Since I like to read fiction, and since I like Tarot, I like to read fiction which has Tarot in it. Tarot is such a wonderful system of symbols, that I find it a natural for writers. Increasingly, more and more writers seem to be using Tarot in their works. Some of them have obviously done their homework and are familiar with the Tarot. Others use it for effect without any knowledge.
Check out the following books which use Tarot. Some of them are quite good; others are not. In addition, I have a list of books which do not have Tarot, but which, in my not so humble opinion, "shoulda had" Tarot. Most of these books are what I would call metaphysical fiction.
At the end of this page, I have a short list of books which do not mention Tarot but which show Tarot cards on the covers or which have titles which imply Tarot. I have labeled this list Red Herrings.
Personal note: some of the books on this list are truly amazing, wonderful, tremendous and powerful works of literature. Others are fun reads, good light entertainment. A few are just plain bad. Inclusion on this list is no assurance of literary merit nor of any accuracy in the history or use of Tarot, only of using the Tarot as a literary device.
There are many books which do not use traditional Tarot cards but which do use Tarot-like cards or other divination tools. I have included these but have noted them separately at the end of the list so that confusion can be avoided.
If you know of a book that mentions Tarot but that is not mentioned on this list, please email me at lucizain at comcast dot net (after converting to standard email format), so that I can revise my list. I wish to thank all of those who have helped me with this list since 1991. It has been a labor of love.
If you enjoy watching movies or television, I urge you to visit Betty Diamond's
Tarot Totes and click on the Tarot in Film link. There
you'll find a list of movies and television programs which have Tarot cards.
A red +
indicates that I have read the book and that it
has substantial Tarot mention.
An orange +
indicates that I have read the book and that
it has only slight Tarot mention, possibly only a fleeting reference or a mere mention.
A purple +
indicates my personal favorites.
A blue +
indicates a book that I consider of great literary
merit.
No + means that someone has told me about the book, but that I haven't checked it out
personally yet. Usually, if a book stays unchecked for some time, it is because I am having
trouble finding a copy of it. I scour used bookstores and use my local library and
also interlibrary loan, but some books have proven hard to track down or are temporarily beyond
my financial means.
Any book with blue, purple and red +, I consider must reads for those who love to read fiction that incorporates Tarot.
+ + Eco, Umberto.
Foucault's Pendulum. Fleeting.
+ Edghill, Rosemary. Book of Moons. Brief, but lots of Wicca.
+ ---. Bowl of Night.
+ ---.
Met by Moonlight. Mere mention, lots of Wicca.
+ ---. Speak Daggers to Her. Modest Tarot, lots of Wicca, Tarot on cover.
+ Egan, Doris. The Gate of Ivory. Brief Tarot, significant non-Tarot divination cards.
+ Eisner, William.
The Sevigne Letters.
Elder, Catherine. The Sword and the Rose.
+ + Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land.
+ Ellin, Stanley.
House of Cards. Brief. See also the movie.
+ Ellis, Rhian. After Life. Mere mention. Set at a Spiritualist community.
Emerson, Ru. Princess of Flames.
Eugenides, Jeffrey. The Virgin Suicides.
Farina, Richard. Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me.
+ Fennelly, Tony.
1-900-DEAD. Lots on astrology.
+ ---. Closet Hanging.
+ ---. The Glory Hole Murders.
+ ---. The Hippie in the Wall. Three-card reading.
Finch, Sheila. Infinity's Web.
+ + Fitch, Janet.
White Oleander. Really lovely book with a few fleeting Tarot references.
+ + Fortune, Dion.
The Sea Priestess. Much ceremonial magic, brief Tarot scene.
+ +
Fowles, John.
The Magus.
Foy, George. The Last Harbor.
Foyrer, Gayle. Prince of Cups. Romance
+ + Gaiman, Neil. "Only the End of the World Again." in Shadows over Innsmouth edited by Stephen Jones.
Galenorn, Yasmne. Ghost of a Chance.
+ ---. Legend of the Jade Dragon.
Gallagher, Diana G. Doomsday Deck. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Gates, Charlene Elizabeth. The Tarot Trumps: Their Origin, Archetypal Imagery, and
Use and Some Works of English Literature. doctoral dissertation.
Geary, Patricia. Strange Toys. Indirect and cover.
+ Gentle, Mary.
Rats and Gargoyles. Brief, but strong alchemy.
George, Demetra. Mysteries of the Dark Moon.
+ + George, Elizabeth.
Deception on His Mind. Mere mention.
+ ---. With No One as Witness. Mere mention.
+ + ---.
Missing Joseph. Passing, but fair amount of Wicca.
+ Gilman, Dorothy.
The Clairvoyant Countess. Cover, mere mention, strong clairvoyance.
Godwin, Gail. Evensong.
Goldstein, Lisa. Travelers in Magic. Photos, also Mexican
Lotto Cards.
+ Gore, Ariel. The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show. mere mention.
Gotlieb, Phyllis. Emperor, Swords, Pentacles.
+ Goudge, Elizabeth. The White Witch. Historically questionable.
+ Grafton, Sue. "O" is for Outlaw.
+ + Grahn, Judy. The Queen of Swords.
Verse play, indirect.
+ + ---.
The Queen of Wands. Poetry, indirect.
+ Green, Jane. Jemina J: a novel about ugly ducklings and swans. Brief Internet Tarot reading.
+ Green, Kate. Black Dreams.
+ + ---. Shattered Moon.
Greenberg, Martin H. & Lawrence Schimel, eds. The Fortune Teller. One Tarot story.
+ ---. Tarot Fantastic. 16 stories and
poems by a variety of authors
+ + Gresham, William Lindsay.
Nightmare Alley.
Grimes, Martha. I Am the Only Running Footman.
Grossinger, Richard. New Moon.
+ Guthrie, Al.
Murder by Tarot.
Hager, Jean. Blooming Murder.
+ Hahn, Mary Downing.
The Time of the Witch. Juvenile.
+ Hambly, Barbara.
Dog Wizard.
+ ---.
Stranger at the Wedding.
+ Harrington, R.E. 7 of Swords.
+ Harris, Joanne. Chocolat. a marvelous book in many ways and better than the movie.
+ ---. Holy Fools. Historically inaccurate.
+ ---. Sleep, Pale Sister.
Harris, Jonathan. Seizing Amber.
Hart, Ellen. Immaculate Midnight: A Jane Lawless Mystery.
Heinlein, Robert. Stranger in a Strange Land.
+ Herbert, Frank.
Children of Dune. Mere mention.
+ ---.
Dune Messiah. Not sure if it qualifies for "real" Tarot.
Hetmann, Frederik. Madru.
+ Higgins, Jack.
The Eagle Has Landed.Brief but noteworthy.
Highwater, Jamake. The Language of Vision.
+ +
Hoffman, Alice. Blue Diary.
+ ---.
Practical Magic.
Holeman, Linda. Mercy's Birds.
+ Hooper, Kay. Chill of Fear. mere mention.
+ ---. Eye of the Beholder. Simple romance with gypsy-flavored Tarot reading strongly featured.
+ ---. Out of the Shadows. two mere mentions.
+ ---. Stealing Shadows. mere mention.
+ ---. Whisper of Evil. mere mention.
Huff, Tanya. "The Cards Also Say." in Blood Bank.
+ +
+ Hulme, Keri.
The Bone People. Brief specific Tarot scene, but strong use
of basic Tarot archetypes.
Hyvard, Jeanne.
Waterweed in the Wash House.
+ + Jackson, Shirley. Hangsaman.
Jarvis, Kel. Lady Tarot. Verse play.
+ + Jensen, Jane. Dante's Equation. Mere mention. Lots of Kabbalah.
+ Jocks, Yvonne, ed. Words of the Witches. short stories, several using Tarot.
Kalogridis, Jeanne. The Borgia Bride.
+ Keene, Carolyn. The Fortune Teller's Secret. Nancy Drew.
+ ---. Hits and Misses. Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, brief.
+ + Kellerman, Faye.
Grievous Sin. Mere mention.
Kiernan,Caitlin. 5 of Cups.
+ Killian, Diana. High Rhymes and Misdemeanors. Mere mention.
+ + King, Laurie R.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
+ + ---. A Darker Place.
Mere mention of Tarot but much alchemy.
+ King, Stephen.
The Eyes of the Dragon. Mere mention.
+ ---. The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I.
Deck used has some non-standard additions.
Kolpen, Jana, and Mary Tiegreen. The Legend of the Villa della Luna.
+ Koontz, Dean. By the Light of the Moon. Mere mention.
+ + + Kopp, Sheldon. The Hanged Man: Psychotherapy
and the Forces of Darkness. Memoirs and musings of a psychotherapist, using eleven Tarot cards as the organization
+ Kotzwinkle, William.
Fata Morgana.
+ ---. Queen of Swords. Indirect.
+ + Kurtz, Katherine.
Lammas Night.
Labiner, Norah. Miniatures: A Novel.
+ + Lackey, Mercedes. Phoenix and Ashes. Well-intergrated and substantial Tarot use.
+ Langton, Jane. The Escher Twist. Mere mention.
Laubenthal, Sanders Anne. Excalibur.
+ Lawrence, David. 22 Stories: Falling Upward Through the Tarot. Cyberfiction based on Tarot.
+ + + Leavitt, June. Esoteric Symbols: The Tarot in Yeats, Eliot, and Kafka. Substantial and significant study. Highly recommended.
Lee, Tanith. A Heroine of the World.
+ Lem, Carol. The Hermit's Journey: Tarot Poems for
Meditation.
+ London, Cait. The Daddy Candidate. Romance
+ Lorens, M. K. Sorrowheart. Mystery
+ Lorenzi-Prince, Ellen. Glitter Ball. Brief scene of a reading mentioning three cards. Erotica.
+ + McCarthy, Cormac.
Blood Meridian.
+ + MacGregor, T.J.
The Hanged Man.
+ McKillip, Patricia A. Fool's Run. Indirect.
+ McMillan, Terry. A Day Late and a Dollar Short.
Magarshack, David. Death Cuts a Caper.
Makino, Erika B. Six of Cups: A Circle of Stones. Short stories.
+ Mantel, Hilary. Beyond Black. Novel about British psychic.
+ Martinez, Demetria. Mother Tongue. Mere mention.
Martini, Steven Paul. Compelling Evidence. Mere mention.
+ Mathewson, Joseph. Alicia's Trump.
+ Matteson, Stefanie. Murder on the Silk Road.
+ Meade, Marion. Sybille. Short but noteworthy. Historically questionable.
+ Melville, Jennie. Tarot's Tower.
Meyer, Julie. In the Cards. Romance
+ Meyers, Annette. Tender Death.
Michener, James. The Drifters.
+ Miller, Lynn C. The Fool's Journey. Fair amount of Tarot but more noteworthy for the Edith Wharton material.
Moore, Joanna K. Seven of Cups.
---. Three of Swords.
+ Morris, Winifred. With Magical Horses to Ride. Juvenile.
Moses, Kate. Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath.
+ Muller, Marcia. Ask the Cards a Question. Mere mention.
Murphey, Warren and Richard Sapir. The Ghost in the Machine. (Destroyer series #90)
+ + Neville, Katherine. The Eight. Two brief mentions. A fun read.
+ Nolen, Han. Dancing on the Edge. Mere mention, but lots of metaphysics.
+ + Norman, Marsha.
The Fortune Teller. Significant. Nicely done.
+ O'Har, George M. Psychic Fair. Fleeting Tarot but much Ouija Board.
+ Park, Jacqueline.
The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi. Short but significant, historically questionable.
+ Park, Sang-Sun. The Tarot Cafe. graphic novel. Original Tarot art and Aquarian Tarot
+ ---. Tarot Cafe 2.
---. Tarot Cafe 3.
---. Tarot Cafe 4.
---. Tarot Cafe 5.
Parkhurst, Carolyn. Dogs of Babel.
+ Pavic, Milorad.
Last Love in Constantinople: A Tarot Novel for Divination. Popular, but I didn't like it.
Percy, Karen. Love Counts.
+ +
+ Piercy, Marge. "Laying Down the Tower" cluster in
To Be of Use. Truly awesome.
+ +
+ ---. Small Change. Brief.
Pitchford, Kenneth. The Temple Wall.
+ + Plath, Sylvia. Ariel. Assorted poems
+ + Pollack, Rachel, and Caitlin Matthews, ed.
Tarot Tales.
Posadas, Carmen. Little Indiscretions : A Delectable Mystery.
+ Powers, Tim. Expiration Date.(bare mention)
+ +
+ ---.
Last Call. Significant and excellent.
Pratchett, Terry. Light Fantastic. Discworld series, "Caroc" cards.
---. Lords and Ladies. Discworld series, "Caroc" cards.
---. Mort. Discworld series, "Caaroc" cards.
+ Preston, Douglas, and Lincoln Child. Cabinet of Curiosities.
+ ---. Dance of Death. Good use of Tarot by villain.
+ + Pynchon, Thomas.
Gravity's Rainbow. I hated this book.
+ Quinn, Daniel. The Holy. Fairly substantial but somehow unsatisfying.
Rabelais, Francois. Gargantua and Pantagruel.
+ Rafferty, Carin. Touch of Magic. Romance.
+ Rendell, Ruth. The Lake of Darkness. Brief.
+ +
+ Rich, Adrienne. "Twenty-One Love Poems." Indirect.
+ Riccio, Dolores Stewart. Charmed Circle. Five Wiccan friends solving mysteries.
+ ---. Circle of Five. First in the series.
+ ---. The Divine Circle of Ladies Courting Trouble.
+ ---. The Divine Circle of Ladies Making Mischief.
+ Rickman, Phil. Curfew. Horror. Has a brief but important Tarot reading.
---. Midwinter of the Spirit.
+ Riley, Judith Merkle. The Master of All Desires.
Historically inaccurate, but a fun tale of intrigue during the time of Nostradamus and the Medicis.
+ + ---. The Oracle Glass.
+ Ringo, John. Princess of Wands. Quote from Crowley on the title card and brief mentions.
Ritkin, Virginia. Fate of the Silver Moon. Audio book.
+ Robbins, Tom. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Brief.
+ ---.
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas.
+ Roberts, Nora. Dance Upon the Air. Mere mention. Lots of Wicca.
+ ---. Face the Fire. Mere mention. Lots of Wicca.
+ ---. Heaven and Earth. Two mentions. Lots of Wicca.
+ ---. For the Love of Lilah. Brief mentions. Seance. Tea leaves.
Robertson, Garcia y. "Gypsy Trade."
Robinson, Bruce. The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman.
Rose, Carol Jean. Step-Mother.
---. The Tarot Gypsy Trips.
+ + Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Delightful book of interest to those of metaphysical bent. Tarot only a fleeting mention, however.
+ Samuel, Barbara. A Piece of Heaven.
Samuels, Mina. The Queen of Cups.
+ Sandford, John. The Empress File. Formerly published under John Camp.
+ ---.
The Fool's Run. Formerly published under John Camp.
+ ---. The Hanged Man's Song.
+ ---. Mind Prey. Mere mention.
+ ---. Silent Prey. Brief but significant.
+ Satterhwait, Walter.
The Hanged Man.
+ Savic, Sally. Elysian Fields. Bare mention.
Semy-Aror. The Telltale Tarot.
+ Schmais, Libby. The Perfect Elizabeth. brief reading with the 5 of Cups.
+ Sellers, M. R. Harm None: A Rowan Gant Investigation. Features a Wiccan amateur detective.
+ Sherrell, Carl. Arcane.
+ + Shields, Jody. The Fig Eater. Substantial.
+ Shinn, Sharon. Jenna Starborn. SF retelling of Jane Eyre, mere mention.
Shitcher, Susan.
The Fool Reversed. Young adult.
Simmons, Robert. Earthfire.
Simon, Jean. Wild Card.
Simone, Carol A. The Goddess of 5th Avenue: A Novel.
Simpson, Patricia. The Dark Horse (Forbidden Tarot).
+ ---. The Dark Lord (Fobidden Tarot). romance
Singleton, George. The Half-Mammals of Dixie.
+ Skibbins, David. Eight of Swords.
+ ---. High Priestess.
+ ---. The Star. Brief.
+ Slade, Michael.
Ripper. Horror. Very graphically violent. Strong use of Tarot.
+ Smith, Julie. The Axeman's Jazz. Very brief.
+ ---. Other People's Skeletons. Short but significant, much New Age.
Spillard, Anne. The Cartomancer. Divination with playing cards.
+ Stansberger, Richard. "Arcana: Poems from the Tarot." Glass Hat: Poems. 1979.
+ Stein, Diane. "Queen of Hearts" in Lady Sun & Lady Moon.
+ + Steinbeck, John.
The Winter of Our Discontent.
+ Stockenberg, Antoinette. Beloved.
Stone, Irving. The Agony and the Ecstasy. Fictional life of Michaelangelo with references to
game of Tarrochi.
Strieber, Whitley. Communion: A True Story.
+ Stuart, Anne.
Prince of Swords. Romance.
+ Sullivan, Evelin.
Four of Fools. Significant.
Sussex, Lucy. "The Man Hanged Upside Down."
Tannen, Mary. Second Sight.
+ Taylor, Laurie Aylma. "Fortune Tellers." Poem in Xanadu 3 ed. Jane Yolen.
+ Taylor, Peter. Oracle at Stoneleigh Court. Brief.
+ + Thomas, Scarlett. The End of Mr. Y. mere mention.
+ Thurm, Marian. The Clairvoyant. Minor but significant. Somewhat accurate portrayal of professional psychic.
+ Trigiani, Adriana. Milk Glass Moon. Short but significant reading. No specific cards mentioned.
+ Tryon, Tom. Night Magic.
+ +
+ Wakoski, Diane. Assorted poems,
including "From the Tarot Deck."
+ Wallace, David Foster. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. Humorous essays.
+ Warner, Mignon. Death in Time. Mere mention.
+ ---. The Girl Who Was Clairvoyant.
+ ---. A Medium for Murder. Brief.
+ + --- .
The Tarot Murders.
+ Webb, Don. Essential Saltes. Mere mention but lots of alchemy.
+ Weick, Stewart. Mage.
+ Whitten, Leslie H.
The Alchemist.
+ Wilhelm, Kate. The Hamlet Trap.
+ ---. Seven Kinds of Death.
+ Willard, Nancy. "The Friendship Tarot." in Between Friends, ed. Mickey
Pearlman. title, actual cards not Tarot, picture of Tree of Life layout
+ + Williams, Charles. The Greater Trumps. (significant, classic work)
+ Williams, Tad. Otherworld. indirect, Hanged Man archetype
+ Williamson, Marianne. Everyday Grace. mere mention.
Wilson, F. Paul. The Keep.
+ Wilson, Robert Anton. The Cosmic Trigger, Vol. I. non-fiction
+ Wilson, Robert Anton. The Earth Will Shake.
The Historical Illuminatus Trilogy
+ + ---.
Masks of the Illuminati.
+ ---. The Trick Top Hat. Schrodinger's Cat trilogy
+ ---. The Universe Next Door.
Schrodinger's Cat trilogy
+ ---. The Widow's Son. mere mention
+ Wilson, Robert Anton and Robert Shea. The Eye in the Pyramid.
Illuminatus! trilogy
+ ---.The Golden Apple. Iluminatus! trilogy, mere mention
+ ---. Leviathan.
Iluminatus! trilogy
+ Wilson, Susan. The Fortune Teller's Daughter. Rather fun, romance, lots of psychic stuff.
+ Winspear, Jacqueline. Unpardonable Lies.. Mere mention. Nice period detective tale with psychic components.
+ + + Winterson, Jeanette.
Gut Symmetries.
+ Worth, Valerie. Gypsy Gold. Young adult, no historical accuracy at all
Yate, Allan. Coriolanus, The Chariot.
+ Yeager, Dorian. Cancellation by Death.
+ ---. Eviction by Death. Brief.
+ Yeats, William Butler. "Stories of Red Hanrahan,"
"Blood and the Moon," others.
+ Yorke, Christy. The Wishing Garden.
One of the most extensive uses of Tarot that I've run across.
+ Zelazny, Roger. Amber series.
+ + Alexander, Lloyd.
The Fortune-Tellers. juvenile, a lovely, lovely book with delightful illustrations
by Trina Schart Hyman.
Aspirin, Robert, ed. "Thieves World" series (Sdanzo divination cards,
drawings)
+ Blackwood, Algernon.
The Complete John Silence Stories. precursor to Fortune's Dr. Taverner
+ Britain, Kristen. Green Rider.
Crowley, John. Little Big. divination cards
Dorsey, Candas Jane. Black Wine. divination cards, brief
Egan, Doris. Guilt-Edged Ivory. non-Tarot cards
---. Two-Bit Heroes. non-Tarot cards, brief
Fortune, Dion. The Goat-Foot God.
+ ---. The Secrets of Dr. Taverner.
Franklin, Cheryl J. Sable, Shadow, and Ice. divination, not Tarot
Gaarder, Jostein. The Solitaire Mystery. playing cards, neat philosophy
Gaiman, Neil. Stardust. fairie and runes
Goldstein, Lisa. Summer King, Winter Fool. conjuring sticks
+ +
Gruber, Michael. Tropic of Night. African divination.
+ + Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. African divination.
+ Kurtz, Katherine. Two Crowns for America. much Masonic and esoteric lore
Lawrence, Martha C. The Cold Heart of Capricorn. astrology
---. Murder in Scorpio. astrologgy
Lynn, Elizabeth. Watchtower. Tarot-inspired divination cards
+ Marquez, Gabriel Garcia.
One Hundred Years of Solitude. Playing cards, not Tarot.
+ Maugham, W. Somerset. The Magician. title character modeled on Aleister Crowley
+ Neville, Katherine. The Eight. divination, chess
Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. Divination by dragon bones.
Perez-Reverte, Arturo. The Club Dumas. Basis of the Roman Polanski film, The Ninth Gate.
Pickard, Nancy. Twilight. pendulum, Runes, I Ching
+ + Piercy, Marge. He, She, and It. Qabala. excellent.
+ Pullman, Philip. The Amber Spyglass. sequel to The Subtle Knife
+ ---. The Golden Compass. Excellent. Truly a masterwork which uses a unique divination tool.
+ ---. The Subtle Knife. Sequel to The Golden Compass, also excellent.
Rasmussen, Alis. The Labyrinth Gate. divination cards, not Tarot
+ Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Wonderful book overall which pokes fun at most divination practitioners and practices
Springer, Nancy. Hex Witch of Seldom. divination, not Tarot
+ Wrede, Patricia. The Raven Ring. Tarot-like divination deck, significant
+ Yolen, Jane. Cards of Grief. Divination cards.
Byars, Betsy. Tarot Says Beware. Parrot named Tarot. Other books in this juvenile series which does feature a psychic.
Douglas, Carole Nelson. Six of Swords.
Hart, Carolyn G. Honeymoon with Murder.
Kelly, Patrick. Sleightly Deceived.
Leiber, Fritz. Three of Swords.
Rosemoor, Patricia. Haunted.
+ + Tyler, Anne.
Searching for Caleb. (playing cards for divination,
but Aquarian Tarot deck on cover)
Zelazny, Roger. Wheel of Fortune.
A red +
indicates that I have read the book and that it
has substantial Tarot mention.
An orange +
indicates that I have read the book and that
it has only slight Tarot mention, possibly only a fleeting reference or a mere mention.
A purple +
indicates my personal favorites.
A blue +
indicates a book that I consider of great literary
merit.
No + means that someone has told me about the book, but that I haven't checked it out
personally yet. Usually, if a book stays unchecked for some time, it is because I am having
trouble finding a copy of it. I scour used bookstores and use my local library and
also interlibrary loan, but some books have proven hard to track down or are temporarily beyond
my financial means.
Any book with blue, purple and red +, I consider must reads for those
who love to read fiction that incorporates Tarot.