The Fantastic Menagerie Tarot Deck Review

Artist/Creator: Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov based on works by J.J. Grandville
Publisher: Baba Studios/Magic Realist Press
​Date Published: 2020
Where to buy? Secondary market only. The companion book can be purchased from uk.baba-store.com/collections/fantastic-menagerie-two

First things first, this is now an out of print deck. It can be purchased on the secondary market for about double what it cost originally, so if you don't mind that, read on. If you don't want to be tempted, click away now! 

This Baba Studios deck is a new edition of a previous deck that showcases the works of the caricaturist and illustrator J.J. Grandville. It includes images of anthropomorphised animals in a fantastical world. 

The quality of the deck is the usual high standard from Baba Studios. The cards are a little larger than standard at 3"x5" and are thin and strong, with a smooth finish making them easy to shuffle (even for smaller hands). 

Every card has some cold-foil stamping on there enhancing the images and giving an extra dimension to the deck (see the pics at the end). There is no gilding or coloured edging which I must admit I always find unusual in Baba decks. However, with the gold and teal backs, foil stamping and vibrant coloured images there's probably enough bling. At least there's no need to worry about chipping the edges when you shuffle.

The cards come in a sturdy two piece, clam shell box with a little white book as standard. A companion book can be purchased separately and that can still be picked up from the creators website. The quality of information in each of the books is exceptional. The full colour companion book goes into so much detail which is fantastic but if you just want to stick with the LWB, you'll still get a good explanation of the card meanings just no detail about the original artwork or history of the tarot. 

J.J Grandville

This is a weird and wonderful deck. It's not scary strange, just set in a different world and from a different time (Grandville lived in France between 1803 and 1847). If you don't mind the part-human part-animal thing then you'll love this deck. If it's not your usual cup of tea, it's still worth a look, as the whimsical nature of the settings and characters and the delicacy of the line work might appeal regardless. Also, if you're getting tired of modern decks with cars and computers in them or you're feeling  stifled and uninspired by the usual RWS clones, this deck is an excellent read. There's plenty going on but not too much. It is RWS based but feels new and old at the same time and will definitely put a spark back into your readings. 

The cold-foil stamping adds an extra something to the deck without causing a problem for straight on shots.