I originally designed a special cocktail menu for a stage competition at The Wessex Magical Association. On the surface, it looked just like an ordinary book filled with different cocktails. But hidden within its pages was a wonderfully simple secret. A spectator could apparently open the book at any page, yet I could be completely confident that they would arrive at the cocktail I wanted them to choose.

No complicated handling, no awkward instructions, and nothing that looked remotely suspicious. Just an innocent-looking book doing something rather extraordinary.

I had a small batch printed for my own use and, finding myself with a few spare copies, decided to advertise them to other magicians online.

Within minutes, they'd sold out.

I certainly hadn't expected that!

It got me thinking. Perhaps other magicians were looking for exactly the same thing I was: practical, deceptive props that could slot naturally into an existing routine without adding unnecessary complication.

And so the idea for SvenForce was born.

More than just a book

The concept is wonderfully simple. Take an everyday-looking book, give it an interesting and believable subject, and build in a secret that allows a magician to control an apparently free choice.

The possibilities are almost endless.

Take my book Top Toys of the 80s and 90s, for example. It features nostalgic favourites from our childhoods, but can secretly force a particular toy, such as Lego or a Rubik's Cube.

If you're a magician who already performs a routine involving one of those objects, imagine how much stronger it could become if a spectator first apparently selected that exact toy completely at random.

Suddenly, an ordinary choice becomes another layer of impossibility.

That's what excites me about these books. They're not necessarily tricks in themselves. They're tools that allow magicians to create their own moments of magic, strengthen existing routines, and find new possibilities they might not have considered before.

Created by a magician, for magicians

SvenForce is very much a passion project.

I'm not setting out to build a huge magic company or maximise profits. I simply enjoy dreaming up new ideas, designing the books, and seeing how other magicians put them to use.

That's also why I try to keep the prices as affordable as possible. I'd much rather see these books being performed with, enjoyed and inspiring creativity than sitting on a shelf because they're too expensive.

Every title begins with the same thought: "What could a magician do with this?"

Sometimes the answer is obvious. Other times, it's the possibilities that other performers discover which make the idea so exciting.

The magic is in what you do with it

The name SvenForce is a little nod to the classic Svengali principle that makes these books possible. It's a wonderfully clever method that has stood the test of time, and one that still has enormous potential when presented in a fresh and unexpected way.

My hope is that SvenForce becomes a growing collection of useful, interesting and genuinely deceptive books that magicians can incorporate into their own performances.

Whether you're performing close-up, entertaining at a table, or standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people, I want these books to offer you something simple but powerful: the freedom to create a moment of magic that feels completely impossible.

And if one of my little books helps you get that extra gasp, laugh or round of applause, then for me, that's what makes the whole project worthwhile.

Welcome to SvenForce®. I hope you enjoy exploring the possibilities as much as I enjoy creating them.

Oliver Williams