Shadowscapes Tarot Deck Review

Deck Title – Shadowscapes Tarot
Creator/Artist – Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
Companion Book -  Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore
Publisher English version– Llewellyn 
Publisher Czech version - Synergie
Date published – 2011

Introduction

​It’s the wedding season and what better deck to reflect love, romance and floaty white dresses than the Shadowscapes Tarot. I can’t remember when I bought my original copy of this deck but it must be quite some time ago. The images are lovely and lead you into a wonderful fantasy land filled with handsome men and beautiful women and delightful creatures. That’s if you can see them. The biggest problem that I and from what I’ve read and heard, many people have had with the Shadowscapes is that the cards are so small, you can’t really see the images clearly. It’s not that the images are too busy, they’re just very detailed. If you’ve got great vision though, here’s what we’ve found with the Shadowscapes Tarot.

What’s Good?

• Beautiful imagery – with exceptional eyesight or a magnifying glass (yes I did buy one) the images on the cards are just lovely
• Colour – the colour scheme throughout the deck is gorgeous. There is an overall pastel feel. But there are some bright greens and blues and even a smattering of black here and there 
• The English language version has good satin finish card stock with reversible backs 
• The deck has shallow borders in silver and they do enhance the images. Although borderless may help readers to ‘see’ them better, these borders do not detract
• The card backs are reversible but there is no reversal guidance information in the companion book
• Companion Book – although the images are in greyscale they’re larger and it makes it so much easier to see the detail. The information is well-written and includes a description of what is happening in the fantasy world in each card and a divinatory meaning

What's Bad? 

Czech version, left, English version, right

Damage to the card backs, Czech version

• Size – if only they were Moonchild size (5"x3.5"). I bought the Czech version which is a little bigger. However…
• Card stock, Czech version – the gloss finish is not as easy to work with and when I received my deck (purchased as new) there was already damage to some of the card backs
• Gold edging, Czech version – although I like my cards to be edged, the shiny gold on these just doesn’t fit with the colour scheme. Now if the English version had matt silver edging to match the borders….
• Packaging, English version – when I purchased mine the flimsy card box held the deck and larger companion book and was just a waste of paper. The Czech version has a sturdy two-piece box with the guide book enclosed and is much better quality. And that’s fine if you speak Czech 

Favourite/Stand Out Cards

The Fool is standing on a platform made of three monkeys. One is holding a heart, one a red rose and the third a butterfly, representing body, spirit and soul. I didn't see this detail till I read the art book. The Empress is just beautiful. Orange roses and a basket full of butterflies. This image stands out, even to the myopic reader.

I love it when a deck shows the traditional meanings clearly but in a new way. The Five of Pentacles needs no explanation. The Six of Pentacles with its waterfall of gold coins gives us a "pennies from heaven" feel. We can see it nourishing the plant below.

I know the Shadowscapes is by no means the only deck that has a spider and web representing the Eight of Pentacles however the vibrant minty green colour in this card really helps it stand out and emphasises the importance of skill and natural talent. The beautiful green colours in the World card give an earthy feel but the threshold to the next level is represented in the portal to the starry blue skies. 

The deck has a very wedding-friendly colour scheme but there are well-used touches of black throughout. The ominous crows in the Six of Swords represent the negative situation our heroine is flying away from. The black robes in the Two of swords could be mistaken for the Death card but the pose gives a clear 'Keep out' Two of Swords message. 

Summary

​This is the best deck for....…folks who love fantasy images and a soft colour palette and have 20/20 vision. When all is said and done, if you don’t connect with the images, you’re not going to want to buy or use a deck. In my desperate attempts to connect with this beautiful deck I’ve purchased a version in a language I don’t speak, an Art book showing bigger versions of the images and a magnifying glass!  I only wish the publishers would consider re-issuing this deck in a larger size, satin or matt finish with silver edging and pop it in a decent two-piece or book-style box. If they really want to help us part with our cash, develop a coffee table style book showing even larger size full-colour images of the whole deck. I’d happily buy it all over again and I don’t think I’m the only one……….
Would you like to see a new, larger edition of the Shadowscapes? Let us know by leaving a comment below. 

Where to Buy?

​Amazon carry both the Guide book and deck set www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=shadowscapes&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 and the deck alone. You can also but the Art Book there too. ​The Czech version is currently unavailable. 
(this is not an affiliate link)

A few extra bonus pics!

The John, Paul, George and Ringo of the Shadowscapes Tarot. Enjoy!