Review by Terri Clement
Deck of Heroes Tarot by Richard ShadowFox
published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd, www.schifferbooks.com
ISBN: 978-0-7643-4024-6
Whew! Is it getting warm in here?! Or is it just that the Deck of Heroes Tarot is filled with 78 hotties with naughty bodies? Romance novel meets Tarot. Rock hard, 6-pack abs, defined arms, chiseled thighs and romantic settings are what you will find in this spicy deck.
The Deck of Heroes Tarot is brought to us by Richard ShadowFox (co-creator of the ShadowFox Tarot) and Schiffer Publishing. It arrives in a small but very sturdy box, with a magnetic closure and ribbon pull and stays. The cards are not fully sealed in plastic, but the deck is held together by an inch wide plastic sleeve. It also comes with a 107-page small paperback book.
Conceptually the images follow the Rider-Waite-Smith system. Those who are familiar with the RWS will have no problem reading this deck straight out of the box. Those who are novice readers may need to spend some time studying the images, book and maybe even some comparison study with another RWS theme deck.
The Major Arcana are titled in a banner across the bottom of the card, along with a dark red flower and numbered with Hindu-Arabic numerals at the top. The Minor cards give the suit in the banner at the bottom (each with a specific colored flower for each suit), and are numbered in Hindu-Arabic at the top of the card. The suits are Cups (blue flower), Wands (lavender flower), Pentacles (dark green flower), and Swords (light green flower). The Courts are: King, Queen, Knight and Page. Strength is number 8 and Justice is number 11.
The cardstock is quite thick, but very flexible. With the added thickness of the deck, you will have to adapt your shuffling technique, if you are a riffle and bridge shuffler. The cards have a glossy lamination and fan beautifully. The cards measure 4 7/8” tall x 2 7/8” wide.
The cards have a ¼” black boarder with a pencil line gold frame around the images. Almost all of the images have very dark back grounds that blend into the border. The card backs are fully reversible with a kaleidoscope of lavender, blue and dark red flowers with gold symbols.
The digital images are beautiful and many do look like they could be book covers for romance novels. The use of color makes some of the images appear to pop out even though many the cards are very dark. Some might have trouble seeing some of them unless you have bright lighting.
The Star card features a man sitting on a stool on a balcony that overlooks water, under a night sky, with a first quarter moon rising. The man is gazing off in the direction of a planet and a very small star way off in the distance.
The Wheel of Fortune card has a dark haired man at the foot of stairs that lead up to a brightly colored gypsy wagon. There is a woman standing in the doorway, with one hand holding the door open and her other hand on her hip.
The Sun features a blond, shirtless man standing on the edge of a cliff. The sun is low in the sky behind him. He is positioned to look as if he is holding the sun in the palm of his hand.
The small companion book has a very nice Introduction, that explains the marriage between romance and the Tarot, which is the whole idea behind this deck. It also explains the importance of as a reader, being able to sit on both sides of the table as reader and querent. The book provides a brief interpretation for each card in the upright and reversed presentation. The Major Arcana is listed first, then the Minors, followed by the Court Cards. There are 3 spreads in the back of the book: a 3-card spread, the Celtic Cross and a Personality Spread.
The Deck of Heroes Tarot would make a good choice for the reader with some experience with the RWS and would be perfect for a girls’ night out or bachelorette party. It also might serve very useful for those who are looking for fresh writing ideas for character development.