Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #162086 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-31
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Cards

Features

• ISBN13: 9781572815605
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Would have been 5, if the High Priestess Card was not smudged
These cards grabbed my attention from the moment I saw the samples on a eclectic tarot and pre-ordered it from Amazon. I received it last night and could not wait to have a good look at all of the cards. To my disappointment, the High Priestess Card had a smudge on her face and neck. I checked the cover to see if that kind of shading was on purpose and it wasn't.

The set comes with the deck, the small booklet with the basic meanings of the cards and some spreads and a wall chart with the Celtic Cross spread on it. Thankfully the box is not huge like some other sets, which in my opinion is a waste of paper.

I love the artwork in this deck, I can not really explain why it just holds my attention and I am sure I am going to love reading with them. The predominate colours in this deck are the purple/grey on the box, deep yellow, burgundy, and dark blue/grey. All of the colors have a water coloured feel to them. In saying this, it is still a very vibrant deck. The back of the cards have a beautiful rose. The size of the cards is a little larger than a playing deck (same as the Rider Waite) There is little nudity, for those who are conscious of that.

All in all a great deck

BB Ethony*

Eh, not as great as I'd hoped
Don't get me wrong, the deck is lovely. I enjoy the artwork. It is (as some have already said) based heavily on the RWS paintings by Pamela Coleman Smith, so for anyone familiar with that deck, this one should be readable fresh out of the box.

My problem comes when I see the blank expressions in the characters' faces. I feel no emotion from this deck at all. To me, it comes across as pretty for pretty's sake. Nothing new, nothing innovative. The High Priestess seems petulant to me, instead of knowledgeable. I keep thinking that she looks like a bored 15 year old instead of a wise, mysterious woman.

If you are a beginner and want to have a pretty deck to work with, this will probably be great for you.

If you are an advanced reader and are looking for something with a bit more substance... keep looking.

If you just love the style of the artwork, try getting the Wiccan Cards first, they have much more personality.

Soft, Muted Tones Based on the RWS
"For centuries, Tarot cards have offered insights into universal human experiences, and guidance for personal spiritual journeys. Fenestra Tarot, named after the Latin word for `window', was created to provide new perspectives, or windows, for Tarot interpretation." - From the LWB

When I first saw a few images from the Fenestra Tarot deck online, I found the soft images arresting and attractive. I was looking forward to buying this deck, and finally got it a few weeks ago.

Well, I'm loathe to say that I'm quite disappointed with this deck. The displayed images from The Fenestra Tarot deck that I viewed online were NOT representative of the whole, in my opinion. Instead, I feel the deck is much heavier on the yellow and rust colorings--with the richer blue and green hues gracing only a few of the cards.

The Majors are framed by not only a filigreed pattern, but also a stylized infinity symbol with roses placed at the bottom. This means that the image itself measures only about 3 ¼ x 2 ¼ inches! The Minors are a bit more expansive because of a simpler frame, with the actual image measuring about 3 ¾ x 2 ¼ -- but the frame still takes up a good portion of the card.

The muted tones in the Fenestra Tarot are lovely--acrylic on paper with soothing watercolor tones--so if you enjoy decks that hearken back to simpler days, you may find the deck perfect for your needs.

It's disappointing that U.S. Games has imprinted their copyright on the card backings, rendering the pretty reversible spiraled rose motif virtually useless.

The LWB (Little White Book) provides admirable upright and reversed card meanings, but that's about *all* it provides. Although the Fenestra Tarot comes in a larger box, it's wasted packaging: there's *another* smaller box encasing the actual deck, the LWB, and large illustrated pull-out on Reading Tarot Cards with the 10-card Celtic Cross spread that U.S. Games includes in its box sets.

Thai artist Chatriya Hemharnivibul has done an admirable job of melding Japanese influence (such as Manga) with Art-Decoesque arches and classical lines. It's just a little too bland for my tastes--and I would have liked to be able to see more of the actual images rather than the decorative borders hogging the spotlight.

Because the Fenestra Tarot is patterned after the Rider-Waite-Smith (including the Page, Knight, Queen, and King rendering), it's a very readable deck. I just wasn't able to get much from it beyond the card associations in my head, as opposed to being able to cull intuitive insights and inventive stories derived from rich symbolism or animated portrayals as can be done with some decks.

(To see 10 images from this deck, 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)