The Illusionists

An enchanting, Dickensian tale of desire, magic and the Victorian theatre, perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, The Night Circus and Water for Elephants—from the beloved and bestselling author of The Kashmir Shawl London, 1885—a challenging place for a young, beautiful woman of limited means. But Eliza is modern before her time. She longs for more than the stifling, if respectable, conventionality of marriage, children, domestic drudgery. Through her work as an artist’s model, she meets the magnetic and irascible Devil Wix—a born showman whose dream is to run his own theatre company. Devil’s right-hand man is Carlo Bonomi, an ill-tempered dwarf who is a talented magician and illusionist. Carlo and Devil clash at every turn and it falls to Eliza to broker an uneasy peace between them. Jasper Button, a mild-mannered family man at heart, is a gifted artist and the unlikely final member of the motley crew. With self-styled impresario Devil at the helm of the Palmyra Theatre, acrobats and illusionists astonish audiences with their death-defying stunts and the magic of mysterious new inventions—like electricity. Backstage, secret romances, box-office dramas and power struggles inevitably simmer, and intermittently boil over. And as Eliza is drawn into their seductive, precarious and exciting bohemian world, she risks not only her heart, but also her life . . . Framed by Rosie Thomas’s rich portrayal of the rapidly changing world of late-Victorian England, The Illusionists takes readers on an unforgettable journey with a cast of passionate, larger-than-life figures who are inextricably linked through their shared love of the stage and the theatre, and who will make you laugh and break your heart.

Two brothers, Azim and Azlan, find themselves pitted against each other in a looming election. A civil war is imminent irrespective of who wins. The only solution? One must compel the other to shoot himself

A thrilling, seductive and electrifying new adventure set in the world of FEARSOME DREAMER A shocking new world. A dangerous choice. Two futures preparing to collide . . . Having left her soulmate White behind her in Angle Tar, Rue is trying to make sense of her new and unfamiliar life in World. Its technologically advanced culture is as baffling as is it thrilling to her, and Rue quickly realises World's fascination with technology can have intoxicating and deadly consequences. She is also desperately lonely. And so is White. Somehow, their longing for each other is crossing into their dreams - dreams that begin to take increasingly strange turns as they appear to give Rue echoes of the future. Then the dreams reveal the advent of something truly monstrous, and with it the realisation that Rue and White will be instrumental in bringing about the most incredible and devastating change in both World and Angle Tar. But in a world where Life is a virtual reality, where friends can become enemies overnight and where dreams, the future and the past are somehow merging together, their greatest challenge of all may be just to survive.

How magicians exploit the natural functioning of our brains to astonish and amaze us How do magicians make us see the impossible? The Illusionist Brain takes you on an unforgettable journey through the inner workings of the human mind, revealing how magicians achieve their spectacular and seemingly impossible effects by interfering with your cognitive processes. Along the way, this lively and informative book provides a guided tour of modern neuroscience, using magic as a lens for understanding the unconscious and automatic functioning of our brains. We construct reality from the information stored in our memories and received through our senses, and our brains are remarkably adept at tricking us into believing that our experience is continuous. In fact, our minds create our perception of reality by elaborating meanings and continuities from incomplete information, and while this strategy carries clear benefits for survival, it comes with blind spots that magicians know how to exploit. Jordi Camí and Luis Martínez explore the many different ways illusionists manipulate our attention—making us look but not see—and take advantage of our individual predispositions and fragile memories. The Illusionist Brain draws on the latest findings in neuroscience to explain how magic deceives us, surprises us, and amazes us, and demonstrates how illusionists skillfully “hack” our brains to alter how we perceive things and influence what we imagine.

A sensual and provocative novel about the power and the peril of dreaming In the world of FEARSOME DREAMER, England has become Angle Tar - a technophobic and fiercely independent country holding its own against the mass of other nations that is World. Rue is an apprenticed hedgewitch in rural Angle Tar, but she knows she is destined for greater things. After being whisked off to the city by the enigmatic Frith, Rue becomes the student of White, a young Worlder with a Talent that is much in demand: White is no ordinary Dreamer - but then neither is Rue. Both can physically 'jump' to different places when they dream - and both have more power than they know. Rue and White find themselves electrically attracted to each other - but who is the mysterious silver-eyed boy stalking Rue's dreams? And why is he so interested in her relationship with White? Is Rue about to discover just how devastatingly real dreams can be...?

Set during one of the richest, most vibrant eras in American history, this Jazz Age novel of illusion, suspense, and forgotten pasts is perfect for fans of The Magician’s Lie. Wren Lockhart, apprentice to master illusionist Harry Houdini, uses life on a vaudeville stage to escape the pain of her past. She continues her career of illusion after her mentor’s death, intent on burying her true identity. But when a rival performer’s act goes tragically wrong, the newly formed FBI calls on Wren to speak the truth—and reveal her real name to the world. She transfers her skills for misdirection from the stage to the back halls of vaudeville, as she finds herself the unlikely partner in the FBI’s investigation. All the while Houdini’s words echo in her mind: Whatever occurs, the crowd must believe it’s what you meant to happen. She knows that if anyone digs too deep, secrets long kept hidden may find their way to the surface—and shatter her carefully controlled world. “Prepare to be amazed by The Illusionist's Apprentice. Wren Lockhart, the talented magician at the heart of Kristy Cambron’s spellbinding tale of Jazz Age Boston, is the fierce, brilliant, guarded headliner you’ve been waiting for. This novel will have your pulse pounding and your mind racing to keep up with reversals, betrayals, and surprises from the first page to the last. Like her characters, Cambron works magic so compelling and persuasive, she deserves a standing ovation.” —Greer Macallister, USA TODAY bestselling author Historical fiction with a dash of suspense Stand-alone novel Book length: 99,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Have you always wondered how to be an illusionist? Do you wish to perform on a large stage for thousands of people? Maybe you are a working magician specializing in close up or stage magic and are looking to put together a bigger show for a special event? "How to be an Illusionist" is a first-of-its kind introductory reference guide on performing a modern illusion show in today's entertainment & pop culture market. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn step by step how to put an illusion show together, regardless of whether you perform illusions for fun, as a hobby, part-time or professionally. You will receive a goldmine of information that will empower you with practical knowledge to take on the world of grand illusions; including a primer on over 100 well-known illusions performed today with credits. The reference guide consists of 10 modules of information that is worth thousands of dollars' to the performing illusionist and has taken years of experience to learn and develop. It features over 80 full-colour photographs of a dozen international illusionists in performance including David DaVinci (USA), David & Abi Haines (USA), Kyle Knight & Mistie (USA), Miguel Gavilan (Spain), Hector Ruiz (Spain), Remy Savary (France), Adeline Ng (Singapore), Daniel Ka (Spain), Sam Powers (Australia), Jason Bishop (USA), Jay Mattioli (USA) and Sean Alexander (U.K.)."

Exploring magic as a creative necessity in contemporary business, this book clarifies the differences between magic as an organizational resource and magic as fakery, pretence and manipulation. Using this lens, it highlights insights into the relationship between anthropology and business, and organizational studies.