This enchanting new tarot deck features fantasy-style artwork with a cultural twist to it.  A lot of mythological creatures like dragons and unicorns grace the cards, but also figures from all different cultures of the world.  Black borders show off the multitude of colors to their best advantage.  This is one deck with an interesting conglomeration of images.

Instead of a little white booklet, this deck comes with a bifold card that lists in short form all the correspondences for each card.  Not really a definitions guide, more like keywords and numbers and the seasonal and elemental correlations for the deck.  It's a little unusual, and more than a little unnecessary since all of the keywords that are listed on it are actually on the faces of the cards.

There were so many beautiful cards, and I tried to present one from each suit in the attached scans.  However, there are so many Major Arcana cards that are just plain neat.  Many of the cards are retitled, the Magician is now Apprentice, the High Priestess is now Oracle, the Hierophant is the Mentor, the Chariot is the Student, the Hermit is Teacher.  The Wheel of Fortune is now Lady Destiny, the Hanged Man has been replaced by the Journeyman, Death is the Metamorphosis, the Devil is the Tempter,  and -- here's the kicker -- Temperance is the Time Lord!

The Minor Arcana have some changes too.  All of these are in the Courts.  The Suits remain the traditional Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles, but you'd not know it by looking at the Courts in each suit!  For example, in the suit of Swords alone, you have the King of Air, the Queen of Swords, the Spring Warrior, and the Elemental is Pegasus.  The Elementals replace the Pages of traditional decks.  The Wands follow the same pattern; King of Fire, Queen of Wands, Summer Warrior, and Elemental Unicorn.

But there is a change when you get to Cups and Pentacles.  Now suddenly there is the King of Autumn, Queen of Cups, Water Warrior, and Elemental Mermaid.  And finally, with Pentacles, you have the Winter King, Queen of Pentacles, Earth Warrior, and Elemental Centaur and Sylph.  All the Aces are replaced in this deck with dragons of each of the elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

The artwork is exquisitely done if a bit fantastical at times, and even the back design appears to be illustrated in the same style, though in black and white.  The cards are standard size and shuffle and handle easily enough.  Bill said the technical details of the pictured weaponry used a great deal of artistic license rather than being true to detail.  Still, it is a very attractive deck.  It's also an expensive one -- retailing for $24.95, which is pretty much top dollar for a deck without a book.  Still, it's a nice piece to add to a collection, and it's an attractive alternative to a traditional deck.  I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, with its lack of explanations, but it's a nice deck nonetheless.

Click here for pictures
 
or here to purchase this deck

or here to return

Please use your browser's back button to return from pictures

Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace

Merry Day Tarot by Louisa Poole
Published by Mill House McCabe, Salem, MA
ISBN: 0-9657553-0-4