Customer Reviews

Shadowscapes Tarot

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The description isn't really clear, but this listing is indeed for both the full tarot card set of 78 cards and the accompanying 5x7 book with reference for meanings and other information on using the deck. The book is in fact softcover, not hardcover, though it is still a sizeable 264 page book compared to the small pamphlets some decks come with. It has an introduction and two pages devoted to the artists feeling and reading of each card. It also discusses several ways of using the cards for readings.

This tarot set is absolutely beautiful, and includes the major and minor arcana. The art was lovingly crafted over a period of many years and I've been waiting since I saw the first couple pieces for this set to be complete. I love her use of themes of her own for each suit in the cards.

My only minor complaint would be echoed the same as other reviewers- while the cards are a standard size, 2.75 x 4.5 inches, I wish they'd chosen a larger one. The art is still beautiful, but you have to look very closely to see some of the detail. There is also nothing included to store the cards in so you will have to come up with your own solution. It comes packaged in a large beautiful box but its not of a size to be good storage.

This is a worthy purchase for anyone with an interest in tarot or simply beautiful art. There is also a book available focusing on the art from the Shadowscapes website- "The Art of Shadowscapes Tarot - Major Arcana". The book goes into further detail about the creation of and inspiration for each card, as well as has additional sketches, making it a good companion purchase. I also recommend it if you'd like a collection of the art images at a larger size.

All the images for the cards are on the site as well if you would like to browse them first.

I awaited this deck's release for almost a year after discovering Ms Law's art website. The cards are absolutely breathtaking, and the beauty of Stephanie's paintings is not diminished because of the size. I have only had them for a short time, but they are very comfortable to work with, the card meanings are very clear, and the art inspires introspection almost immediately.

I know that it is no fault of Ms Law's, but this GORGEOUS deck is insulted by the low quality of card stock it is printed on. The cards are thinner than any in my other decks, and even thinner than my little brother's Pokemon cards! They are also very slippery, which can result in some awkwardness that does not befit artwork of this quality. I am absolutely in LOVE with this deck, but I fear that our relationship may be short-lived if the stock is as flimsy as it seems.

If these were ever to be republished by someone with more concern for quality I would definitely consider repurchasing them.

This is my first Llewellyn purchase, and most likely my last.

I never write reviews for anything on Amazon, but I felt compelled to do so for this tarot deck for a number of reasons. I have followed the development of this deck from its first inception until its release. I eagerly awaited the finishing of each card and marveled at the continued sophistication and beauty of each image. Seeing the cards in person, holding them, riffling through them, experiencing them without the intermediary of a computer screen, was a true pleasure and in my mind worth the many years of waiting. I collect tarot decks that are aesthetically beautiful and I have quite a few. I don't buy just any deck, the art has to speak to me for me to be interested, and as such I cannot give this tarot high enough praise. Stephanie Pui-Mun Law has achieved something truly unique with this deck and I know I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

To echo another review and go into slightly more detail concerning it, I don't think that Llewellyn does this deck justice. Not only are the cards much too small taking the detail and scope of each image into account, but the deck is very poorly packaged. I have acquired a number of decks that came in nothing so fancy as a pasteboard box with a little booklet and to be frank, I think that would have served this deck better. When I opened the box and found that the flimsy divider was actually some kind of poorly sized box for the cards, my heart sank a little. The publisher obviously doesn't have much respect for the deck beyond its commercial value to them. If they wanted the cards to have a fitted box, they should have provided one, not a box made of glorified paper that is far too large for the deck. Ironically the deck would probably have benefited from being large enough to fit in the box provided.

My own personal views regarding the accompanying book are a bit polarized, so I shall simply say that Ms. Pui-Mun Law's interpretations of the cards are at once beautiful and concise and I thoroughly enjoyed reading through them.

This is a deck I would recommend to absolutely anyone who has even a fleeting interest in tarot or in art. It is a singular and remarkable creation by an artist who continues to amaze me. The problems I have with the packaging and format are quickly forgotten when I pick the deck up again and experience the absolute joy of each and every card. I can only hope that in the coming years Ms. Pui-Mun Law will elect to have the deck re-published in a way that truly capitalizes on the stunning artwork she has created.

I pre-ordered this deck on Amazon in December and it arrived 2 days ago. I'm absolutely blown away by the artistry, imagery, detail and sheer beauty. The longer you look at each card, the more you see. Each is an "a-ha" moment (look at the death card). Moreover, while there are a few cards that I do not love in the deck, there is not one card I actively dislike. Unheard of!

This deck hit me in my gut. It takes the traditional images--many of which have never spoken to me--and modifies them into something that I can whole-heartedly relate to. I have found my personal deck and I am thrilled.

Addendum:

I've now had this deck for over a year. I felt an instantaneous connection that is still there and the images speak to me like no other deck. HOWEVER. Being over 50, the details in the cards are hard to see...even with my glasses. I'd like to say that it is not an issue, but it has been. Sometimes I have to refer to images from her website on my large monitor to fully appreciate the card. Not something you want to do in the middle of a reading.

If this deck was to ever be reissued in a larger scale, I would be first in line.

Unfortunately Llewellyn (publisher company) screwed up with the size, the art is so godly beautiful and even thou the cards ended up too small, its a standard size like Mystic Dreamer tarot... but since the imagery is so detailed some cards are hard for you to see everything, it should have gone with Druidcraft tarot size cards.. Besides that, its NOT Hardcover.. I just got mine this week and the companion book that comes with is not hardcover, its paperback... moreover, a deck of this quality should come with an Organdy Pouch or Velvet bag too.

Anyway, the deck is so awesome and it's deep art is so full of meaning that Im giving it 5 stars anyway... just hope some time in the future Llewellyn makes another version with those lackings covered.

When I began to become interested in tarot, mostly as a "parlor" trick for parties, I purchased a nice "practice" deck, and a couple of books. I'm still a green novice, but I feel like I have purchased the ULTIMATE tarot deck. I connect with the artist, who spent 6 years creating this deck, and I also connect with the art on a high level. I am beginning to see how the tarot deck is less of a fortune-telling device, and more of a guidance tool.

I've been keeping up with the progress of this deck for years, and have even gone so far as to buy cross-stitch charts of many of them (from Heaven and Earth Designs) AND I bought the hardcover major arcana art book directly from Shadowscapes.

I've looked through the deck and book a bit, and am quite pleased with them. :) The cards have a narrow silver border, which manages to frame the images nicely without distracting from them, which is great. The images look even better in card form than they do on the computer -- crisper, higher contrast, and that silver border gives them an extra touch of depth. Granted, they're also smaller, but I would have a hard time using cards much larger than these, so I think the size is a good compromise. The book has a good amount of information on each card, although they specifically didn't include reversal meanings... I like reversals, in general, but that's still not a major drawback to me.

The only thing, really, that makes me say this set is NEARLY perfect, instead of spot on, is the lack of a properly-sized box or bag for the cards. Of course, there are tons of bags and such available for purchase now, all over the place, but it's annoying to not get a tailored storage solution with a set as beautiful as this.

I've been waiting for this deck for about a month now and I have to say, it was definitely worth each and every moment of anticipation. I'm a Tarot enthusiast and I have over thirty decks at the moment, but this deck is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. It is absolutely breathtaking. The images of each card are layered with such intricate detail and color, and each card simply begs quiet contemplation and introspection. There is a very calm and peaceful feel to this deck and you can almost sense the labor of love the artist put into them.

Flipping through the cards initially, there was an immediate connection to them, on a visceral, natural, elemental, and intuitive level. To me, it's a personal deck; a deck meant to be used for personal readings only, but that's just me. I took one look at them and said to myself, "I'm not sharing these with anyone!" :) On the other hand, I'm quite certain they could be used in readings for others; but if you do, I think it would behoove you to allow the person requesting the reading to handle them, to form a connection to them and to the imagery of the deck, because it's a very intuitive deck.

And my final word on them is but one: Stunning!

For years, I've subscribed to artist Stephanie Pui-Mun Law's Newsletter. I would check on her website every month or so, eager to see the most recent cards she completed in the Shadowscapes Tarot project.

Stephanie's luminous renderings of billowing fabric, metallurgical inscriptions, unfurling wings, fractal mosaics and delicate creatures enticed me to return repeatedly, almost as if the fantasy world of Shadowscapes spun gossamer, seductive webs that never let me forget this momentous project.

When I discovered that the Shadowscapes Tarot would descend into the material world spring 2010, I was ecstatic. I placed my order on Amazon, counting the days when I'd finally hold this much-anticipated deck in my hands.

Finally, the box set arrived. I began looking through the Shadowscapes Tarot, not wanting to gulp it down too hurriedly.

Card by card I went...my heart sinking as I made my way further into the deck. Don't get me wrong, Stephanie's lovely artwork was a joy to behold; even the pearlescent lavender borders were pretty. But the gorgeous pictures I saw on her website...they were so shrunken for this deck, that much of the detailing was lost.

Oh, sure, I turned to the 253-page companion book to compare the card against its full-page grayscale image (and believe me, I had to do it more than once because I couldn't make out some of the details on the actual card)...but what fun is that?

My mind went to the large, glossy, sturdy cards from decks OTHER than Llewellyn...those of Blue Angel Gallery in Australia (Oracle of Shadows and Light, Mythic Oracle of the Ancient Greek Pantheon, Oracle of the Dragonfae, et. al.), Schiffer Books, Hay House, etc. What any of THOSE publishers could have done for the Shadowscapes Tarot...*sigh* Heck, even the box cover design is washed out!

It broke my heart.

My husband is an artist and I KNOW how excruciating it can be to paint 78 separate images, especially on large canvases. And Stephanie Pui-Mun Law's artwork DESERVED special treatment, as far as I'm concerned. But rather than pulling out all the stops for this artist, we Tarot enthusiasts are left with the typical Llewellyn sized 4 ½ x 2 ¾ inch cards (approximately) of rather flimsy cardstock.

I've tried to read with the Shadowscapes Tarot and, most times, the imagery just doesn't speak to me (maybe because I can't see most of it!). A few minutes ago, I thought I'd give this deck another go, and asked "Where should I invest my energy tonight?" I pulled the Four of Pentacles and the dragon guarding (eating) the coin did confirm what I was feeling (now was a good time to conserve energy and "chew on" some of the wisdom I had received recently).

I thought I'd consult the companion book to see what Stephanie said of this card (why Barbara Moore is credited on this project is beyond me; from what I read in the book, she only contributed a few pages in the beginning...the usual general introduction to Tarot), but was disappointed yet again.

You see, I tried reading the companion book straight through, and although Stephanie is a superb writer and storyteller (which surprised me; I didn't realize she had writing chops, too), I felt her interpretations were too black and white. There were no reversed meanings, which are fine, but there was little balance to the cards: they were either all bad or all good.

Case in point, here's what a portion of the Four of Pentacles says: "No one shall touch it; no one shall steal it from him! `Mine!' he hisses up to his tiny cousins who come creeping up to see...`My gold!' he declares. He knows the chameleons are watching with lustful eyes from above. He knows they are waiting for a moment of weakness to slip in and take...The Four of Pentacles embodies a possessive spirit, one who wants always to be in control...He is obstructive, in denial of his own weaknesses, chained by those very weaknesses. He is a miserly and miserable being..."

Yikes...that's limiting. Sure, this card can be the "miser" card--but it can be so much more, too (like guarding what one has earned or keeping energy in reserve). So in my opinion, newcomers to Tarot are going to be sorely disadvantaged if they try to learn with the Shadowscapes Tarot--because of both the imagery and the companion book.

Unfortunately, the Shadowscapes Tarot will go on my shelf as a seldom-used (probably never-used) art deck. The original stunning imagery is now much too small for contemplation, let alone actual reading. And although Stephanie writes with poetic prose, it doesn't add any breadth or depth to Tarot archetypes (but I could certainly see this deck and book as more of an oracle).

I'm so disappointed, and I truly feel sorry for Stephanie. If you're familiar with her art and would like to own it in the form of a deck, then by all means purchase the Shadowscapes Tarot. However, in the event you HAVE been spoiled by the large online images as I have, you may very well end up saddened, too.

-- Janet Boyer, author of Back in Time Tarot

(To see 18 images from the ShadowScapes Tarot, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

i think this is the most beautiful tarot set ever, i only found one problem it says hardcover when you buy it, but its not. i was a little dissappointed that its not hard cover. Although i have to say, the beauty of this tarot set is so incredible and mystifying. i do think they should change to label for the item though its not hard cover and it comes with a tarot deck and it should say that too.