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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
David Blaine's Mysterious Stranger - A review, November 21, 2002
David Blaine's aptly titled book, Mysterious Stranger, reveals few, if any of the young magician's most guarded secrets. People expecting to read it and come away knowing how to a) Levitate or b) Be buried alive for a week, will be disappointed. Those who are simply curious about the rising star's life, his philosophy of magic, and who would like to learn a few tricks along the way, will get all they paid for, and more. I realize that I've said pretty much nothing about the book, but that's only because it's surprisingly hard to classify. It reads like a continuous blend of history, biography, magic tricks, and personal memoirs. Oh, yeah. There's also a hidden puzzle named "Blaine's Challenge" contained in the text that, when correctly solved, reveals the secret location of $100,000 stashed safely away somewhere in the United States. This is a legitimate contest - not a scam or publicity stunt, which, if nothing else, leaves the reader with something to ponder and dream about. All of this though, would be unimportant if this weren't a good book, which it is. The first thing I noticed was the great overall look of the book. The hardcover edition weighs in at 214 pages, and is packed full of great, full-page photographs, pictures, and illustrations throughout.
The first couple of chapters deal mainly with the history of magicians and magic, and are fairly comprehensive. But this isn't a history book, and Blaine knows it. He keeps the chapters short, sweet, and even slips in some fun tricks that have nothing to with history to amuse and entertain your friends. The core of the book is not about magic in general, but about Blaine himself. As a reader, I learned a lot about him and about magicians in general. His story is told in a mostly linear style, revealing how he got from working as a restaurant magician who drove a beat-up Honda, to getting his own million-dollar special on ABC. Along the way, we hear about him meeting Jack Nicholson, and get an interesting story about his travels to South America, where he met members of the Yanomamo civilization, a people who "had a penchant for attacking outsiders with darts". If there's one recurring theme surrounding Blaine, it's his impressive ability to use magic as "the great equalizer", as he calls it. He gets along with everyone, it seems. Homeless people in New York, people on the street in gangland Compton, the Dallas Cowboys...the list goes on. The book ends with three chapters about Blaine's most famous stunts: Buried Alive, Frozen in Time, and Vertigo. Readers will get an inside look at the preparation Blaine went through, as well as what he was thinking throughout the duration of all three, the shortest of which, Vertigo, went on for thirty-five hours. Blaine ends by saying he knows this is only the beginning. Personally, I find comfort in that. The book is targeted at a wide audience, and finds its mark. Anyone who's ever thought about being a magician should read it. Anyone who has seen the TV specials and wants to know more about the man himself, should read it too. And anyone who could use an extra $100,000 and wants to take a crack at "Blaine's Challenge", should read it very carefully.
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"If this is magic, let it be an art", February 2, 2004
David Blaine's Mysterious Stranger is a very interesting and creative book. I was drawn to the mystifying cover and after thumbing through the book and seeing all the intriguing photographs and clever style and format, I knew I had to check this book out even though I was not aware of Blaine's work save for headlines for his sensational stunts. Blaine is a true expert in his craft. He is an historian of magic and this book includes stories about many of the important figures in the art of illusions and escapology: Dedi who performed for Cheops in Ancient Egypt, the stone eaters, Robert-Houdin, Max Malini, Alexander Herrmann, Titanic Thompson--a con-man who even outwitted Al Capone, the fascinating Stylites who lived atop high pillars to escape the evilness of earthly life, and, of course, Harry Houdini. Blaine puts his heart and soul into his magic. He includes stories of his childhood, how he became interested in magic (seeing a photo of Houdini who was clinging to a railing with his chin), and his devotion to his late mother. Accompany this history are guides to basic card tricks and illusions, so be sure you have a deck handy when reading this book. He also, of course, describes experiences that made him famous: filming his television show Street Magic, attending a voodoo ceremony in Haiti, braving the Venezuelan rainforest to meet the Yanomano Indians, and his daredevil stunts of being buried alive, standing in ice, and standing on a pillar. He describes his grueling regime of preparation which included learning to sleep while standing up while preparing for his ice demonstration. Blaine shows a deep appreciation for the tradition behind his stunts and illusions. His claim that magic brings all people together because people of different ethnicity, religions, and social status all come to see his stunts seems a bit much. One can say such things about many different spectacles, but when they are over, people go their separate ways. Still, the book is fascinating and some of the illustrations will stay with me for a long time. Anyone interested in the unusual will enjoy Mysterious Stranger.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful, engaging memoir and basic history of magic, December 31, 2002
By A Customer
This book is by the famous, darkly handsome street magician who gained fame recently through three major stunts: entombing himself in the sidewalk, being encased in a block of ice, and standing on (then leaping from) an 80-foot pillar in Bryant Park. Blaine's book is part memoir, part how-to guide, and part history of magic. The three elements blend well, although the directions on how to perform various tricks occasionally seem somewhat shoe-horned in with the autobiographical narrative. However, this creates an unusual structure that makes the book quite engaging, even if you don't have an interest in actually performing the tricks. If you've seen Blaine on any of his television specials, you may have been captivated by the simple beauty of his tricks and his laid-back style. This style comes across in his writing, which is very natural and vivid. His writing is less dynamic during his long histories of magic and magicians, specifically in a chapter dedicated to Houdini. I can't be sure, but some of these passages read as though they were ghost-written, or at least heavily edited. That's not a complaint, because the rest of the book is sufficiently personal to compensate for it. Perhaps the books most interesting chapters are the last three, which details the three major televised stunts he has performed. He discusses the preparation and execution of each of the stunts, as well as his state of mind during each of them, which in most cases can most succinctly be described as "out of it". These passages are particularly interesting if you've actually seen his stunts either in person or on TV. Blaine also frequently discusses his relationship with his (now deceased) mother, who he obviously loved very much, and seems to have served as a motivation for his success. Blaine comes off as very down-to-earth, daring, practical, focused, and hard-working. Unlike other autobiographies, he does not really attempt to exaggerate his own contributions to magic, but seems almost over-whelmed and flattered by the success he has experienced. All in all, the book is an entertaining and fast read that gives you great insight into Blaine's character and methodology, and will teach you a few tricks of your own, if you are interested.
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