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Necronomicon Tarot by Donald Tyson

Necronomicon Tarot - the box While I am not a practitioner of tarot, I am most certainly a fan of anything related to Lovecraft and the mythos. In particular, I enjoy lovecraft inspired artwork because it is a subject that lends itself very well to visual interpretation. It is for this reason that I was very happy to be contacted about reviewing the Necronomicon Tarot.

(click on any image for a larger view)

The Necronomicon Tarot was created by prolific modern occult author Donald Tyson, and illustrated by fantasy artist Anne Stokes, whose work has been featured on products from Wizards of the Coast, creator of the popular card game Magic: The Gathering. The deck is produced by Llewellyn Worldwide, a New Age publisher founded in 1901 that produces a wide range of books on such subjects as astrology, magick, paganism, and much more.

What’s Inside?

Necronomicon Tarot - inside the box Upon opening the box, I was pleasantly suprised to find not only the deck, but a bag, and a 200+ page book.

The book, Secrets of the Necronomicon, starts off with an introduction by the author which gives some background information, such as how the cards tie into the mythos, and specific features of the deck. Not having much experience with tarot, I found this very informative. The book itself is very well organized, and contains the following chapters: Necronomicon, Cthulhu Mythos, Correspondences, Trumps, Court Cards, Number Cards, and Divination.

Necronomicon Tarot - Secrets of the Necronomicon The Necronomicon and Cthulhu Mythos chapters give the reader some insight into the author’s interpretation of the mythos, and set the stage for the interpretation of the cards themselves, which are individually listed with detailed information on each, including a description, as well as meanings. I cannot imagine a more complete companion to this deck.

Necronomicon Tarot - the deck As for the deck itself, I was very pleased. The quality of the printing and attention to detail rate very high, and the artwork itself shows that Anne truely has talent for capturing the spirit of the mythos while adding her own style to each card. The themed cards (wands, cups, swords, etc..) fit together extremely well, while still being very unique. Each card is backed with an image of a tentacled monstrosity – quite fitting indeed. Overall I am very impressed with the artwork used for this deck. A semi-translucent bag for the deck is also included, which is a nice touch.

Summary

This beautiful, well thought out set would be a perfect addition to any collection – whether you collect tarot decks, mythos inspired art, or both! I would certainly recommend this set to fans of Lovecraft and the mythos, regardless of whether or not they are into tarot, as the artwork itself makes this a wonderful item to have.

Details

  • Necronomicon Tarot by Donald Tyson
  • Illustration by Anne Stokes
  • Includes 200+ page book, 78 card deck, and bag
  • ISBN: 0-7387-1086-5
  • Ordering Information

    This entry was posted on Sunday, August 12th, 2007 at 5:09 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

     

    24 Responses to “Necronomicon Tarot by Donald Tyson”

    1. neonchris Wrote:

      As an experienced tarot reader and a certified cthulhu-crazy I can’t wait to get my hands on this… is there any where I can get a full breakdown of how they’ve translated the tarot via the mythos?… at first sight it strikes me that although “the lovers” might have very unsettling implications, it does actually relate to the Kabbalah and the card’s position on the tree of life perhaps more accurately than a lot of contemporary decks in the sense of the deep one being a symbol/motif of sephiroth binah, something a lot of Lovecrafts manifestations refer to either directly or indirectly…

    2. Decadence Wrote:

      I am impressed with this. I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in Tarot reading, but I do like the layout, and plan to own one of these just to have it. The review was informative, and the shots you posted were clear and showed the texture well.

    3. Aleister Wrote:

      Glad you liked the review πŸ™‚

    4. Rodr-Evil Wrote:

      Awesome, I want one!

    5. Odin2 Wrote:

      I want a deck!

    6. Rodr-Evil Wrote:

      I want two!

    7. Odin Wrote:

      I just ordered a set from Borders books!
      It arrives in about 10 days.

    8. Jess Wrote:

      I have no interest for tarot decks and all this stuff. But I liked the pictures. I think, this set is a piece of art. So, I have decided to get one.

    9. tragedy Wrote:

      I bought and used the deck. It is very well tied to the mythos and tarot. The meanings of the cards translated as such are much more effective, I feel, than others I have used. Five stars.

    10. krakenten Wrote:

      Tyson, if I’m not mistaken, did one of the Necronomicons that are floating around.

    11. Ulvblod ov Fenrir Wrote:

      As soon as I saw this deck, I bought it. It was well worth it and I am glad that I did. I have been using tarot for well over eight years and I was impressed with the imagery and symbolism in the deck. As with any deck (especially buying a new one), there are a few differences in interpretation and it is like wearing new shoes. Since I have spent time with this deck, I have enjoyed working with the deck and its unique imagery.

    12. Stace Wrote:

      I love this deck, and will have to make it my next purchase.

    13. Nyarsetna Wrote:

      I have a few Tarot decks but this is my absolute favourite. As described above, the artwork is of a very high standard and the attention to detail makes this one of the best collections of Lovecraft inspired artwork available today.
      If you dont own one, Get One Now!

    14. Tarot Reader Joy Wrote:

      I do tarot readings and i have never seen a Necronomicon Tarot Card at all.. i hope it looks great as I love seeing different types of tarot card decks.

    15. Brian Wrote:

      Im from Peru, i just got one three days ago and ive started to read it already, ive got a connection with the tarot, more than others i have with… thnks..!! xD

    16. Tarot Lady Wrote:

      I’ve seen alot of decks in my time but I’ve never come across this deck before. The presentation of the set sounds delightful, especially as it comes with a nice pouch. Although we can’t see the illustrations clearly in the oics I did Google it and found some. I’d very much like to add these to my collection.

    17. tarotcardmeanings Wrote:

      What a lovely deck! Many thanks for the write up.

    18. E St.Grey Wrote:

      There has been a Lovecraft deck before, The Dark Grimoire Deck. Good deck, dark artwork. Tyson’s is fantastic as well. Great artwork and the symbolic references are nice.

    19. psychicjim Wrote:

      Now tarot gets interesting. The nice deck is on my to get list.

    20. wolf354 Wrote:

      Interesting cards and nonsense Tarot … just look at the Sun card … too dumb to take it seriously.

    21. Carlton Celia Wrote:

      This is a really good blog. I’ve been back many times within the last week and want to sign up for your rss feed using Google but cannot find out the best way to do it precisly. Would you know of any sort of instructions?

    22. Fluffy283 Wrote:

      I have a Necronomicon Tarot deck. I love it to pieces, I don’t like having all the answers staring me in the face. Makes me think πŸ™‚ Yes, Tyson did write a version of the Necronomicon. In the book that comes with the deck it gives information on how to order Necronomicon. It is a very good book and I love how it compliments the deck.

    23. Stellares Wrote:

      I bought this deck and it is not for the beginner. A lot of what the deck says is weaved in with the other cards making traditional readings complicated. The true reading should be a self interpretation, not so much the book. But if you have a strong scene of the spiritual realm, this is a great Tarot deck

    24. Lucas Wrote:

      http://www.alhilal.com
      I have a Necronomicon Tarot deck. I love it to pieces, I don’t like having all the answers staring me in the face. Makes me think πŸ™‚ Yes, Tyson did write a version of the Necronomicon. In the book that comes with the deck it gives information on how to order Necronomicon. It is a very good book and I love how it compliments the deck.

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