August 13 - 19, 2011 ~ Wizards Tarot

Wizards Tarot
Corrine Kenner, John Blument
Llewellyn, 2011

EDIT:  Traded for Brian Williams' PoMo Tarot, October 2011

Pre-ordered as the advance advertising really made it look good.  When I got it, I was less impressed.  I have the same issue with all the computer generated artwork.  Ciro’s decks are absolutely amazing and gorgeous.  But on cardstock, they lose all their luster and become blaise and ordinary.  And sadly, the dark color (important for constrast) gets scuffed and scratched.  These are the same.  As digital media, they are beautiful, but on card stock, they are lackluster.  The borders are incredibly annoying and distracting.  The colors don't fit well with the colors of the deck. 


The cardstock for this deck is nice to handle - but the color part is going to get faded and scratched with use.  The book is decent, albeit a bit repetitive.  It is written for a different audience than to which I belong.  I have put some thought into why I don't care for the book and I think it was the continual “magick” references.   I can see where this deck would have appeal.  Unfortunately, the texture of the cover of the book is disgusting.  I think they were trying to simulate something that might be cool - like worn leather? But it came out poorly.  It feels icky.  I hate touching it.  Seriously, it just makes my skin crawl.

For readings, it seems to be okay - but it really isn’t going to be a favorite any time soon  Readings seem to be immature (if that makes sense). The deck does not feel sophisticated and would be an excellent and non-threatening deck for a young beginner.  I just did not get any pleasure out of using it.  This is one of the situations where personal tastes and biases really do make a difference.

Rating:  Trade Bound