The Labyrinth: Tarot [Hardcover]

Luis Royo (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Heavy Metal (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932413243
• ISBN-13: 978-1932413243
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Get It, October 20, 2006

By 

clikdawg (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Labyrinth: Tarot (Hardcover)

Vastly under-rated as a really useful, easy-to-read, modern interpretation of the classic Tarot.

The book sold here is everything Antonio says it is below. The paintings are done in Royo's trademark sepia style with color-washed backrounds, and are stunningly evocative even without the explanations he provides for each; no trouble establishing a mood with this guy. The scale is satisfyingly large, which makes it extremely useful as a companion piece to the rather small Labyrinth Tarot Deck sold elsewhere (which is difficult to get hold of, but not impossible).

Dark and sexy, troubling and illuminating, frisky and solemn -- Royo does it all. Like Antonio says, you don't have to have any interest in or knowledge of Tarot to get more than your money's worth here; but you just might find yourself getting interested anyway -- and since you can't really do tarot readings with a book, you might take a stab at tracking down one of those decks.

A previous Tarot deck by Royo -- "The Black Tarot" -- is even harder to find, and is much more concerned with exploring the dark side of things. The paintings there are full-color and often shockingly explicit sexually and/or emotionally; it's not as useful as a readable tarot deck as the "Labyrinth"is, but, man those images hit home! Too bad Royo didn't put THAT out in book form ...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Informative Than Most Tarot Stuff, More Interesting Than Most Royo, December 31, 2007

By 

Laura Organa Solo (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Labyrinth: Tarot (Hardcover)

I'm not a big fan of Luis Royo. I don't believe in tarot or paganism. But I do really like symbolic imagery, so detailed interpretations of the tarot intrigue me.

I found this book at a game store and looked through it at random and was really amazed by its content.

Rather than the usual vague explanation of what each card portends when it is turned up, Luis Royo's explanations of each card offer historical origins, interpretations, and clarifications as to the meaning behind the symbolism of each card.

That alone makes this worth reading to me.

But besides that, Luis Royo's art for both the major AND minor arcana (some artists just do the major), is exceptionally pretty and far more Impressionistic than his typical stuff.

Sure, it's got his usual beautiful scantily-clad women, but his proverbial brush is much softer and more reminiscent of charcoal here than most of what I've seen by him. He also puts a slightly different but logical spin on some of the tarot symbolism, and each of his interpretations and pretty to look at and interesting to read about.

This is a must-have for any tarot enthusiast -- or, if you're like me, anyone who is entertained by symbolism in art and the history of such.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Royo, September 16, 2007

By 

mandy (TN) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Labyrinth: Tarot (Hardcover)

I have the deck that completes this book. The book is better. The cards, sadly, do not contain as much artwork as the book. If you're not really interested in doing tarot cards, this book is still very cool. Great artwork as usual, and a whole lot of information on each card in the deck.