Pagan Book Reviews

The Linestrider Tarot Deck & Book
Siolo Thompson
Llewellyn, 2016

Review by Hayley Arrington.

The opening lines of the accompanying book, The Linestrider’s Journey best exemplify the spirit of her deck: “The Linestrider Tarot is a deck that dances on the edge of magic and logic, animal and human, the conscious and unconscious mind. Drawing inspiration from the edge while still moving forward on the Fool’s journey — that is Linestriding” (p. 1). Linestrider is at times whimsical, but it is certainly not shallow. This is not an animal deck, per se, but many of the cards in both the Major and Minor Arcanas are populated with animals, for instance, the Magican is a monkey, the Hanged Man is a tiger, and the King of Wands is a powerful, crowned lion.

The Linestrider Tarot is a wonderfully creative contribution to the vastness that encompasses available modern tarot decks. Siolo Thompson’s unique ink and paint artwork render her images as inviting and worthy of study while using the deck. They are drawn in ink on a white surface with splashes of color throughout. There are no borders so her images dominate while not being overwhelming. This is a perfect deck for someone who doesn’t like too much going on in the art. Linestrider is a beautiful medium between heavily illustrated and austere.

The Linestrider Tarot is one of my favorite new decks. Thompson’s book is also a breath of fresh air. This isn’t just a softbound edition of a little white booklet. No, there is so much more here, from how Thompson first found Tarot and how she decided to create this deck, to interesting ways of interpreting cards, and informational correspondences. I love the familiarity that is there when the artist for a deck is also its author, hence its interpreter. Siolo Thompson’s sincerity of voice comes through in the accompanying book. I love all different kinds of decks, and with Linestrider I felt an instant rapport and have been using it as my primary deck for some months. I think it can find a home with novices as well as seasoned readers, those who like animals, modern Art Deco, and beautiful, easy-to-use Tarot. Highly recommended.

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