Le Fanu
I received this deck today - after being on the fence for a few weeks - and I have to say I really rather like it and am very glad I bought it. It is more cohesive than Id expected from posts and I think it will be very readable. Definitely one of the more impressive of recent LoS releases. I think this and the Celtic Fairies are the best LoS releases of 2010 (are there any more iminent?)
It is more RWS than Id expected too, though the LWB hardly leads you to think that as there are some quite odd/ overly specific meanings. Take this;
"2 of Pentacles; Wise and calculated risks lead to business deals, advantages and unions. The threat lies in stagnation, in gambling and indecision."
However, overall, I have to say I find the deck very, very appealing. It feels like a proper old dark and mysterious tarot deck which may very well not deign to yield its secrets. The cards all have the traditional LoS borders and titles in 6 languages, except Death which only has XIII on it. I like that nod to traditionalism.
I have come to the conclusion that Michele Penco is one of my favourite artists working for lo Scarabeo. I love the Dark Grimoire and I think I like this more as it isn't so obviously anchored to a particular theme. Penco's artwork has a density, a gloominess & spookiness about it which I like enormously, so dark and detailed and shaded, with odd beasts lurking in the corners, desolate pathways and brooding clouds. The heavy shading makes such a nice change IMO to the light, sketchy pastel style of some other LoS artwork.
The Majors are - for me - quite RWS, the Minors less so, but I still think it seems readable to me (it was my reservation and I pressed Hearthcricket further on this!) Many cards take place on a stage, with curtains & stage-sets, as if these are scenes with travelling minstrels or recitals, and there is a lot of reading and looking at maps and diagrams throughout. Perhaps deciphering is the hidden theme here. I love how Death sweeps a curtain aside for us to peer behind the fabric of daily life and see the comets and meteors beyond.
I like this deck, love the autumnal hues. It has a distinct atmosphere. That's what I like to see in a deck, a coherent atmosphere or voice. I don't think I'd immediately get the 2012 theme to be honest, but the title is immaterial (am I allowed to say that?). Put it in a bag, toss the box and you can make the deck whatever you want it to be. For me it has just the right amount of darkness and strangeness to feel like a proper tarot deck, how I expect my tarots to look.
It is more RWS than Id expected too, though the LWB hardly leads you to think that as there are some quite odd/ overly specific meanings. Take this;
"2 of Pentacles; Wise and calculated risks lead to business deals, advantages and unions. The threat lies in stagnation, in gambling and indecision."
However, overall, I have to say I find the deck very, very appealing. It feels like a proper old dark and mysterious tarot deck which may very well not deign to yield its secrets. The cards all have the traditional LoS borders and titles in 6 languages, except Death which only has XIII on it. I like that nod to traditionalism.
I have come to the conclusion that Michele Penco is one of my favourite artists working for lo Scarabeo. I love the Dark Grimoire and I think I like this more as it isn't so obviously anchored to a particular theme. Penco's artwork has a density, a gloominess & spookiness about it which I like enormously, so dark and detailed and shaded, with odd beasts lurking in the corners, desolate pathways and brooding clouds. The heavy shading makes such a nice change IMO to the light, sketchy pastel style of some other LoS artwork.
The Majors are - for me - quite RWS, the Minors less so, but I still think it seems readable to me (it was my reservation and I pressed Hearthcricket further on this!) Many cards take place on a stage, with curtains & stage-sets, as if these are scenes with travelling minstrels or recitals, and there is a lot of reading and looking at maps and diagrams throughout. Perhaps deciphering is the hidden theme here. I love how Death sweeps a curtain aside for us to peer behind the fabric of daily life and see the comets and meteors beyond.
I like this deck, love the autumnal hues. It has a distinct atmosphere. That's what I like to see in a deck, a coherent atmosphere or voice. I don't think I'd immediately get the 2012 theme to be honest, but the title is immaterial (am I allowed to say that?). Put it in a bag, toss the box and you can make the deck whatever you want it to be. For me it has just the right amount of darkness and strangeness to feel like a proper tarot deck, how I expect my tarots to look.
Looks very cool!