This is the Haindl deck, my current love. It’s no Rider-Waite, to be sure, but I’ve never been a traditionalist of any sort. It practically hurled itself off the bookstore shelf at me, even though I hemmed and hawed over a couple others. I have to work a little harder to read with it, but the easy way is never as good, right?

The artwork is subtle and serious, and though the images are unorthodox, it gives one a lot to work with. Each major arcana card also carries a corresponding Hebrew letter, rune, and astrological symbol, while each 2-10 minor has a hexagram from the I Ching. The only thing that bothers me about this deck is that the background is asymmetrical, so reversals give themselves away beforehand. Some people think the image (a rather odd eye) is disturbing, but I don’t have a problem with it.

Detailed reviews can be found here.