Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not what you expect, June 2, 2008
I originally ordered this from amazon.co.uk and was willing the pay the international shipping fee, so obviously my excitement for this book was quite large. This is a pretty chunky book, and yes, very very dense with useful information.
What you will find: you will quickly discover that Derren's wit and intellect are quite large, he covers a large range of topics from modern religion, hypnosis, memory tricks, a long discussion on scientific process, and he's damned clever in all aspects.
What you won't find: a step by step, principle by principle explanation of how he does what he does on the show. In short, if you are thinking of buying the book so you too can hypnotize people into seeing their own death in a car crash, you will be sorely dissappointed. Also an interesting point: he makes a clear distinction between what he does and what NLP (Neuro Linquistic Programming) is, and his view of NLP as a whole will surprise you.
I give it 4 stars because although a fantastic book, Derren's writing possess what seems to be a uniquely English problem: they spend 4 sentences explaining themselves with elaborate sentences where one to-the-point sentence would have done well. Perhaps it was just me and my American get-to-the-point way of looking at things, but a chapter or two were nearly enough to make you skip ahead to the more interesting topics.
Overall, a fun read, and do try the memory tricks, you will be blown away with what you can already achieve.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Book, May 1, 2008
If you've seen Derren Brown in action and it fascinates you as it does me, then this is the book for you, it gives you the principles and techniques to put into practice yourself, and be able to do some of the things he does on the show, from magic tricks to insane memory recollection, and much more, then Derren ends the book with his views on various topics out there, such as the paranormal, religion and so on, this really is a great book, its great to see such a performer share the tricks of his trade for once, thanks Derren!!.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Darren Brown is a world class entertainer, January 15, 2009
If you've never seen Darren Brown's television show, treat yourself and check it out. It is rare that a magician or a hypnotist or a self proclaimed hustler can entertain a person with any substantial intellect. Yet put these three performance artists together, add a sense of moral integrity, intellectual honesty, and a sense of mischeif, what you will get is Darren Brown.
The book is an absolute must-read if you find yourself easily taken in by claims of the paranormal or magic. Your eyes will be opened to the amazing things that can be done by a skilled performer. And thanks to his modesty and integrity, he's perfectly willing to admit to you, the befuddled butt of his sometimes twisted humor, that what he's doing is performance art, and in no way magical in the slightest degree.
What has been said of another freethinker I admire, Christopher Hitchens, I will reiterate in reference to Darren Brown. 'He is utterly incapable of being boring.'
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