Silent Running commentary by Chris Wasshuber of Lybrary.com

Chris Wasshuber overseas his prized baby, Lybrary.com with passion and care--growing to be the number one ebook supplier in the magic/mentalism market. He's been a strong supporter of our BackStory Project and CrossRoads was his best-seller of 2009. I find his take on the current situation (the slamming of Silent Running from a vocal minority) to be refreshing and balanced.

It's reprinted from his newsletter 406 (8th April, 2010).

"Many creations by Ben Harris seem to polarize the fan base. I experienced
this first hand with his best selling "Crossroads" last year. It was a
highly anticipated effect. The majority of customers loved it but there was
a vocal group that voiced their disappointment mostly because Crossroads
used equivoque.

Equivoque is a powerful tool, but it is not easy to do well, so I
understand that some were disappointed. Now with "Silent Running" we again
have a very similar response. Most are very happy with the purchase, many
are even creating their own versions and takes on the Silent Running method
(see product forum posts and posts on public forums). One of the strengths
of Silent Running is that Ben has eliminated equivoque. However, now the
criticism is often: "Why did you take out equivoque? Equivoque is so much
stronger!" Which proves that you can't please everybody all the time.

Now that I had some time to reflect on Silent Running and come up with a
few changes for my own use it is time for me to make a few more comments.
After all I wrote that this is likely going to be the best effect of 2010,
perhaps of the decade.

If with 'best' we mean 'best selling' then Silent Running has a very good
chance to actually achieve what I have predicted. If we mean with 'best'
'best NEW method' then I think the chances are also pretty good, because
Silent Running is in total a new procedure, a new method to achieve certain
effects. If we want to understand 'best' as the 'strongest effect ever
created' then no Silent Running is not that. However, if we form a ratio of
effect versus effort, then I think Silent Running ranks up there with the
very best effects created. And this last measure was really the measure I
had in mind when I wrote my comment about possibly the best effect in 2010.

Silent Running is a sleight-less concept. It is so easy that some routines
can be performed 10 minutes after reading the description. There is really
nothing to it. You give a few directions and boom a strong effect hits the
spectator. I have a love for self-working tricks and Silent Running ranks
among a handful of really great self-working effects. From that perspective
I have no issue at all to stand behind my word and to highly recommend it.

However, it is certainly not stronger than say a well executed classic
force. But that would be comparing apples to oranges in my opinion. Of
course, a well executed classic force leaves no trace for a spectator to
backtrack and reverse engineer a possible method. Silent Running does allow
a clever spectator to find cracks and chinks in the armor and with thought
find the solution or at least come closer to an explanation. But the
execution of a classic force will take you years to perfect and pull off
consistently under fire. With Silent Running you can step out after a few
minutes and do a very impressive trick. As always it depends on your
circumstances if this is a 'best of' trick or not.

Well, at least that explains why for me it is likely going to be the best
trick of 2010 because my primary metric is effect/effort and not the
absolute effect by itself--but then again what do I know, I am merely a
hobbyist and do not make my living performing magic. Your milage may vary.
But if I look at what some of the top professionals in this business have
to say about Silent Running, it seems to be highly useful for them as well."

Why not purchase Silent Running from lybrary.com by clicking this link:

http://www.lybrary.com/silent-running-p-64823.html

Cheers

Benny

SILENT RUNNING SHIPPING

Silent Running is shipping. The Ebook version has become Lybrary.com's hottest seller and they've been whizzing out like rockets from here, too! The physical book is back from the printers and is shipping as per:

Shipping has/is occurring in four batches: March 31, April 1, April 6 and April 7. The delay in the middle is due to the four-day Easter break.

Thanks for all your enthusiasm and for embracing this concept with such vigor. The sequel, "Run Silent, Run Deep" is in the works.

Cheers:

Benny

SILENT RUNNING

POSSIBLY THE MOST AMAZING "THINK OF A CARD" METHOD IN YEARS!

You'll use this for the rest of your life. No props, just what appears to be pure mind-reading! A stunningly produced book with 3 full routines and amazing bonus contributions!

So, what is SILENT RUNNING?

Briefly, it's a "Think Of A Card" concept that requires no props at all. You don't even need a deck of cards. A spectator is asked to merely THINK of a number from 1-10 and to NOT TELL YOU. Once she has done this, she is asked to think of a suit and again to NOT TELL YOU. Then, ENTIRELY IN HER MIND she adds the suit to the number to create a visual image of a playing card. Again, SHE SAYS NOTHING! Once she has confirmed that she is thinking of a card that NO ONE CAN KNOW, you then proceed to reveal the card in any number of ways. THREE ROUTINES ARE INCLUDED:

DIRECT MIND READ

You ask the spectator to concentrate. You then reveal her thought-of card with 100% accuracy. It's that simple. Once you know the method you'll be able to do this at ANY TIME. In fact, you'll be doing this for the rest of your life. It is that strong and so simple!

THE DISSOLVING CARD

You discuss cold war exepriments in which psychics were tested to see if they could make enemy maps become blank and useless. The spectator is handed a deck of cards BEFORE YOU BEGIN. She is NOW asked to think of a card WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING. When she has confirmed that she has a card in her mind, you ask her to imagine it "fading way" slowly. When she confirms that her mental image is gone, she is asked to take the deck and to remove her thought-of card. She attempts to do this, and counts the cards. However,there are ONLY 51 cards and her though-of card IS NOT THERE! The amazing thing about this is that she NEVER REVEALS THE IDENTITY OF HER CARD AT ANY TIME!

SPIRITED CARD STAB

This is my favourite handling and what I'm using to CLOSE my professional shows. A deck is shuffled face up and face down by a spectator, spread upon the table and covered with a sheet of newspaper. A knife is introduced and the spectator is asked to THINK OF A CARD. Once she has done this, she is asked to imagine the spirit of the card flowing down her arms, through her wrists, into her hands and finally into the knife. AT NO TIME DOES SHE REVEAL HER THOUGHT OF CARD. The performer now takes the knife and lunges it through the newspaper. It stands proud for all to see. Now, for the FIRST TIME, the spectator announces her thought-of card to the audience. The knife is ripped from the newspaper and is seen to be IMPALING THE VERY SAME CARD. There are no switches, the thought-of card is genuinely stabbed, each time.

PLEASE NOTE:

Nothing is EVER written down -- this is strictly a verbal procedure

There is NO dual reality. The spectator and audience of ANY SIZE experience the same effect

There are NO GIMMICKS used at all, no nail writers, electronics -- NOTHING

No muscle-reading is used. The effect is EASILY learned

Perform for a single spectator or a thousand

TO BE PUBLISHED MARCH 30, 2010 this incredible concept will be presented as a beautifully produced book of at least 52 pages. (It may be more because our peer reviewers are pretty darned excited and contributing ideas and routines. (Seriously, editor Steve Shufton telephioned to apologise for his delay in finishing the editing because he was so gob-smacked by the idea and was having so much fun performing it). There will be a bonus section which means the book could grow to 70 or so pages. It will be produced on the finest quality acid free paper, and professionally bound in a full color cover.

Two versions of the printed book will be available, the REGULAR EDITION ($39.95) will be available from all dealers during the first two weeks of April. A digital EBOOK ($39.95) will be vailable as of March 30 direct from this website and Lybrary.com

In addition, there will be a LIMITED EDITION ($49.95) of 100 copies with a special delux cover, parchment end pages with numbering, signature and author's photo. (50 have been allocated to dealers, 50 ONLY will be available direct from me). Both the printed editions will ship first week of April, and the Ebook edition will be emailed on March 30.

SEE www.wowbound.com for further details