‘Architect of the Mind’ by Drew Backenstoss

The genre of the book might be best referred to as “self-working mentalism.” The goal seems to be to reproduce the standard feats of mentalism without sleights or gimmicked props (and now, of course, pre-show and apps). The weapons of choice become mathematical principles, fiddly bits of logic, and equivoqué. The material centers around guessing who has—or predicting who will wind up with—which objects, envelopes, or number cards. There is a mix of “I’m going to pick up on your thoughts” and “I’m going to watch how your eyebrows move and influence your choices with psychology.”