Donald Tyson's Necronomicon Tarot Kit

by Nick Pell on 2007-09-22 17:36:46

When I requested a copy of this from Llewelyn I told them that it was going to be more of a plug than a review. After receiving this very well-made deck complete with a “bag of holding” that would make a 13 year old goth girl jealous and a book explaining how this novelty Tarot deck is different from other novelty Tarot decks and here are some new spreads to prove it, I can confidently shill this product to you with the Dr. Benway seal of approval.

The color scheme is based on the Golden Dawn, but other than that this is a real departure from a standard “art” Tarot deck. Tyson explores Tarot as an adjunct to the Tunnels of Set on the Tree of Death. The whole presentation of the Tarot is very Nightside of Eden- these are the dark forces which underlie our physical existence. Tyson is no stranger to these entities having worked closely with both a PoMo Cthuloid current of his own making and also having been a formidable Enochian magus in a former life.

It’s a great working deck, particularly for scrying. I recommend taking the think for a test drive in Tarot tourism if you’re experienced, or chasing the Thoth deck with this if you’re doing intermediate studies. For divination, it can provide some pretty disturbing results but if you model Tarot as a way of seeing into the future so as to alter it this isn’t really a problem, in fact the deck can be considered quite useful because of this property.

The Good: Cthuloid monsters. Donald Tyson. An art deck that doesn't suck. The Bad: You're going to cry when you bend the corners shuffling the cards. Irritating conversations about whether or not the characters chosen accurately represent the spirit of the card. The Final Word: Donald Tyson is one of the premier practicing occultists around, but your love of this deck will be directly tied to your love of the Cthulu mythos. From Providence, RI, Nick Pell says BUY BUY BUY!

Llewelyn Publications $26.95 240pp.

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