The Carnival at the End of the World Tarot is an 84 card deck created by Kahn & Selesnick.
The cards come in this tuck box…. despite my extreme disgust for tuck boxes I will say at least the box is a good thick quality which hasn’t (yet) ripped when I am getting the cards in or out.
The cards are printed on high quality playing card stock which reminds me of a Pagan Otherworlds or Anima Mundi deck…aka…very very satisfied with the quality of the cards themselves!
The deck does NOT come with a guidebook however you can purchase the guidebook seprately for $20… or do like Pappa Squirrel and say F*K it and keep it moving…
Included with the deck are these 6 extra cards that without the guidebook make no sense what-so-ever. At this point I have no care or concern to waste anytime researching what they might mean because honestly it’s irrelevant to me!
There’s only that slight bit of curiosity however I am not going out of my way to figure things out… so yea… extra cards…. cool!
The cards have a fun and funky circus theme going on with them and I think they executed this look perfectly! Honestly this deck is not going to be a working deck for me (at this moment in time) as most of the images stray far enough away from the traditional RWS imagery that it would be hard for me to recall card meanings.
Between the quality of the cards and the art itself it was definitely a deck that I wanted to have in my collection however!
Have you ever seen the movie Big Fish? This totally reminds me of that fun, playful and innocent world of fantasy surrounding the circus scene in the early 1900’s.
This deck is certainly unique and if it’s images resonate with you then I’m sure you will enjoy working with this deck! My recommendation though is to get something better to store your cards in because I’m sure with heavy use that box won’t make it too far in life lol
Thanks for reviewing. I’d like the deck only because I love the name of it. Must be my carnival Grandpa’s DNA kicking in 😀
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I agree, the name of the deck drew me in, as well. Carnivals were big in the 1950’s, we had so much fun.
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Magical…
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The Six extra cards hmmm
Spirit Guides maybe
There is it seems of a dark evening an Underworld feel to the deck
And as you say a circus feel to them
An intriguing deck indeed
For the tip of a next year Xmas stocking!
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Reblogged this on Ravenhawks' Magickal Mystical Places.
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Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I like quirky decks and this one seems to be just that: moody and a more than a little offbeat. But I have a couple of others ahead of it that I want first (Deviant Moon and Tarot of the Magical Forest),
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I had the exact same reaction to the extra cards lol
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Love the backs – the harlequin design and colours are awesome but not a fan of the actual artwork…Nice and different approach though.
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