Twilight Realm - A Tarot of Faery

Hahahaha...Rodney, I really enjoyed your write-up. Thank you.

This deck has been on my wishlist for a while now. There's something about the black borders that is so eye catching, isn't there?

Once I get a copy, perhaps I can help you figure out who those Kings look like.

rwcarter said:

[*]Magician - looks like the bad guy from some action movie
[*]Sun - the two little girls look like old women
[*]3 Cups - the 3 women look like they should be a Country/Western trio
[*]Page Cups - looks like an old man's face on a baby mer-person's body
[*]Princess Cups - looks like a society lady getting ready for a night out
[*]Queen Cups - looks like a cross between Bonnie Tyler (80's singer) and a female wrestler
[*]Queen Rings - reminds me of Shannon (?) from As The World Turns (back in the late 80's/early 90's?)
[*]King Swords - reminds me of an actor, but I can't quite put my finger on which one. I don't think it's Robert Downey Jr., but it might be
[*]7 Wands - the woman looks like Stacey London (?) from What Not To Wear (US version)
[*]King Wands - also looks like an actor who I can't place[/list]

Rodney

Click to expand...

Hahaha! You're so right about the Magician, and definitely more of a trickster feel than a Magic Man.
I kind of like the 2 little girls in the Sun card-- it's just stage lighting that casts shadows.
3 of Cups -- definitely country music, or selling barbeque.
Page Cups -- no, he just looks very Irish to me, perhaps will grow to like a good pint.
Princess Cups - bad disco prom night.
Queen Cups -- what happened in Vegas should have stayed in Vegas.
Queen Rings - Sandra Bullock after the Oscars finding out about SO.
King Swords- Tom Cruise trying to be Torquemada of the Spanish Inquisition.
King Wands - Jeff Bridges? On Viagara?
7 Wands - Stacey maybe, but I love the Rumplestilskin analogy.

Addenda

Also tending to see the following:
Princess Rings - Lauren Bacall as Lady MacBeth.
Queen Swords - Maryann from Gilligan's Isle, picking nose with sword.
King Rings - Jim Morrison at his height of shenanigans.
Page Swords - Snape
The Empress - Housewives of Beverly Hills
The Emperor - just scored some rad weed. He rules!

But I second all the great things you said about the deck, and add some more favorites:
The Hierophant -this is perhaps my most favorite Hierophant of all the decks I've ever seen! It's sweet and wise woman under a full moon, using her staff to tap the fairy mound and call all the fairies out for higher learning. Love it!
Wheel of Fortune - Fairy Ring, of course.
3 Wands and Page Wands are beautiful child fairies.
Temperance and The World cards - just got to place them side by side! Amazing!
3 Swords - Anguish of the dragon having to guard its treasure while the mate flies away. Well done.
And I love The Hermit card for too many reasons to enumerate.
If you read for the public (who tend to like big cards they can see) this deck should truly entertain them. I'd like to say "enchant" but those cards we mentioned as kinda weird may bring up plenty of shadow stuff. Certainly is never a dull read!

Apologies

Apologies to the artist about the character comments. Obvious painstaking talent was applied to each card, and also an obvious labor of love for those people represented. I should be so lucky as to get a portrait from such an artist.
It must be the wee ones, influencing us with all their falderal and mischief!

There was a thread somewhere because a week or so ago I wrote up a kind of wordy reaction of mine to the deck, too, but I don't remember what the thread was called.

Like you, Rodney, I'm very positively impressed with this deck and think it's a very readable, refreshing deck of its kind. I love using it. I wish my hands weren't having so much trouble shuffling it because I do like using it. That's not to say it's hard to shuffle---just that it's hard for me to shuffle because of arthritic problems with my hands as I grow older.

Thanks for the great review of it. I hope the creator has great success with sales of it and that it stays in print for a long time.

I even think the box is a gem---very, very nice.

Oh, and coming back to add that, even though I don't recognize famous people in any of the cards, that little Page of Rings is a portrait of my youngest grand-daughter when she was little! Couldn't be more so if it had been intentionally done!

here's the thread. It was under Twilight RealmS!

I saw this deck on Saturday and was briefly on the fence. But soooooo expensive. I can justify any expense for tarot but this one really made me drop it like a hot potato. I also had a squint at the cards on the box and wasn't overly impressed.

I bought another Thoth instead...

But I always love your reviews, Rodney, and respect your tastes. You always make me go back and take another look at the decks you like...

Moderator Note

The two threads have been merged into one and retitled.

Hi, from the author of the deck

Hi, I'm Beth Wilder, author of The Twilight Realm: A Tarot of Faery.
I just wanted to make myself available to anyone who might have some questions about my deck, and I wanted to thank everyone who posted such nice comments about it.

Hi Beth,

Welcome to Aeclectic! You made a wonderful deck!

Rodney

Thank you -- I appreciate that!