Emperor and Hierophant
Susan Wands
Publisher: SparkPress
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Magical Realism
The next installment in the thrilling Arcana Oracle series finds heroine Pamela Colman Smith kidnapped, imprisoned, and fighting to protect her tarot deck from Aleister Crowley once again.
On tour with the Lyceum Theatre in Manchester, Pamela Colman Smith is kidnapped by a mysterious force. In captivity, she begins a relationship with her mute keeper, a strange creature at the beck and call of her nemesis, Aleister Crowley. Experiencing visions and visitations from other ethereal beings, Pamela works to escape her prison before Aleister harms another one of her muses over the ownership of her magical tarot deck.
Meanwhile, her guardian and mentor, Bram Stoker, tries to find her as he tours with the stars of the Lyceum Theatre, Pamela’s muses for the Magician and Empress cards. Alerted to Pamela’s plight, Ahmed Kamal, Pamela’s Egyptologist friend, joins Bram to come to her aid. Plotting against the mysterious forces who abducted her, Pamela must outwit and out magic Aleister, as he tries to destroy her muses and tarot deck. Learning the lessons of her Emperor and Hierophant, she must free herself and command the power manifesting from her tarot deck.
“Books that mix tarot and dreamscapes have become more popular in our uncertain future, but Susan Wands deftly mixes Bram Stoker, Aleister Crowley, early theater and a heady mixture of castles, longing, astrophysical travel and London as a character in the story. It’s a book you won’t want to put down. You’ll want to jump on the train to the next stop, your own tarot cards in hand.”—Kate Gale, Co-founder and Publisher, Red Hen Press
My Thoughts:
So excited that book three in the series was released just in time for my birthday month (May), what a great present for myself. I couldn’t wait to dive in and continue this grand adventure with Pamela Colman Smith, and of course, to learn even more about the tarot cards that have become so central to this story. One of the things I love most about this series is how it brings the Tarot to life in such a powerful and personal way.
As a tarot reader, it’s incredible to see the deeper meanings behind each archetype woven into the actual plot. These aren’t just characters, they are the cards, living and breathing and evolving right alongside Pamela.
Emperor and Hierophant throws us right into the action. Pamela is kidnapped while on tour with the Lyceum Theatre and imprisoned by Aleister Crowley’s forces, isolated and psychically attacked as he continues his obsession with controlling her tarot deck. But this story goes far beyond good vs. evil. We get to see Pamela wrestle with spiritual truths, test her own inner strength, and begin to understand what it means to hold real power.
Her visions while in captivity are haunting and beautiful, and her strange bond with her mute keeper adds a surreal intensity to everything. Meanwhile, Bram Stoker, yes that Bram Stoker, and Ahmed Kamal step in as her spiritual allies, guiding the energy of the Emperor and the Hierophant as they fight to bring her home.
This third installment might be my favorite yet. It’s layered, mystical, and full of sacred symbolism that hit me on a soul level. Every chapter felt like opening another door into the hidden story of the tarot. Susan Wands is doing something really special with this series, and I can’t wait to see where she takes us next. The next book is Lovers and Chariot, and she’s working on it now, as she shared in our recent interview. I’m already counting down.
Susan Wands is a writer, tarot reader, and award-winning author of the Arcana Oracle Series. Her debut, Magician and Fool, won the 2024 American Legacy Book Award for Visionary Fiction, and the second book, High Priestess and Empress, continued to draw praise for its magical realism and historical depth. A former Broadway actor and indie filmmaker, Susan brings theatrical and mystical sensibilities to her fiction. She lives in NYC and writes stories that blend historical fiction, divine archetypes, and esoteric truths. Learn more at susanwands.com, follow her on Instagram at @susanwandsauthor.
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I’ve reviewed all the books so far. Read all my Arcana Oracle Series reviews.
