He pursues every dark nook of the magic world in pursuit of the ultimate goal – a routine so mindboggling that it would fool other master magicians. And he explains how magicians exploit cognitive blind spots to make the impossible happen in public. Along the way, he learns how criminal empires were built on age-old magic scams. He attends magic schools and seeks out one of the best 'card mechanics' in the world. After failing at the Magic Olympics in Stockholm, Stone gets serious about the art of illusion.

But in Fooling Houdini, Alex Stone reveals a world far deeper and fascinating than I ever imagined.

They pulled doves from their hats and deployed a lot of smoke. The magicians of my memory wore capes and makeup. The contestants are occasionally very good-but to compare the victors to Olympic athletes, who perform quantifiably world-class feats, is ludicrous.Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2012: Before reading this book, I thought magic was a little inane. The event includes shows, lectures and competitions in many categories: micro-magic, mentalism, card magic, illusions, etc. Stone attends is a triennial gathering of magic enthusiasts, sponsored by an international organization of magic clubs. He competes in the Magic Olympics, and, as he says, is 'humiliated.' Let's be clear: There is no Olympic Village, because there is no Magic Olympics. Stone's arrival at the Magic Olympic Village in Stockholm.

Instead it shares genetic material with narratives in which that triumph is markedly exaggerated. Instead, he skirts the borders of popular genres of memoir, producing a tale that, had it verisimilitude, might appeal in the universal tradition of triumph over formidable odds. Alex Stone's quest to become a master magician, however, does not bring him nearly as close to that goal as he imagines. 'Fooling Houdini' is an ostensibly self-effacing memoir by an inept amateur conjurer.

Alex stone fooling houdini