Lady Stirling's Wicked Garden Oracle - story-driven oracle with 32 cards and novelette
Most oracle sets start with the cards. This one starts with a story. Lady Stirling's Wicked Garden Oracle is created by Hope and Matt Hughes and published by U.S. Games. The theme is not decorative backdrop: the entire set is built around the fictional figure of Muriel Stirling, a woman who uncovers the dark history of her family's estate deep in the English countryside.
What you find in the box goes well beyond a card set. There is an 80-page illustrated hardcover novelette, a separate 80-page full-colour guidebook, 32 oracle cards, and a decorative metal key. Together they form one interconnected system.
What the cards show
The illustrations are painted in rich, deep colours. The cards run on the narrow side, but the painting quality stands out immediately: detailed imagery, gold foil accents on the card faces, and fully gold foil-covered card backs. The card edges are finished in matte black.
The cards depict the inhabitants of the garden: plants, spirits and characters from Lady Stirling's story. Card names match the entries in the guidebook, making cross-referencing straightforward.
Read the story first
The hardcover novelette is not an optional extra. The cards refer directly to the characters and plants from that narrative. Without reading it, you miss the layer that gives the oracle images their meaning. The story explains how the garden's inhabitants have been misused and misunderstood by those who do not respect their sacredness, and that shapes how you read every card.
How the guidebook works
The guidebook is designed to look like a journal or notebook. Each card entry is divided into three sections. The first, 'Entry Found', describes Lady Stirling's own encounters with a plant or figure. The second, 'Examination', appears only for the plant cards and covers her research. The third, 'Her Reflections', comes closest to a divinatory meaning but consists mainly of journal prompts and reflective paragraphs, not clear-cut answers.
The illustrations in the guidebook are presented as Lady Stirling's own drawings and intentionally differ from the card artwork. The names align, so finding the right entry is easy enough. Whether the visual mismatch feels deliberate or simply inconsistent is something you will form your own opinion on.
Read the novelette first, even just once all the way through. The cards carry their full weight only when you know who Muriel Stirling is and what is at stake in her garden.
About Hope and Matt Hughes
Hope and Matt Hughes collaborate on story-driven oracle sets. Matt Hughes has created several of these narrative decks before, sets where a fictional storyline forms the backbone of the oracle system. The illustrations for Lady Stirling's Wicked Garden Oracle are his work.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 32
- Novelette: 80 pages, hardcover, full colour
- Guidebook: 80 pages, full colour
- Total pages (set): 160
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781646712496
- Publisher: U.S. Games
- Publication date: 1 July 2025
- Weight: 640 g
- Dimensions (box): 30 x 137 x 200 mm
- Card finish: Gilded edges, matte black sides, gold foil accents
- Set contents: 32 oracle cards, hardcover novelette, guidebook, decorative metal key
- Authors: Hope Hughes, Matt Hughes
Questions we often get
Does the guidebook include fixed card meanings or keywords?
No. Each entry offers journal prompts and reflective paragraphs rather than specific divinatory meanings. If you are used to oracle sets with clear keywords per card, this set asks for a different approach.
Do you need to read the novelette to use the cards?
Not strictly, but the cards refer directly to the story. The novelette provides context that significantly deepens the meaning of the plants and figures shown. The creators recommend reading it at least once before working with the cards.
