Customer Reviews

Universal Fantasy Tarot (English and Spanish Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're a Tarot deck collector, this deck is a must-own!! The artwork is original and stunning. The colors are not vivid/bright like some decks, but somewhat muted, fitting in nicely with the medieval time period.

From the little white book enclosed with the deck: "Ancient symbols are reinterpreted, using the imaginary world of Fantasy literature. Every icon refers to a universe where elements of the medieval world merge with others that belong to myth and fantasy, taking on new meanings, but maintaining ancient content and symbolism."

The magical fantasy creatures---dragons, elves, winged horses, giant mice and even a huge winged snail (6 of chalices)---bring to mind Tolkien's worlds. The deck itself is an enitre new realm to delve into. Imagination rules!!!!!

I was immediately drawn to the Strength card which pictures an elegant, stately woman wearing a mauve/red gown petting a striking green dragon who is wrapped around her and appears to be leaning into her protectively and lovingly. Her hand rests gently on his head.

Many of the cards I found true to Rider-Waite's interpretations, but I would not recommend this deck for beginning Tarot readers. If you're a novice and buy this deck for readings, it could be confusing as some of the cards' meanings are ambiguous and the little white book isn't very detailed or clear on some cards. I always recommend a Rider-Waite type deck for those first coming into Tarot.

The four suits are Chalices, Wands, Swords and Pentacles.

To me, Tarot is a tool for opening my spirit to life's mysteries and wonder: 78 cards with pictures and symbols that are used for meditation by connecting me with my subconscious mind. This deck is a beautiful, enlightening addition to my collection.

"In these tarot cards created by Martinello, the ancient symbols are reinterpreted, using the imaginary world of Fantasy literature. Every icon refers to a universe where elements of the medieval world merge with others that belong to myth and fantasy, taking on mew meanings, but maintaining ancient content and symbolism." - From the LWB

When I saw some sample cards online from the Universal Fantasy Tarot, I was mesmerized. I loved the bold colors and unusual depictions--and felt confident that I would love this deck.

So I pre-ordered it through Amazon.com and when I got it in my hands, I was *blown away* at the stunning artwork on this deck! Truly, I haven't seen anything like it. Aesthetically speaking, I believe it to be the most beautiful deck I've ever seen. And my husband, and artist, agrees! He's fawned over the Universal Fantasy Tarot ever since it came in the mail. He even went so far to say that he feels most--if not all--of the cards in this deck could be framed and hung with pride in our living room.

I don't know about you, but when I hear the phrase "fantasy art", I tend to think of the gaudy, revealing covers of sci-fi paperbacks--or the half-nude She-Ra's entwined around the legs of a dragon ala artists like Boris Vallejo. (And let me tell ya, that ain't my idea of good art...)

So I was thrilled to discover that the Universal Fantasy Tarot features gorgeous jewel-tone hues, fantastical creatures, unusual elements (such as body armor comprised of a many-windowed castle!), and incredible detail work. Sumptuous, flowing garments swirl and cascade around bodies (the icy blue gown on the Queen of Swords is *amazing*!), and Martinello's re-interpretation of Tarot symbology is astounding.

For example, a huge, elongated headdress crowns The Empress--but it's supported by what looks to be a steel pole. When I first saw this image, I thought the headdress looked like a stylized brain (trust me--it's not gruesome!)...and how the "brain" and logic of The Emperor brings support and balance to the emotional subjectivity of The Empress.

When I saw the 6 of Cups--which features a winged creature that looks rather like a feathered snail, with two children atop its shell..."fishing" for a lost cup that fell in the water--I couldn't help but think "trying to retrieve something lost in the past". And the 9 of cups? A yawning dragon-like creature (clad in what looks to be a smoking jacket!) seems to stumble out of a hangover fog while nine lamps burn inside golden cups. Has this party animal been burning the midnight oil in a drunken indulgence, perhaps?

From the distressed Hanged Man suspended by a bird high above the Earth's atmosphere, to the elegant Knave of Chalices accompanied by an equally exotic companion (a floating, human-sized fish who breathes air!)--each dynamic image from the Universal Fantasy Tarot will draw you in, capture your imagination, spark intuitive insights, and enrapture you with its profound beauty.

Whether you're a deck collector or a storyteller, a Tarot reader or a journaling seeker, the Universal Fantasy Tarot will almost surely surpass your expectations--and make you thankful that you have eyes to behold it.

(Note: While it's easy for me to gush about this deck's beauty, I suppose I should include some minutia: the attractive, futuristic backs are fully reversible, the Minor Suits are Chalices, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles, and the Court Cards follow the Knave, Knight, Queen, and King rendering. And does it "read" well? You bet ya! I performed a few readings and they've been uncannily insightful.)

To see 10 images from the Universal Fantasy Tarot, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

While the Fantasy Tarot cards are a stunning collection of artwork, I am not going to be able use for any extended period of time due to their flimsy construction. By comparison to the other four decks that I consistantly use to read (Universal Waite, Robin Wood, World Spirit, Revelations), the cardstock the Fantasy Tarot is printed on is thin and easily bent. For everyday use, they just won't hold up.

Because of the complex depictions used, I would not recommend this deck for a beginner unless they felt particularly drawn to it.

To call this deck both ethereal and solid might seem a strange contradiction, but for me it is. The colors and forms are bright and vivid, they have a PESENCE while at the same time seeming to melt between this world and the next. It seems an inspired hand made them, and they inspire me. I've been reading casually for almost two years -- does that make me a beginner? -- and I feel as if I have "graduated" to this deck from the first that called to me (Hanson-Roberts). Since I started, I've only been able to read with "my" deck and even been hesitant about collecting others, but this one is staying.

I like how the designs are patterned after the traditional while adding their own style and flair and magic to each image. Echoes of what I feel to be the primary guiding symbols and structure (the choreography of each, if you will) are present in each card -- close enough to Rider-Waite for me to be able to stick to my understanding (and the book I use!), and far enough to feel more free and deeper to the subconscious in the reading. Probably what would be called an ideal intermediate deck. I absolutely love it.

This off the wall tarot is beautifully illustrated by Paolo Martinello. The paintings in these cards could have been taken from a fantasy themed comic book of extraordinary proportions. Martinello depicts a hifgly detailed fantasy world populated by mages with brocade robes, warriors with ornate armors, and all sort of fantasy creatures. This is indeed a Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot from a fantasy world.

The border in these cards is black, with numbers in yellow and letters in white. These are numbered at the top, and like many other cards from Lo Scarabeo, labeled on four languages at the top (English, Italian, Spanish, and French) and two at the bottom (German and Dutch).

The Major Arcana are numbered with roman numerals, starting at 0 with the Fool. These cards are based on the standard naming convention from the RWS tradition with one small exception:

X. Wheel of Fortune -> The Wheel

The imagery on these cards mostly follows the RWS convention as well but with some dramatic twits to fit the fantasy theme. For example, the woman in Strength stands besides an earth dragon. The man in The Hanged Man is hanging from the claws of an eagle. The water in Temperance is poured from flower to flower by the push of a fairy.

The suits on the Minor Arcana follow the standard imagery of swords, wands, cups and pentacles. These maintain the correspondence of air, fire, water and earth, respectively. The pips are numbered from 1 to 10 at the top, but the court are devoid of numbering as expected. The most interesting cards from the court are the Knights: the Knight of Wands rides a feathered lizard, the Knight of Swords rides a sword, the Knight of Cups is a centaur, and the Knight of Pentacles is a fairy folk riding a squirrel.

I like this deck with its over the top fantasy imagery, but I realize it may not be the kind of deck for everyone. However, if you like fantasy and love collecting tarot decks, you owe it yourself to take a look at this deck.

I love this deck. I did a lot of research on what I wanted before I bought one and this one stood out to me. The cards stand up well to wear. Great deck over all.

This deck totally blows me away. If you are familiar with fantasy imagery, and most people these days are, you will find a lot of interesting and new takes on old fantasy archetypes used many times before and makes them fresh and different.
For people who don't enjoy fantasy imagery, this may or may not be your thing. Look it up on the web and see if you like the images. Personally I think the artwork is some of the most amazing I've ever seen.

This deck is so vibrant, when I look at the images, the whole world inside it comes alive for me. These characters seem so real and deep, they will speak volumes if you let them. Many of the images aren't immediately connectable to traditional Rider-Waite symbolism and at first this may seem like a disadvantage. It may be to people familiar only with the Rider-Waite images, but if you spend some time with these cards you will find a rich palette of meaning that sometimes goes off in different directions from the Waite deck.
This is a good thing, though, because it allows for more intuitive reading as you use the images as a basis for your own inner exploration of the thoughts and feelings evoked by the cards.

If you are even mildly intrigued by this deck, I'd strongly reccommend picking it up for yourself. There isn't a single card that I don't like in this deck and that is rare for me.

At the end of the day, the more time you invest in studying these images and working with them, you will find one of the deepest and richest decks around.

I uploaded a few pictures of the card to help Amazon customers see if this deck is for them. I would describe the images as romantic, a detailed art nouveau style. Truly they look like someone's fantasy kingdom. I usually prefer simpler cards as I feel they allow any intuition to come forward more easily, but I enjoyed these cards. The cons is that the cardstock is thin and they have that narrow rectangle shape that some may or may not prefer. Lo Scarabeo has produced some interesting art-wise, off the beaten path decks, but so far my experience with their decks is the cardstock leaves something to be desired. I would not say this deck was off the beaten path, but the artwork has a lot of detail so keep that in mind when choosing as it will not work for some readers. The included booklet only has brief upright meanings, but basically if you just take the attitude that the reversals are simply blockages or less potent versions of the upright cards the lack of reversal explanations won't be an issue. I use my intuition and don't particularly follow the included book/booklet. I think you will know by the picture of the deck if this is for you or not.

I takes time to read with these for me, they are in the catagory of love them or hate them

The artwork is beautiful but I found the cards very difficult to read,
Its difficult to make out very quickly what each card is everything in the pictures seems to blend in, and the small writing in several languages its not immediately obvious what each card is. Because I don't like the cards I didn't have any success with trying to read them either. I guess the cards know I dont like them. Also a lot of of semi-naked women which I find too offensive to use for public readings. If I had been able to see a sample of the cards rather than just the box cover I would not have purchased them.