Soaring Through The Skies With the Steampunk Tarot
I hint constantly for new tarot decks. My husband simply can't understand why one needs multiple decks - but he still lets me buy new ones when the mood moves me. The Steampunk Tarot by Barbara Moore has been on my wishlist for some time now. So imagine my delight when my son Christopher gifted me this little beauty for Christmas.
I broke it open IMMEDIATELY and have already used it for a half dozen readings. It is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I figured while it was quiet tonight - thanks to our massive blizzard - that I would sit down and actually do the review for it. I thought about doing a video review, but let's face it, I love this deck so much I didn't want to look like a gushing fangirl drooling on my keyboard....
The packaging is nice, although typical Llewellyn style. The box contains a great deal of empty space, a cardboard insert, the deck and the book. However, in also typical Llewellyn fashion the book is AMAZING. Close to 300 pages, Barbara has done a kick ass job with this one. Her introduction not only covers an introduction to the tarot, but also to the steampunk genre. Each card has their own entry, with picture and blurb. For an added bonus, there are reading tips sprinkled throughout. I really like that she covers the Major Arcana first, then the Minors are broken down. Instead of just breaking them up into their suits, Barbara does 1-10 of each suit and then the court cards separately. I've personally only seen a few other decks where they did this. For some reason my brain processes it better this way! At the end she has some nice reading info, including some steampunk themed spreads you can try. Really nice overall.
The cards themselves are nice cardstock - not so thick that they can't be easily shuffled, but not so thin that they won't be able to hold up. Of course this is speculation, as I have only had the deck a week. Because I rotate my decks regularly, they won't be subject to the same use as someone who reads with them all the time. The backs are this nice muted antique bronze/brass color with gears and each of the suits represented. Because of the position of the sword on the card backs, it will be clear which cards are upright and which are reversed even before you flip them. The card fronts are lushly colored with a black border around them. I am half tempted to give them a borderectomy, but am not quite that brave yet! They are slightly larger then some of my other decks, but not overwhelming for my small hands. The deck is Rider Waite based, so expect to see a lot of the traditional RWS imagery with a steampunk twist. In a really neat detail, several of the cards feature tarot cards in their images!
I really don't dislike any of the cards in this deck, so I had to really pore over them to pick out three of my favorites. In no particular order, here are some of the cards I simply adore in this deck:
I broke it open IMMEDIATELY and have already used it for a half dozen readings. It is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I figured while it was quiet tonight - thanks to our massive blizzard - that I would sit down and actually do the review for it. I thought about doing a video review, but let's face it, I love this deck so much I didn't want to look like a gushing fangirl drooling on my keyboard....
The packaging is nice, although typical Llewellyn style. The box contains a great deal of empty space, a cardboard insert, the deck and the book. However, in also typical Llewellyn fashion the book is AMAZING. Close to 300 pages, Barbara has done a kick ass job with this one. Her introduction not only covers an introduction to the tarot, but also to the steampunk genre. Each card has their own entry, with picture and blurb. For an added bonus, there are reading tips sprinkled throughout. I really like that she covers the Major Arcana first, then the Minors are broken down. Instead of just breaking them up into their suits, Barbara does 1-10 of each suit and then the court cards separately. I've personally only seen a few other decks where they did this. For some reason my brain processes it better this way! At the end she has some nice reading info, including some steampunk themed spreads you can try. Really nice overall.
The cards themselves are nice cardstock - not so thick that they can't be easily shuffled, but not so thin that they won't be able to hold up. Of course this is speculation, as I have only had the deck a week. Because I rotate my decks regularly, they won't be subject to the same use as someone who reads with them all the time. The backs are this nice muted antique bronze/brass color with gears and each of the suits represented. Because of the position of the sword on the card backs, it will be clear which cards are upright and which are reversed even before you flip them. The card fronts are lushly colored with a black border around them. I am half tempted to give them a borderectomy, but am not quite that brave yet! They are slightly larger then some of my other decks, but not overwhelming for my small hands. The deck is Rider Waite based, so expect to see a lot of the traditional RWS imagery with a steampunk twist. In a really neat detail, several of the cards feature tarot cards in their images!
I really don't dislike any of the cards in this deck, so I had to really pore over them to pick out three of my favorites. In no particular order, here are some of the cards I simply adore in this deck:
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XIII ~ Death
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II ~ The High Priestess
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10 Of Pentacles
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This is certainly a theme deck, so not everyone will love this deck. But if you are a fan of romantic Victorian England, magick and a little of the mechanical then this is a great deck for you. Although based on Rider Waite, a beginner may find this deck not quite basic enough. For the rest though, this is a really solid addition to any collection. I really look forward to adding it to my reading library! I know lots of clients who will get an absolute kick out of this!
Purchase your own copy of Steampunk Tarot for $28.95 plus shipping