sending me a copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.
tythereaderguy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
crappyalien's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5
ishi_time's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not the biggest fan of non-fiction, so to be completely honest, I didn't know if I was going to like this or not. BUT surprisingly, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was captivating from the beginning, and I really loved the narration style.
Since I was little, I've always been interested in magic; however, I did have a specific stereotype attached to the term "magician." This book helped me think of the magic industry in a way I've never thought about before and brought to my attention a lot of things I never would have considered otherwise. This book talks about how the emergence of social media and popularity of platforms such as Instagram and YouTube changed the way magic is both performed and received.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because there were some parts I skimmed over. But overall, I think everyone can find something that they like about this book.
Since I was little, I've always been interested in magic; however, I did have a specific stereotype attached to the term "magician." This book helped me think of the magic industry in a way I've never thought about before and brought to my attention a lot of things I never would have considered otherwise. This book talks about how the emergence of social media and popularity of platforms such as Instagram and YouTube changed the way magic is both performed and received.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because there were some parts I skimmed over. But overall, I think everyone can find something that they like about this book.