Fairytale Tarot by Magic Realist Press at House of Tarot

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Submitted By: Scion on 02/15/2006
Magic Realist has done it again: created a deck that surpasses expectations AND sidestepped the saccharine pitfalls that its title might imply. The result is a witty Waite-Smith derivative that conveys complex truths within a simple structure... much like the folktales that have inspired it.

With ferocious intelligence, creators Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov have hunted down stories illustrative of all 78 cards... What\'s most interesting is the way each narrative creates symbolic resonance for the reader without a single glyph, sigil or whiff of esoterica. It stands to reason, folktales are the remnants of mythology and they are the stories we learn earliest. Most likely, many of these tales (from East, West and many points in between) will be new to you. Though I didn\'t have the companion book to review, I imagine the additional information and commentary would prove invaluable. (I\'ll be tracking down a copy pronto!)

The cleverness of the story correspondences cannot be overstated. I loved Bluebeard as the Knight of Swords, a connection which evoked secrets and wiles and danger and wisdom, in both figure and fable... Or The Sorcerer\'s Apprentice as the 10 of Wands: an ideal image for drudgery and for the ways that work can get away from you and take over your life. And most stunningly, the Nightingale and the Rose (piercing his heart and staining the bloom for love) for the anguish of the 3 of Swords. Brilliant. Haunting. Some of these correlations immediately changed the way I will see these cards in the future.

Practically, the card stock is slick and supple; the deck is an ideal size for shuffling and for viewing; and the reversible backs are a creamy nouveau filigree field bounded by light blue border of cherumbim and stylized flora. The depictions shimmer with color and movement. Each image is framed under a creamy arch held aloft by putti and titled at the bottom by a stylized storybook scroll... like a window into the story at hand.

Criticisms? I found some of Triskova\'s artwork overly-naive for the themes... it doesn\'t always live up to the sophistication of the deck\'s design. Also, the deck does presuppose knowledge of the Waite-Smith structure making it less suitable for absolute beginners. And though it\'s hardly a negative, some of the stories are obscure enough that connecting them to the image for reading purposes make the companion book almost compulsory...

This Tarot is a triumph of charm and insight. I\'ve always felt that the Whimsical Tarot was a missed opportunity. What a joy to find a story-based deck I can hand to children of any age to help them tell their own stories. Dazzling.

5 of 5 Stars!

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