Charles Harrington and Craig Maher, Tarot of the Vampires. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2023. ISBN: 9780738766287. (link to publisher)
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| The Emperor-IV card |
The companion book, Codex of Vampires, is arranged as follows:
- Come away with me...in the night. A short introduction to the deck's concept.
- In the shadow of the vampire. A look at vampires in popular culture and how they can connect to Tarot.
- A (mercifully brief) history of Tarot. The author does keep it brief. He also reassures readers not to fear. He does encourage us to read and learn widely: "Various books, teachers, and your own observations will blend to help you accumulate your own storehouse of meanings over your lifetime" (8-9).
- A deck of shadows. A description of the deck's structure, which is well within the Rider Waite Smith (RWS), and how it incorporates vampires and their symbols. It has a note on interpreting the vampire court cards.
- Sinking your teeth into Tarot reading. Some brief instruction on how to read the cards.
- A ritual to bless your new deck. This is an optional step, but it is a nice touch. You can bless, or not, your deck. This ritual is designed especially for the deck. I may consider doing it later. If you choose to do the ritual set some time aside.
- Tarot spreads. In addition to suggesting doing a daily draw, you get four spreads. You also get a note on doing shadow work with the deck.
- A grimoire of meanings. Here are the card entries for the Major and Minor Arcanas. Each entry includes a full illustration of a card and a page of text describing the card, its symbols, and meanings. Reversed interpretations are included.
- The night is young...A short conclusion encouraging us to embrace the night and keep learning.
You get a lot of value in this book. The text is very easy to read. Esoterica is kept to a minimum. Harrington's writing draws you in to the world of vampires, a world that is closer than many realize. Can you read the cards without the book? I can read cards without a book, and you could read these without the book, but I still kept the book handy when working with the deck. The color illustrations are a nice detail that also brings value.
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| Seven of Cups card |
The art is very colorful and detailed. It feels immersive, and it draws you in. Colder colors predominate as vampires are creatures of the night, but you also find some bright and hot colors too. The expressive art can work well for intuitive readers. The art is well within the RWS system, so if you read within RWS you will do well. The art features some diverse elements.
The cards measure about 4 1/2 inches by 2 3/4 inches. Card stock is your standard Llewellyn thin card stock, flexible. It has a light glossy coating, but the cards slide and shuffle easily. Card back features a rose and a lilly, a nice bit of art. It is not reversible.
Overall this is a great deck, and it is a new favorite for me. If you like vampires and/or horror themed decks, I would say this is a must have deck. I am very happy to have it in my collection, and I would buy a back up copy. A great kit overall.
5 out of 5 stars.
This book and kit qualify for the following 2025 Reading Challenge:
2 comments:
Hey there, (guidebook author here). I just wanted to say thank you for your kind review of the deck and guidebook. A friend sent it my way.
It’s so encouraging to know how folks feel about the vampires and any author will appreciate such a thorough and thoughtful review. - Charles
Oh my goodness, thrilled you stopped by Charles. I love the book; also loved the one for the Tarot V. The whole opening of that small book really set the tone. Thanks for sharing your creation along with the artists. Paz y amor.
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