Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot Deck [Englisch] [Spielkarten]

I'm very happy with this rendition. From what I can tell, every bit of the standard symbolism is in place, and the new coloring job is wonderful. While not photo-realistic by any stretch (nor should it be, in my opinion), the images now have shading, depth, and subtlety to the palette. This makes reading the cards a more enjoyable experience overall.

Also, the back of the cards is nice in an understated sort of way: small yellow stars on a navy background. This is much better than my original Waite deck, with a rather horrible blue and black pinstripe-plaid motif against a white background. It looked rather akin to a really bad tablecloth at an Italian restaurant. The new star field, if a bit new-age-trendy, is much easier on the eyes. Its subtlety insures that the face-down deck won't distract from the spread you're reading.

From a readability standpoint, it's roughly the same as standard Waite, since all of the symbolism is identical. For experienced readers, you'll feel right at home. Newcomers will pick it up in no time, though I'd advise getting a second book to teach you the standard meanings until you get on your feet. The accompanying book isn't bad, but is a quick-and-dirty version and hardly exhaustive.

The 5-star review is basing this deck on what it's supposed to be: a rendition of a classic. As such, it serves its purpose admirably. However, the Waite deck is not my favorite set of symbolism, and thus would get a 4-star rating in a general review. You could do a lot worse (trust me, I have).

One last note: Like other reviewers, I did notice an odd smell to the cards. Working in the print industry (as a designer), I was able to identify it. The smell isn't just residual odor from the manufacturing process or the wrapping; it's the cardstock coating itself, the stuff that makes the cards shiny and durable. Also, my deck arrived when the outdoor temperature was about 90 degrees, and the cards were slightly sticky due to the coating. Not nearly enough to damage the cards, it just felt like some of them were vacuum-sealed to each others, and gave a little resistance the very first time I shuffled. After that, it was perfectly fine. If the aroma distracts, just let it air out. You may want to try laying all of the cards out, flat, for a few days, rather than keeping them in their box, pressed against each other so the coating can never air out properly. To me, this isn't a big enough gripe to detract from the deck at all.

Overall, a good buy. If you have the Rider-Waite deck and are perfectly satisfied, you could safely pass this by. But if you're looking for a good rendition of the classic with a bit more "life" to the cards, whether you're new to tarot or looking to branch out, I haven't seen a better version.

I love it and use it frequently. The deck is standard Tarot size, same size as the Universal and regular Rider Waite. The Back of the cards is a very nice Night Sky Blue filled with yellow stars. The colors of the images are not really radiant, in the harsh sense of the word, but more vibrant. If you look close, you can tell that the original images have been retouched, as many facial features have a slight difference. The deck shuffles well, a little slippery, and the corners are smooth. The card stock is flexible, but made to last; this deck will last many usages.

There is one minor setback. The smell of the cards, at times is to over whelming. I have tried everything to get that factory smell out of them. I have spoken to a few others who own the deck and they have the same problem. Hopefully after many usages this weird aroma will leave.

But beside that the deck is really good, it is defiantly my favorite of all the Rider Waite Clones. I recommend it to all beginners and advanced tarot readers or collectors. Nice deck for those who are just starting out. The images on this deck are familiar and comforting. Plus almost all books dealing with learning Tarot use Pamela Smith's images. So this deck would make a great gift for yourself or for your loved ones.

In response to what the previous reviewer mentioned, I didn't notice any smell at all when I opened my deck. What I did notice though was the bright beautiful colors. The colors seem to elicit a strong reaction in me. I have also noticed that the images themselves seem to "speak" more than some of the other so called "new" decks. There has to be a reason why this deck is the most copied in existence. This deck and Crowley's Thoth deck compliment each other so well that I can't imagine needing much more than this.

All you need to get started really is the Radiant Rider-Waite desk and the book "Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom" and you will be well on your way to learning the nuances of the Tarot.