Ever caught yourself speechless after seeing a trick performed on stage?
For performers to execute this so well, they rely on more than just “magic.” And that’s what I learned when I read the Psychological Subtleties by Banacheck.
It’s not magic.
It’s psychology, observation, precognition, as well as verbal and body language all rolled into one.
If you want to learn more about this, then we highly recommend reading the 3 Psychological Subtleties books.
But what can you expect from these books?
Well, we’re here to give you a complete Psychological Subletites review. This way, you’ll know whether you should read it or not.
So without further ado, let’s begin!
About the Author
Before we get into the book review, it’s important to know a bit about the author.
Banachek, born as Steve Shaw, is one of the most well-known mentalists of our time. He was born on November 30, 1960, in Middlesex, England.
Through the years, he has developed a lot of loved tricks, including his version of the bullet catch that amazed viewers all over the world. His version was said to be the safest version of this dangerous trick.
On top of that, Banachek has appeared in multiple TV shows and programs. Here, he showed off all his cool “magic” tricks.
He even went on his own stage tours all over the world and won so many mentalism and entertainment awards.
All this gives him credibility to write a book such as the Psychological Subtleties series.
What kind of book will a guy like Banacheck write?
There’s no better way to answer that than to check out his Psychological Subtleties books.
So now that we know about the author, let’s get to the book review.
Psychological Subtleties Book Review
The Psychological Subtleties book has 3 parts — Psychological Subtleties 1, Psychological Subtleties 2, and Psychological Subtleties 3.
Let’s give a detailed review of each one.
Psychological Subtleties 1
According to many readers…
“Psychological Subtleties 1 is life-changing.”
As performers, it’s inevitable to focus on doing the act right. So much focus is placed there that you forget how to properly deliver it to your audience.
In this book, Banachek explains the need to create a better effect on your performances and keep your spectators amazed for longer.
These include visual influences, such as your clothes and stage lighting, and auditory influences, such as expressions, pauses, your choice of words… It also includes your overall appeal.
It’s about the subtle things you can add to modify your delivery of the performance.
What are other examples of subtle things?
A single word, your stance, which number you say the last, a short pause, and when to pause. The little things that people don’t pay much attention to.
Many readers said that once you start applying these techniques to your performance, it’s easier to frame your statements and questions and engage with your audience.
And if you find yourself in a tangle, this book gives you easy and unnoticeable outs (which I’m sure we all need once in a while).
However, though most readers love this book, some were let down to find several thoughts and applications didn’t feel original.
Because it isn’t.
These are foundations of psychology put to use in mentalism. Banachek acknowledges this but still addresses it as it is a concept you shouldn’t miss.
Psychological Subtleties 2
Due to high demand, Banachek wrote Psychological Subtleties 2.
This time, as with any endeavor we wish to continue, he tried to address some of the comments he received from readers.
One of the most common feedback was that it lacked professional performances and tricks and that the first book was only for beginners.
Banachek states that, for the first book, his objective was to set up the tools needed by mentalists to get into the right state of mind before something more challenging.
Assuming that his readers now have a level of confidence and familiarity with psychological subtleties, he included more professional routines in the second book.
But again, while he added a lot more routines, some readers were dissatisfied with his lack of original work.
This was frustrating for them. For someone who is known in the industry for his mind-blowing acts, you would expect more material about his process and his own tricks.
So with the release of the third book, many followers had their fingers crossed for more Banachek exclusives.
Psychological Subtleties 3
To express his gratitude to all his avid readers of his past two books, Banachek rewarded them with a 3rd book filled with his own routines.
Finally!
In Psychological Subtleties 3, you will be able to see more of his personal work and professional stunts to pull off — you’ll dive deep into the mind of the man himself.
But as a note, you will only fully appreciate this last book if you have read PS1 and PS2. This is because Banacheck builds the 3rd book on the previous two books.
Was this a good book to close off the series?
Well, not really. But it gave what his readers were clamoring for.
Conclusion
Are the entire Psychological Subtleties series worth your time?
We’d say, yes!
Why?
It’s hard enough to find a good mentalism book — so to have three by Banachek is a treasure.
Though the majority of the books might be a compilation of old and new acts by other mentalists, he was able to explain how they elevate their act and influence every single detail to give a better performance.
Plus, it’s very great to see how Banacheck, a mentalist great, took care of his readers by providing books that they needed and wanted, even adding in the things they asked for.
So if you’re interested, then go ahead and read them one by one. You’ll certainly learn a lot of new things, as well as reinforce a lot of old tricks.
What’s more, you’ll be able to see into the mind of Banachek.
And that concludes your Psychological Subtleties review.