Wonders Never Cease by Kyle Purnell

I spent a day with Kyle Purnell almost a decade ago, and he was an absolute gentleman. He showed me all of the best spots around his town, introduced me to some of his magic friends, and welcomed me into his home for a jam. Of course there was great magic, but above all, I was struck by his kindness and generosity. He’s one of the most down to earth people you could meet. He’s one of the most deserving people of his recent rise in fame. I think his magic has gone through a transformation in recent years. He’s always been a very talented and skilled technician with great releases, but lately, his creations are next level. 

This particular release is aimed at magic that is different. Each routine is different from the others and each routine uses different objects. 

Jelly Beans - Do you remember that game where you have to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar? This takes that premise and turns it into a trick that fits in your pocket. It’s playful, familiar, and incredibly strong.

This is essentially a version of the Chicago opener with numbers instead of an odd backed card. In phase one, a freely named number is shown written on the back of a Joker. In phase two, the number on the back of the Joker changes to a randomly chosen number. The presentation of the jelly bean game gives it a fun context. The moves are all very easy to do, and the overall effect is strong. The only downside is that it’s an entire deck devoted to this one trick, but it’s a really good trick. One that feels totally impossible from the spectator’s perspective. Kyle could have easily sold this effect as a one off release at the same price as this entire download. 

Axion Vanish - A totally impossible and visual way to vanish a borrowed credit card. What makes this so special is that your hands really do look completely empty. This has zero clothing restrictions, and you can perform this with playing cards, credit cards, or even hotel key cards.

This is an interesting vanish of a card shaped object that is pretty fooling. It is best done one-on-one or for a small group. Personally, I feel too intimidated by the idea that I might flash to use it in the real world, but I know Kyle uses it. He discusses why it’s really not a problem psychologically, but I still wouldn’t feel comfortable with it. On video, it’s great. 

Bill Bored - This is the perfect effect that you can perform anywhere, anytime. You take a borrowed credit card and push it straight through two banknotes. There are no gimmicks, and everything is completely examinable.

I don’t know how Kyle’s brain has been able to come up with these topological hits (see also: Dream Dollar Pro) but this is another banger. It looks almost identical to many of the gimmicked versions of card through bill, but this is done with two ordinary bills. It is best to use your own pre-folded bills. You probably COULD put the folds in as you chat in a casual situation, but pre-folded bills that you keep in your wallet is the best bet. I like this one a lot. It’s very deceptive and even knowing that it was probably something topological, I couldn’t work out how it could be done. 

Pure Pop Coin Production - A coin production that looks like CGI. As you wave your hand, a coin slowly materializes into view, right in front of your audience's eyes. It’s super fun to learn, not knuckle-busting, and can be added to almost any coin routine that you already perform.

This is a fun move that’s actually pretty easy to do, and it really looks great. It does look like a coin sort of materializes at your fingertips with no movement. Kyle teaches a simple three coin production routine utilizing the move, but it is a great move to know for any coin work you may do. I will say it works best with dollar size coins. Quarters are definitely too small. Half dollars work, but they are also a tad small for the move to feel as easy as it should. 

I Didn’t Teach You - Kyle's most performed routine by far. This routine packs an insane amount of magic into a very short amount of time. You start by pulling a coin from your ring, then it becomes a larger coin. Then it ends with something even more unexpected. This routine is perfect for walkaround.

This is Kyle’s thousand timer. He removes his ring and takes a coin out, puts the coin back in, takes it back out, removes a jumbo coin, and removes an eight ball. This is like a modern day coin purse routine. I can see why it’s Kyle’s most performed routine. It’s a lot of magic packed into a very short amount of time that can be done totally standing without a table. It’s a really fantastic routine. The routine flows nicely, the moves aren’t very difficult, and the angles are great. The hook of handing someone your ring and asking them to “just take that out for me” will instantly draw them in. That quickly becomes some playful banter throughout the routine. I don’t do a lot of this type of visual magic that has no real rhyme or reason, but this is one I could see myself actually using. If you’re a gigging magician doing walk around, this will be worth the price of the download for you. This routine is a great way to open any set in virtually any walk around performance. 

Overall, I think this is a strong offering from Kyle. These are five well worked routines that each could have been sold as their own separate download. Getting them all together for $7 a piece is a great price. 

Currently available for $34.95 at

https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/close-up-magic/wonders-never-cease/