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Shade of the Tree
The estate was Joshua Pinson's inheritance from his oddball uncle Elijah: isolated in the deep Florida woods, with a half-built solar house stocked with enough supplies to weather a siege. Josh decided it was time to take his two young children away from New York and the memories of their murdered mother. Time to make a new life in sunny Florida. There was just one thing that Josh hadn't counted on.
The place was haunted.
The place was haunted.
348 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
7 people are currently reading
639 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
441 books4,215 followersThough he spent the first four years of his life in England, Piers never returned to live in his country of birth after moving to Spain and immigrated to America at age six. After graduating with a B.A. from Goddard College, he married one of his fellow students and and spent fifteen years in an assortment of professions before he began writing fiction full-time.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
December 14, 2014
Can you say "authorial wish-fulfillment"? The main character is a self-insert for Piers Anthony himself, who moves to Florida and promptly "rescues" (by taking in and having sex with) a super-hot teenage girl young enough to be his daughter. The sex scenes are unbearable, as wise-in-the-ways-of-sexual-pleasuring Piers AnthonyJoshua Pinson literally talks the young hottie through various sexual positions, followed, naturally, by giving her an amazing orgasm even though it's her first time having sex. Piers Anthony must have been typing this with one hand.
Add to that the fact that he goes through the most amazing contortions to present a supernatural phenomenon and yet maintain his (and the main character's) atheistic worldview. Let's just say I would have found actual ghosts more plausible than the ending Anthony gives us (and I am an atheist myself).
Add to that the fact that he goes through the most amazing contortions to present a supernatural phenomenon and yet maintain his (and the main character's) atheistic worldview. Let's just say I would have found actual ghosts more plausible than the ending Anthony gives us (and I am an atheist myself).
June 13, 2013
Please note: Read and reviewed in 2006
My Review: I can't remember now why I was randomly searching through Piers Anthony's books - I had mostly given up on him years ago when I realized that after the first couple of books in any given series (Xanth, Apprentice Adept), that series would devolve into repetitious silliness and idiocy. Maybe it was in hopes of finding another gem like "Firefly" (which is another amazing read, if you can find it). Well, I ran across this book and was immediately intrigued and set about to find it. I'm glad I did - I couldn't put it down.
My Synopsis: "Shade of the Tree" is, at its root, a ghost story. It starts out slow - setting a mood, slowly inserting more and more elements that just don't quite belong. Joshua Pinson, the new owner of the property, is a rational man - a computer programmer - and finds it harder and harder to explain away the occurrences, although he continues to attempt to do so, not wishing to give in to the superstitions and warnings of those who live in the area concerning his property, and especially the large tree under which shade his new house sits. Finally during an extended rainy period things seem to hit a sort of critical mass . . . but I don't want to ruin anything, so you'll just have to read it for yourselves.
My Recommendations: I highly recommend this book for those who like a good ghost story, a good mystery, a good scare, or just a well-written book. You won't be disappointed!
My Review: I can't remember now why I was randomly searching through Piers Anthony's books - I had mostly given up on him years ago when I realized that after the first couple of books in any given series (Xanth, Apprentice Adept), that series would devolve into repetitious silliness and idiocy. Maybe it was in hopes of finding another gem like "Firefly" (which is another amazing read, if you can find it). Well, I ran across this book and was immediately intrigued and set about to find it. I'm glad I did - I couldn't put it down.
My Synopsis: "Shade of the Tree" is, at its root, a ghost story. It starts out slow - setting a mood, slowly inserting more and more elements that just don't quite belong. Joshua Pinson, the new owner of the property, is a rational man - a computer programmer - and finds it harder and harder to explain away the occurrences, although he continues to attempt to do so, not wishing to give in to the superstitions and warnings of those who live in the area concerning his property, and especially the large tree under which shade his new house sits. Finally during an extended rainy period things seem to hit a sort of critical mass . . . but I don't want to ruin anything, so you'll just have to read it for yourselves.
My Recommendations: I highly recommend this book for those who like a good ghost story, a good mystery, a good scare, or just a well-written book. You won't be disappointed!
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May 28, 2025I'm too conflicted on a rating so I'm just going with a review.
This book was a very slow burn. That being said, it was a creative take on classic horror themes of a haunt. It did have some creepiness about it. But the ending was kind of confusing at points. I'm coming to the conclusion too that Anthony's writing style is not my favorite. His female characters are, as I found in the adept trilogy, not particularly convincing. The payoff at the ending was creative but it also left me with some questions. I'm glad, however, that it didn't go in the direction I expected it to.
This book was a very slow burn. That being said, it was a creative take on classic horror themes of a haunt. It did have some creepiness about it. But the ending was kind of confusing at points. I'm coming to the conclusion too that Anthony's writing style is not my favorite. His female characters are, as I found in the adept trilogy, not particularly convincing. The payoff at the ending was creative but it also left me with some questions. I'm glad, however, that it didn't go in the direction I expected it to.
February 24, 2011
Shade of the Tree / 0-812-53103-5
I enjoyed this book, as I do most of Anthony's stand-alone books. "Shade of the Tree" cleverly ties together all the essential elements for a proper horror story: bitterly cold weather, forebodingly sharp objects, hallucinations and nightmares, and an increasing sense of isolation and doom. I will also add that the two children in the novel are superbly written and manage to seem both realistically childish and yet reasonably mature without ever edging too far off either spectrum - that's often not easy to accomplish for an adult author, and I was definitely pleased and impressed in that regard.
Having said that, "Shade of the Tree" does have the usual issues that often accompany Anthony's novels. The main character of the father is poorly fleshed out and somewhat one-dimensional - the father's stubborn refusal to alter or adjust his family's lifestyle in the face of clear evidence of hostile supernatural forces is exceedingly jarring. He doesn't deny the existence of the ghosts that fade in and out of his sight by chalking them up to hallucinations (which would be a credible response for a normal human being faced with the supernatural), but rather he accepts them as real and as accepts them as a very real potential threat. However, this tacit acceptance is the complete end of his response - he doesn't take additional steps to actually deal with the existence of the ghosts (ideally, by moving out and taking his two children with him) or to try to minimize their effect on his family in any way.
Anthony also falls into the two major flaws he introduces into pretty much every other book he's written. The first flaw is that of the "Perfectly Pert Patty" character - Anthony never seems happy until he introduces an impossibly buxom barely-legal girl-woman who must be introduced as a flawless physical specimen every single time she enters the scene. No mere "Bonnie showed up at the doorstep," no, it must be "Bonnie showed up at the doorstep and everyone couldn't help but notice that she had brought her stunningly spectacular breasts with her." Yes, the story needed a maternal figure to step-mother the children, but I'm not certain that a 19-year-old Sophia Loren look-alike (literally!) was mandated and I haven't known too many impossibly gorgeous, gourmet cooking, local beauty queen 19-year-olds whose life ambition was to marry a widower twice her age and with two children half her own age. The seduction scene between the older widower and the young woman is rather skin-crawling, but this is pretty much a classic Anthony set-up so if you've read him before, you're used to it. I don't have to like it, though.
The other major flaw that Anthony can't help but reduce absolutely everything to a computer-analogy. At the risk of spoilers, a telepathic tree is not remotely like a computer, and trying to describe it as such (particularly in a novel otherwise completely devoid of any technology at all) is extremely jarring and inappropriate. The reader is left chortling over such gems as, "a telepathic being, even a tree, was easier to accept than the supernatural," leaving us with the impression that a 'telepathic' tree who summons mental ghosts and zombies to kill people is NOT 'supernatural' in Anthony's vocabulary. If that isn't super-natural, then what is, I wonder?
All told, "Shade of the Tree" is a fine book. I like it, it was worth the used price I paid, and I'll probably read it again someday. Just be aware that there are problems, but if you like Piers Anthony, these problems are ones you've dealt with before.
~ Ana Mardoll
I enjoyed this book, as I do most of Anthony's stand-alone books. "Shade of the Tree" cleverly ties together all the essential elements for a proper horror story: bitterly cold weather, forebodingly sharp objects, hallucinations and nightmares, and an increasing sense of isolation and doom. I will also add that the two children in the novel are superbly written and manage to seem both realistically childish and yet reasonably mature without ever edging too far off either spectrum - that's often not easy to accomplish for an adult author, and I was definitely pleased and impressed in that regard.
Having said that, "Shade of the Tree" does have the usual issues that often accompany Anthony's novels. The main character of the father is poorly fleshed out and somewhat one-dimensional - the father's stubborn refusal to alter or adjust his family's lifestyle in the face of clear evidence of hostile supernatural forces is exceedingly jarring. He doesn't deny the existence of the ghosts that fade in and out of his sight by chalking them up to hallucinations (which would be a credible response for a normal human being faced with the supernatural), but rather he accepts them as real and as accepts them as a very real potential threat. However, this tacit acceptance is the complete end of his response - he doesn't take additional steps to actually deal with the existence of the ghosts (ideally, by moving out and taking his two children with him) or to try to minimize their effect on his family in any way.
Anthony also falls into the two major flaws he introduces into pretty much every other book he's written. The first flaw is that of the "Perfectly Pert Patty" character - Anthony never seems happy until he introduces an impossibly buxom barely-legal girl-woman who must be introduced as a flawless physical specimen every single time she enters the scene. No mere "Bonnie showed up at the doorstep," no, it must be "Bonnie showed up at the doorstep and everyone couldn't help but notice that she had brought her stunningly spectacular breasts with her." Yes, the story needed a maternal figure to step-mother the children, but I'm not certain that a 19-year-old Sophia Loren look-alike (literally!) was mandated and I haven't known too many impossibly gorgeous, gourmet cooking, local beauty queen 19-year-olds whose life ambition was to marry a widower twice her age and with two children half her own age. The seduction scene between the older widower and the young woman is rather skin-crawling, but this is pretty much a classic Anthony set-up so if you've read him before, you're used to it. I don't have to like it, though.
The other major flaw that Anthony can't help but reduce absolutely everything to a computer-analogy. At the risk of spoilers, a telepathic tree is not remotely like a computer, and trying to describe it as such (particularly in a novel otherwise completely devoid of any technology at all) is extremely jarring and inappropriate. The reader is left chortling over such gems as, "a telepathic being, even a tree, was easier to accept than the supernatural," leaving us with the impression that a 'telepathic' tree who summons mental ghosts and zombies to kill people is NOT 'supernatural' in Anthony's vocabulary. If that isn't super-natural, then what is, I wonder?
All told, "Shade of the Tree" is a fine book. I like it, it was worth the used price I paid, and I'll probably read it again someday. Just be aware that there are problems, but if you like Piers Anthony, these problems are ones you've dealt with before.
~ Ana Mardoll
April 4, 2012
I bought this book because I was a big fan of Piers Anthony's "Xanth" series, and am I glad I did! This book might even be better! This is dark fantasy horror that feels more like a Stephen King book than anything else. Only, I don't think Stephen King ever wrote anything like this. It's a book I consider flawsome! (flaws + awesome = flawsome!), but it is and will always be a favorite of mine. It's about the Pinson family who come into contact with a haunted tree, ghosts, chainsaws, a haunted house, and more. All these elements are blended together with a new spin on everything, that is refreshing and fun! It all takes place in Florida. But this isn't the make-believe version of Florida that became Piers Anthony's world of Xanth. In place of anything being "punny", you will find lots of drama and suspense instead. Juggling horror and light fantasy all the way to the end, it's very exciting and I couldn't put it down the first time, nor the many times I've read it again. I was real surprised one day when my youngest sister, after having read all the Xanth books, picked this one up to read. But, it shouldn't have been a surprise at all. She knows a good book when she sees one. She read it and loved it! As a note, I read this back-to-back with Raymond Feist's "Faerie Tale" and have done so many times since. For some unknown reason, they go hand-in-hand with me. Maybe they would for you as well, and at the very least, makes for a great double-punch of dark fantasy / horror that can be compared to Stephen King.
November 18, 2024
In the pantheon of science fiction/ fantasy, Piers Anthony is an accepted and trusted name, and it's easy to see why. While not an especially great writer, Anthony does display a wit and charisma in his writing that is hard to deny. "Shade of the Tree" is an immensely enjoyable, quick read that delves into the horror/dark fantasy genre. (This is the kind of novel meant to be read on a rainy day, sitting on your couch in a Snuggie, drinking a hot cup of coffee, or tea, whichever you prefer...)
Widower Josh Pinson and his two young children arrive at their new home in the secluded woods of Florida, an inheritance from an eccentric uncle and a much-needed escape from New York City (where Josh's wife was tragically murdered in a random drive-by shooting). Everyone in the near-by small town says that Old Man Pinson's house and property is haunted, and, of course, strange and supernatural events do begin occurring the minute the Pinsons arrive.
Anthony (who wrote this in the early '80s) must have been riding the popularity of Stephen King, as "Shade of the Tree" has all the basic King elements: ghosts, a haunted house, childhood fears of creatures living in the woods, and it even has a chainsaw that seems to have a life of its own. King probably would have handled them better, but Anthony manages to keep the suspense built up. This novel does have a very fascinating twist ending that I didn't see coming at all but was very cool and compensated for any of the book's previous flaws. If you have enjoyed other Piers Anthony books, this one will not disappoint.
Widower Josh Pinson and his two young children arrive at their new home in the secluded woods of Florida, an inheritance from an eccentric uncle and a much-needed escape from New York City (where Josh's wife was tragically murdered in a random drive-by shooting). Everyone in the near-by small town says that Old Man Pinson's house and property is haunted, and, of course, strange and supernatural events do begin occurring the minute the Pinsons arrive.
Anthony (who wrote this in the early '80s) must have been riding the popularity of Stephen King, as "Shade of the Tree" has all the basic King elements: ghosts, a haunted house, childhood fears of creatures living in the woods, and it even has a chainsaw that seems to have a life of its own. King probably would have handled them better, but Anthony manages to keep the suspense built up. This novel does have a very fascinating twist ending that I didn't see coming at all but was very cool and compensated for any of the book's previous flaws. If you have enjoyed other Piers Anthony books, this one will not disappoint.
August 23, 2009
This one was unusual. I didn't care for the story much. I did like that the tree was as old as time, but not the people. And for me to really like the book I have to like at least one of the people.
March 27, 2008
I loved this book. I thought it was so well written and original. Nell unknowingly nudged me to add it to my booklist by posting so many Piers Anthony books lately. :o)
Hi Nell!
Hi Nell!
July 21, 2008
I remember reading this in Jr. High while on a camping trip in Patrick's Point, CA. The setting was perfect, and I still think back to this book every time I visit the area.
August 17, 2008
This might be my favorite Piers Anthony.
August 25, 2019
I have a soft spot for Piers Anthony, his Xanth series was much loved by me during my teenage years, I loved the puns, Isle of View!!
I stumbled across this in the bargain basement of my local store and decided to give it a go! It’s a spooky tale of spooky happenings under a tree!
I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t brilliant, the narrative was a bit crude ( but still better than anything I could write) and it just finished!
Perhaps I’m missing pages is 348 the last page? How’s his daughter? What!!!!!
4?stars though cos I love Piers!! 😍
I stumbled across this in the bargain basement of my local store and decided to give it a go! It’s a spooky tale of spooky happenings under a tree!
I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t brilliant, the narrative was a bit crude ( but still better than anything I could write) and it just finished!
Perhaps I’m missing pages is 348 the last page? How’s his daughter? What!!!!!
4?stars though cos I love Piers!! 😍
April 18, 2008
Blah. Too wordy in many places. A whole lot of tension that went nowhere really. One of the corniest sex scenes I've ever read. And the ending just fell flat for me. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of ghost story. And how exactly did Mina die? It really left me hanging there.
January 9, 2008
I read alot in my teen years. I found TV boring but was not talented enough to write on my own. This book was great. It spoke to my imagination and my soul. It was soothing balm to a troubled mind with no good reason to be troubled other than normal teenage angst.
April 19, 2013
Scared the crud out of me. Wish he'd write lots more like this. It wasn't trite and it stayed good all the way through.
April 8, 2018
The story is pretty standard ghost stuff til a very interesting and unexpected ending. Not bad. Oh but the love scene - cringe. Piers Anthony should just stop writing them.
July 26, 2017
Definitely not what I expected out of my first encounter with this author...but not at all bad. Fun, in fact, and probably a keeper. A widower New York programmer goes to Florida with his family to live on property he inherited from his uncle. Events that unfold seem to indicate the land is haunted...but is it? The denouement comes in a bit of a rush, but it's not so sudden that it doesn't wrap well. All in all very satisfying and not the last I expect to read by Piers Anthony.
May 13, 2019
Ugh. As a Xanth reader as a teen, I was excited when I saw this book at a discount book store for $1.50. The teaser that it was like Stephen King had me eager to jump right in. 75% of the way I was totally hooked. The storyline was good and just creepy enough. Haunted house. Spooky tree. Kids running around without supervision. Evil bleeding saw of death. Animals going crazy... The characters were endearing and I genuinely wished well for them. However, all hell broke loose as the story ended where I angrily flipped through the pages, skipping to "the good parts" and eventually throwing the book across the room.
Slight spoiler rant...
The main character is a father who has lost his wife in a tragic accident and has to raise his two young children alone. Things like cooking and cleaning are a real bother to him, yet he's willing to go out of town and leave his children for days with strangers. Supposedly he is a computer systems genius but can't consider maybe looking for work that allows him to be more present with his children who have just lost their mother. Throughout the story he is presented with 2 mate replacement options, both beautiful. However one is an intellectual match, great with animals, nurturing and strong. The other is a bimbo airhead half his age who can't do simple math and whose only desire is to find a home to wash the dishes and make meals from scratch. I'll let you guess which one he picks. "I want to make it with you," she says. WTH?!?!
The one sex scene was so unbelievably unsexy and uncomfortable. GROSS. Old dudes who want to boink teenie boppers, totally not necessary in the story.
The ending was the worst. Not only was it an unrealistic cliff-hanger, but it also was ambiguous.
How can you get a reader hooked for so long only to completely lose them in the last pages?
Slight spoiler rant...
The main character is a father who has lost his wife in a tragic accident and has to raise his two young children alone. Things like cooking and cleaning are a real bother to him, yet he's willing to go out of town and leave his children for days with strangers. Supposedly he is a computer systems genius but can't consider maybe looking for work that allows him to be more present with his children who have just lost their mother. Throughout the story he is presented with 2 mate replacement options, both beautiful. However one is an intellectual match, great with animals, nurturing and strong. The other is a bimbo airhead half his age who can't do simple math and whose only desire is to find a home to wash the dishes and make meals from scratch. I'll let you guess which one he picks. "I want to make it with you," she says. WTH?!?!
The one sex scene was so unbelievably unsexy and uncomfortable. GROSS. Old dudes who want to boink teenie boppers, totally not necessary in the story.
The ending was the worst. Not only was it an unrealistic cliff-hanger, but it also was ambiguous.
How can you get a reader hooked for so long only to completely lose them in the last pages?
September 3, 2022
If you're a fan of Anthony's 'Xanth' novels, you should probably approach this one with caution. Much like his earlier 'Incarnations of Immortality' series, this is fantasy of the darkest nature. Combining both supernatural and psychological horror, Anthony weaves his tale around a haunted tree, the spirit of which both befriends and terrorizes a grieving family. You're never quite sure where things might go, but twists do not disappoint.
July 19, 2023
This book was an easy read. There were aspects I thought could have been improved upon but it was a sufficiently interesting premise with mysterious elements and horror elements that reminded me a bit of Stephen King. It had an interesting ending.
His Xanth novels are a lot more fun. Still, I wanted to finish it and I did so in one day, which says something for the book. If it had been terrible I wouldn't have kept reading it.
His Xanth novels are a lot more fun. Still, I wanted to finish it and I did so in one day, which says something for the book. If it had been terrible I wouldn't have kept reading it.
October 18, 2024
Loved the set-up, characters, and twists of this one. Genuinely thought the tree was making people sexist, though, on account of the suspicious amount of gendered violence and the way the attitude of the main character seemed to change as he encountered more women throughout. I think some of that might have been intentional, fits the way the tree amplified things in the characters' minds, but truly I still can't tell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2008
This was actually one of the better books in my opinion by Anthony! It was quite suspensful really for a SF book. I read it when I was young and it actually caused some nightmares/wild dreams! Very interesting plot. Even if you didn't care for other Anthony books I would recommend this one as it is written in a totally different style than say his Xanth, Mode or Apprentice Adept series.
August 20, 2023
The book can be a little slow at times but character development is really good and the ending which I saw a few people being upset about I thought to be very good. As it leaves you to decide what happens a little bit and you can believe the words on the page, but you will be left with questions at the end that are quite enticing.
January 17, 2014
It had the typical Piers Anthony eye rolls and awkward female encounters, but it was an interesting story that kept me drawn in - curious about what the real cause was behind all the strange occurrences.
January 3, 2014
I love Piers Anthony but this one fell flat for me. I really got engrossed in the spooky feel of the story in the beginning but with the main character ending up with the babysitter (when we can tell the neighbor was a more realistic match)...eh, just kinda fizzled toward the end.
May 3, 2008
I had this book for YEARS before I finally got around to reading it. And I wish I had read it sooner, because it was actually pretty darn good.
October 14, 2015
Love the paranormal perspective!
March 30, 2022
I read this when I was eleven and I thought it was ridiculous but I really appreciated that it had sex scenes in it, so thanks, Piers Anthony!
July 30, 2008
This was very different from anything else Anthony published but also my favorite of his stories.
February 21, 2008
Very weird book, but I liked it.
July 22, 2021
I 'got into' Piers Anthony with the Sos The Rope saga, many years ago in my teens. Since that time I have read a few of his short stories (In the Barn..?) which I enjoyed, and a couple of his novels Tarot and something about a ring, which I enjoyed less. They were readable, but hardly exciting.
I'm afraid I didn't much like this book. There seemed to be no build up in tension - from the first we were told that: the house was 'haunted'; fear flowed from inanimate objects - and the characters didn't seem to speak to each other in ways that characters of their age (some young children) should. There was the strange 'twist' at the end, but that didn't 'do it' for me.
I read it though. I shall not read it again (perhaps I should go back to Var the Stick?). But don't let my negative thoughts influence you - if you like Piers Anthony (and I do), then try this one, you may have different thoughts.
I'm afraid I didn't much like this book. There seemed to be no build up in tension - from the first we were told that: the house was 'haunted'; fear flowed from inanimate objects - and the characters didn't seem to speak to each other in ways that characters of their age (some young children) should. There was the strange 'twist' at the end, but that didn't 'do it' for me.
I read it though. I shall not read it again (perhaps I should go back to Var the Stick?). But don't let my negative thoughts influence you - if you like Piers Anthony (and I do), then try this one, you may have different thoughts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews