3 Comments

1. Oraefo
   Posted July 5, 2009 at 11:58 pm | Permalink

   As astrologers know, each sign has its positive and negative qualities. What if an astrologer with a dry sense of humor looked only at the negative qualities? (And as a double Capricorn myself, is there any other kind? The result is the sometimes hilarious, sometimes mildly amusing, but always funny “Darkside Zodiac” by Sheila Hyde.

   Much like any beginning astrology book, Hyde begins with a discussion of the four elements (fire, earth, air and water) and the three qualities (cardinal, fixed, and mutable). According to Hyde’s take, as a Capricorn, I’m a bossy pig-headed fusspot. My last boyfriend, a Scorpio, was a stubborn moody whiner. The boyfriend before him, a Pisces, was a fickle moody whiner.

   After the brief intro section, there’s a section for each sun sign, where among other things, you can match your ascendant with you sun sign to determine your personality, check where your Mars is to determine how you mishandle aggression, check where your Venus is to determine how unfortunate you are in love, match yourself up with your partner’s sun sign to see what disasters will ensue, and even how you handle toothpaste. I laughed at how Capricorns handle toothpaste which is to tightly roll it from the bottom up, then when it’s finished to unroll it, cut it open, and scrape off the last smears. I’ve actually done this! Some of Hyde’s funniest writing is in the “Dream Jobs” section. One of the dream jobs for Aries is firefighter, “fire, danger, big sharp axes, shiny red appliances to ride on…” Another amusing thing is the pictures of the zodiac signs, clever but dark interpretations of their traditional pictures, which are found on the cover and at the beginning of each sun sign. Virgo is wearing a chastity belt, the bottom Pisces fish is a fish skeleton, the Gemini Twins are frowning, and poor Cancer the crab has been boiled in a pot. If you don’t know your moon nor rising sign, there’s a rough ephemeris chart in the back to determine moon sign, and instructions on how to approximate rising sign. But to have the exact information on these and other planets, it’s best to look at a chart (there are places on the internet where you can get them for free) or consult a dedicated ephemeris.

   One big problem for this over-40 reader was that the pages all have colored backgrounds and black print, some of which were quite difficult to read unless I was directly under a light source. The deep blue background of Pisces was especially difficult to read and the dark red of Aries and hot pink of Taurus were also challenging. The challenge of reading some of these pages detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

   Overall, the book is amusing and worth checking out of the library.

   Reply
2. Raed
   Posted July 6, 2009 at 6:12 am | Permalink

   I’m pretty sure this is the only book that has ever made me laugh so hard that I cried. Most days the glossed over brightside astrology can be really annoying and this book is a wonderfully refreshing book to laugh at yourself…and others. I enjoyed it because I know at least one person for every sign. Some people may not like it, like my mother, who said “why are you reading that? it’s says horrible things about you!”, but at least I didn’t mind. Some of the negative traits are a little exaggerated (like all pisces being drug addicts), but it still makes it funny. You will get the most enjoyment out of the book if you, like me, actually beleive in astrology and the basic character traits do apply to you. I think I laughed the hardest when she wrote about the pisces room/house and about my collection of random string that may be useful at some point….and then looking over at my shelf with my random string that may be useful at some point. Even if the things don’t apply to you, it’s still funny to read for any of the signs because it is so cynical and clever.

   Reply
3. Yale
   Posted July 6, 2009 at 1:59 pm | Permalink

   When you’ve read everything about how cool your Sun sign is, and are ready to move on the dark stuff you knew was there, but just hadn’t admitted yet, get this book. I’ve studied astrology for years now, and even Linda Goodman (whose works I truly love) always manages to “spin” the negative characteristics I know I have into something positive. In the spirit of honesty though, I’ve always believed knowing your darkside can lead to being able to temper it a little.

   The reviewer who was critical of the colored pages and text DOES have a point – the ones I found most difficult to read were the dark blue pages with lighter typeface. But I resolved that by getting directly under my overhead light to read (the reading lamp just seemed to cast a glare on the page, making it more difficult to read). I mention this for any readers who have visual impairments, particularly with contrast.

   Overall, though, great read, and definitely a book I will keep in my library.

   Reply