Emperor and Hierophant - (Arcana Oracle) by Susan Wands (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"Wands takes the reader on a magical spell-binding journey in this historical fantasy thriller about the creation of the Crowley tarot card deck. Wands writing is exquisite and riveting throughout."--Ellen Rachlin, author of Permeable Divide

"Magic is no mere illusion in Susan Wands' latest novel, Emperor and Hierophant . . ."--Lisa J. Yarde, author The Order of the Dragon - Book One

". . . Emperor and Hierophant delivers a mesmerizing blend of history and mysticism that will captivate both tarot enthusiasts and lovers of supernatural historical fiction."--Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

"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

"In Emperor & Hierophant, magic power is finite . . . The reader meets unforgettable minor, even cameo, characters, all glow with meticulous period detail. We feel their humanity and vital roles in propelling the main characters toward conflict. The archetypal battle scene evolves with fierce imagination."--Loretta Goldberg, author The Reversible Mask: An Elizabethan Spy Novel and Beyond the Bukubuk Tree: A World war II Novel of Love and Loss

About the Author

Susan Wands is a writer, tarot reader, and actor. A graduate from the University of Washington, she has acted professionally across the United States and on Broadway, has written plays, screenplays, and skits, and has produced several indie films. As a cochair of the NYC Chapter of the Historical Novel Society, she helps produce monthly online book launches and author panels. Wands's writings have appeared in Art in Fiction, Kindred Spirits magazine, and The Irving Society journal First Knight. with the third book, Emperor and Hierophant, out May 2025. Susan lives in New York City.