I am writing this review having just taken the cards out of their packaging, and my first impressions are excellent. The cards are sturdy and well-finished, and shuffle like a charm. I must make a comment on the backs of these cards, which are simply beautiful. A starfield spreads out across a deep purple and black background, with a symmetrical pattern made up of butterflies, turtles and dolphins. Usually this kind of design winds me up, but this is gorgeous to look at.
The Minor Arcana are the modern Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles. The Major Arcana are altered slightly, resulting in The Magician as the 'Magus', The Devil as the 'Deceiver' and the World as the 'Universe'. Death, as in the Connolly Deck, is 'Transition'. In the (quite substantial) little book which comes with the deck each description of the Majors begins with a quote, some of which are inspiring in themselves (The High Priestess - "Your eyes are the depths of forever").We are also told the 'energy' each card possesses, its Hebrew letter, planet, animal and symbolism.
The deck is partially photographic, with the people shown sometimes real and sometimes painted. In this sense there is perhaps a small feeling of inconsistency, but the designs are so well-worked that it disappears on browsing through. There is some slightly dodgy Photoshop work (squashed faces are not uncommon) but this does not take away from the fact that the collages are stunning. I personally prefer the Minor Arcana over the Majors, probably because they are primirally photographic and show some amazing scenes. The Majors seem slightly 'flat' to me, but I imagine that they would appeal greatly to others.
The designs are awash with colour - the only thing that bothers me is that if a spread has lots of Cups in it then it becomes overwhelmingly purple. In fact, if I have to be honest, the purple thing gives me a bit of a headache. It is a relief to see a Sword or a Pentacle, as they generally have a better mixture of colours. I am not necessarily criticising the artwork, but lay out a few cards on the floor and you'll see what I mean!
Being a Connolly fan, this deck is perhaps a bit too busy for me. However, it is well-produced and researched and has wide appeal. I would be slightly wary of using this in a face-to-face reading, simply because the images can look a tad overbearing. But for anyone who knows the sort of cards I like, you probably know why I think this. If you like decks with lots of detail and variety, this is a good choice.
Highlights: 8 of Swords, Queen of Swords, Princess of Pentacles I didn't like: The Hierophant, 4 of Wands, those purple Cups!
