Victorian Steampunk Tarot

Not to be confused with the Steampunk Tarot.

This one was a Christmas gift, and it was yet another deck I hadn't heard of. But it's lovely, made of interesting composite images. The cards are somewhat large in size but flexible enough that it's not a problem to shuffle them despite their size. Comes in a great box that you can keep to store the deck and accompanying booklet, too.

Major Arcana on top, Minor Arcana below

I will say a friend of mine who is a graphic designer and very visual didn't much care for the minor arcana in this deck because there aren't visual cues to the meanings of the cards. In the Victorian Steampunk Tarot, the suits are Dragonflies (Cups), Bees (Swords), Moths (Wands), and Beetles (Pentacles). And while there are cups, swords, wands (or, really, torches), and coins on the cards along with the silhouettes of the insects, there isn't much else. So if you don't know the 2 of Cups is a card about union or attraction, then the card isn't going to help you.

But there is a handy guide, and I actually really like the layout of the manual, which is less detailed than some but also much more interesting in some ways. For one thing, it gives a list of which cards in this deck are yes, no, or neutral. And it gives instructions for a yes-or-no reading. Also instructions for a 2-card reading that I really like.

And I do like the artwork. That same graphic designer friend mentioned it was somewhere between Dave McKean and Monty Python, but that's not a bad thing. There is both weight and whimsy here, largely depending on the card. And this mostly pertains to the Major Arcana, but I also like the tone of the minor cards as well.

I got along with these cards almost immediately, so I may be biased. But it is quickly becoming one of my favorite decks to work with.