Deck Review: Tarot at the End of the Rainbow

Davide Corsi (artist) and Jaymi Elford (writer), Tarot at The End of the Rainbow. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo. ISBN: 978-0738770864. (Link to Llewellyn, the US distributor.)

Genre: Tarot deck

Subgenre: fantasy, Celtic

Format: 78-cards deck with a little white book

Source: I own this one

 

I first used this deck in March 2023. The deck comes in a tuck box with a little white book (LWB). The LWB is the standard Lo Scarabeo booklet in multiple languages: English, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. The LWB has 63 pages of content, 22 for the English content. 

Strength-VIII card

The LWB includes a short introduction describing the deck's concept of fantasy and rainbows. You then get the card meanings. Each card meaning includes a description of the card, keywords, and reversed keywords. One thing I found is the card description can be used as an alternative text if you post photos of the cards on social media or somewhere online. The descriptions are concise and useful. The keywords are basic and helpful, especially for beginners. Can you read the cards without the LWB? Probably yes, especially if you are an advanced reader. I would still keep the LWB handy. For example, if you are not sure what one of the fantasy creatures are in a card, the LWB tells you. Finally, the LWB includes an 8-cards spread for the deck: the Rainbow Spread, a spread "to look at things from different points of view" (21). Overall, the LWB has just enough information to get you going. 

The cards are the main reason to get this deck. If you enjoy decks with a fantasy and/or Celtic theme, this can be a deck for you. This is also a deck for lovers of forests and woods. Art is beautiful and colorful. It's a fantasy theme in a realistic style. All cards integrate a rainbow in the art somehow. The cards feature a variety of creatures including leprechauns, fairies, centaurs, and trolls among others. The art falls well within Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tradition. It is very colorful and rich in detail, expressive of emotions, so it can work well for intuitive readers. These are really beautiful cards to look at and read for yourself and others. 

Seven of Pentacles card

The cards measure about 4 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches. The cards are borderless on three sides. The bottom border identifies the card. The Major Arcana are identified by Roman numerals. Minor Arcana are identified by Arabic numerals and symbol of suit. Court cards are identified by court symbol and suit symbol. There are no card changes from traditional names. The card back art is reversible. 

Overall, this is an excellent deck with great art. It is a deck that can make you smile. It can work great for spring season, but you can definitely use it year round. For me this is one of the most beautiful decks in my collection. It reads very well and works reliably. This deck is a pleasure to look over and use. I would add it can be a family friendly deck you can use with any audience. This is a deck I am glad to have in my collection; I would get a back up copy for it. I highly recommend it. Fans of Davide Corsi's art will enjoy this one. 

5 out of 5 stars.