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Tarot #1
God of Tarot
science fiction
Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1979
About the author
Piers Anthony
487 books4,291 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 4, 2010
Piers Anthony is far too obsessed with sex, and his apparent view of women merely as sexual objects (the main character objects to this view, yet almost all of his thoughts dealing with women are sexual) does nothing to endear him or this book to me.
The plot itself is decent enough, though it takes far too long to really get started, and the first few chapters are pretty boring. But the idea of a planet where Tarot cards come to life is fascinating, even though I know next to nothing about Tarot symbolism. The ending, however, wasn't so much an ending as it was the place the book stopped. Each book in a trilogy (or any series) should be self-contained, and this one was not.
The characters... Well. The Antarean that we see all too briefly had potential. Some of the religious leaders also have potential, but like with the Antarean, we don't see nearly enough of them. Instead, we're stuck with Brother Paul. Brother Paul is, in a word, annoying. He knows the answer to everything, even while he's assuring us that he doesn't. He was a mysterious past that we don't learn about until the end, when it turns out to be the perfect background to convince anyone that while he is a religious man, he does know how the world works, really! He was a drug runner! He's seen all the dark sides! We promise.
Again, annoying.
The plot itself is decent enough, though it takes far too long to really get started, and the first few chapters are pretty boring. But the idea of a planet where Tarot cards come to life is fascinating, even though I know next to nothing about Tarot symbolism. The ending, however, wasn't so much an ending as it was the place the book stopped. Each book in a trilogy (or any series) should be self-contained, and this one was not.
The characters... Well. The Antarean that we see all too briefly had potential. Some of the religious leaders also have potential, but like with the Antarean, we don't see nearly enough of them. Instead, we're stuck with Brother Paul. Brother Paul is, in a word, annoying. He knows the answer to everything, even while he's assuring us that he doesn't. He was a mysterious past that we don't learn about until the end, when it turns out to be the perfect background to convince anyone that while he is a religious man, he does know how the world works, really! He was a drug runner! He's seen all the dark sides! We promise.
Again, annoying.
November 19, 2009
When I was young, I devoured Anthony's fantasy fiction voraciously, and as I got a bit older, I started exploring his forays into "hard" sf, occasionally being surprised at the depth he was capable of. This book stands sort of at the precipice between those two extremes. It posits a world called Tarot, which causes hallucinations in its visitors, based on their visual-emotional states, which is becoming the center of a religious movement. Paul, a young monk from Earth, is sent to examine this planet for his Order, and to attempt to determine if the God of Tarot is real.
Anthony structures the plot around the first nine trumps of the Tarot deck, with an odd interlude for a "Ghost" card which he introduces himself, but for the most part this book appears to follow the traditional deck in a structured and interesting manner (the next book would not). Anthony explores a number of themes, including spirituality and its relationship to carnality, drug addiction, faith, the occult, and the impact of matter-transmission technology on society, with intelligence and care. Although his understanding of the tarot itself seems fairly superficial, to judge by the appendices, he nevertheless manages to create an interesting story here that will not annoy those with greater knowledge. Unfortunately, the rest of the series did not retain this high standard.
Anthony structures the plot around the first nine trumps of the Tarot deck, with an odd interlude for a "Ghost" card which he introduces himself, but for the most part this book appears to follow the traditional deck in a structured and interesting manner (the next book would not). Anthony explores a number of themes, including spirituality and its relationship to carnality, drug addiction, faith, the occult, and the impact of matter-transmission technology on society, with intelligence and care. Although his understanding of the tarot itself seems fairly superficial, to judge by the appendices, he nevertheless manages to create an interesting story here that will not annoy those with greater knowledge. Unfortunately, the rest of the series did not retain this high standard.
February 23, 2015
Now, Mr. Anthony has sold millions of books, so what do I know, but this book was kind of racially and gender-related ... not offensive, but at least insensitive. I don't think I've ever read a well-rounded black or female character from him. When I was a kid, that was fine (cause I didn't know better), but now it's not so much. And his writing/ideas aren't sophisticated enough to carry it. This book is so heavy-handed and clumsy. Sigh. For all that, Piers Anthony is nothing if not ambitious (the plot reminded me of Star Trek 6, where they're looking for god; maybe Shatner read this book). He's delving into rich terrain - the search for God - and his heart's in the right place. I feel like he thinks he's being super deep and sensitive...he just doesn't quite do it.
May 22, 2012
Not for religiously-challenged.
August 30, 2026
I love this era of sci-fi because narratively they’re just out here adding any old nonsense in. Spent probably the last 150 pages like “sure, why the hell not” every third paragraph. So funny
November 28, 2024
Interesting book, with interesting concepts! If half stars were available I’d probably give it a 3.5, 4 seems generous & 3 feels cheap. I can see how this book wouldn’t be for everyone but it was a fun read, in less than 300 pages we are introduced to a futuristic Earth that has depleted their energy resources, we are quickly moved to a new planet and the rest of the story seems to spiral down a rabbit hole. A couple times I had to pause and just ask myself “What are we doing here?” Some of the transitions feel forced as we are following heavy symbolism from the major Arcana of the Tarot deck, again I was really sure what I was expecting and I got exactly that! I have never read any of Piers Anthony’s work before but I look forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy to see where this is going…
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January 15, 2026Read decades ago. Cannot review the three with stars but read them all. Cleaning out bookshelves, these are old from the 70s
October 4, 2024
In his theological science-fiction trilogy Tarot, Piers Anthony attempts to construct a definitive candidate for narrative disconfirmation, only for the project to fail under the weight of its own internal machinery. Anthony designs a narrative device that is incapable of producing evidence against the very thesis he introduces it to test.
The formal evidence of this systemic failure lies in the mechanics of the "Animations" themselves, and across three substantial volumes, the breakdown is absolute. Within the logic of the planet Cluster, the Animations operate by rendering the observer's own psychological and mental contents as an apparent physical reality. So, every religious founder and historical prophet that the protagonist, Brother Paul, encounters is sourced from Paul’s own mind rather than representing an independent, objective testimony. The trilogy spans three volumes of intense hearings and visions, yet it runs its entire inquiry on an instrument that cannot supply a contrary witness. The thesis the machinery delivers. That all historical traditions are localized expressions of an unknown divine, and are therefore valid, is a foregone conclusion. There is no imaginable finding that could have altered the trilogy's ending, because a religious tradition whose claims were incompatible in a way that mattered would have to emerge from outside Paul’s own head. The device cannot reach outside it. This stands as the absolute contrast case to Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive: here, the ideological premise is stated openly and then validated by a closed mechanical loop.
This is not an indictment of writing about religion itself. A proper critical reading recognizes that the category of the subject matter is not what compromises the work; rather, the flaw lies in the self-validating nature of the device. What keeps Tarot from sinking to the bottom of the corpus is the genuine respect and rigor of its underlying provenance. In 1975, Anthony met a brother of the real-world Holy Order of MANS at a judo tournament. Taken with their unique synthesis of Gnostic Christianity, communal living, and tarot mysticism, he constructed Brother Paul and the "Order of Holy Vision" from life, even inventing a fully realized hundred-card, five-suit Animation deck. By September 1977, this research had yielded a massive 250,000-word manuscript that no contemporary house would publish. Though the real-world Order instructed its members not to read the manuscript or communicate with him, an isolation Anthony deeply regretted, the novel remains a product of profound, earnest admiration. Nothing in the text is assembled to trivialize or humiliate a tradition, and the final volume delivers a bleak, demanding answer regarding Earth's fate that the space colonists do not want, marking a rare moment where the work declines a comfortable resolution.
The work's central device cannot produce evidence against the thesis it tests. Tarot relies on a psychological mirror to settle a cosmic debate.
The formal evidence of this systemic failure lies in the mechanics of the "Animations" themselves, and across three substantial volumes, the breakdown is absolute. Within the logic of the planet Cluster, the Animations operate by rendering the observer's own psychological and mental contents as an apparent physical reality. So, every religious founder and historical prophet that the protagonist, Brother Paul, encounters is sourced from Paul’s own mind rather than representing an independent, objective testimony. The trilogy spans three volumes of intense hearings and visions, yet it runs its entire inquiry on an instrument that cannot supply a contrary witness. The thesis the machinery delivers. That all historical traditions are localized expressions of an unknown divine, and are therefore valid, is a foregone conclusion. There is no imaginable finding that could have altered the trilogy's ending, because a religious tradition whose claims were incompatible in a way that mattered would have to emerge from outside Paul’s own head. The device cannot reach outside it. This stands as the absolute contrast case to Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive: here, the ideological premise is stated openly and then validated by a closed mechanical loop.
This is not an indictment of writing about religion itself. A proper critical reading recognizes that the category of the subject matter is not what compromises the work; rather, the flaw lies in the self-validating nature of the device. What keeps Tarot from sinking to the bottom of the corpus is the genuine respect and rigor of its underlying provenance. In 1975, Anthony met a brother of the real-world Holy Order of MANS at a judo tournament. Taken with their unique synthesis of Gnostic Christianity, communal living, and tarot mysticism, he constructed Brother Paul and the "Order of Holy Vision" from life, even inventing a fully realized hundred-card, five-suit Animation deck. By September 1977, this research had yielded a massive 250,000-word manuscript that no contemporary house would publish. Though the real-world Order instructed its members not to read the manuscript or communicate with him, an isolation Anthony deeply regretted, the novel remains a product of profound, earnest admiration. Nothing in the text is assembled to trivialize or humiliate a tradition, and the final volume delivers a bleak, demanding answer regarding Earth's fate that the space colonists do not want, marking a rare moment where the work declines a comfortable resolution.
The work's central device cannot produce evidence against the thesis it tests. Tarot relies on a psychological mirror to settle a cosmic debate.
February 11, 2012
2.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
The planet Tarot, home to countless religions, is experiencing a host of manifestations, from the inspiring to the dangerous. They've called on Brother Paul, of the neutral Holy Order of Vision, to come and determine once and for all which god is the real god of Tarot.
Review
I was a fan of Piers Anthony, growing up. From A Spell for Chameleon on, his books addressed serious issues directly, approachably, and with a sense of humor. There were puns! There were extensive, autobiographical author notes.
I remember reading the Tarot series, borrowed from a relative, fairly early on in our acquaintance. It wasn’t my favorite, but I liked it. It got me mildly and briefly in tarot as an entertainment.
I kept on with Anthony for quite some time, but eventually, my favorite – and his most popular – series, Xanth, just got too silly, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I tried a new Xanth book recently, Isis Orb, and it wasn’t any better. I blamed it in part on Anthony, like Heinlein and others before him, losing focus and getting too caught up in sex as he aged. Re-reading God of Tarot, though, I’m not so sure.
I’d forgotten just how much of the book was about sex. As a teenager, it was probably titillating. As a middle-aged adult, I found it juvenile and dull. It’s also about religion and some serious topics – but more shallowly treated than I recalled. The religious aspects purports to address all religions, but it’s very Judeo-Christian in focus.
The book is part of Anthony’s Cluster universe, and knowing those aspects adds another dimension, though the book functions without it. Anthony makes the point that this is only part one of a longer story, not entirely a standalone book, though it can work as one.
I wish I could say that I enjoyed God of Tarot as much on re-read as I did originally. I see that I’ve previously given it (though based on memory, long after I read it initially) a rating of 4/5. Now, I’m giving it far less – 2.5/5. It’s still well-intended, but to an adult, the flaws are much, much larger than they were to my younger mind. Even allowing for its time – the late 70s – it’s just not as good a book as I remembered. I don’t see going on to the other two books in the series any time soon.
Summary
The planet Tarot, home to countless religions, is experiencing a host of manifestations, from the inspiring to the dangerous. They've called on Brother Paul, of the neutral Holy Order of Vision, to come and determine once and for all which god is the real god of Tarot.
Review
I was a fan of Piers Anthony, growing up. From A Spell for Chameleon on, his books addressed serious issues directly, approachably, and with a sense of humor. There were puns! There were extensive, autobiographical author notes.
I remember reading the Tarot series, borrowed from a relative, fairly early on in our acquaintance. It wasn’t my favorite, but I liked it. It got me mildly and briefly in tarot as an entertainment.
I kept on with Anthony for quite some time, but eventually, my favorite – and his most popular – series, Xanth, just got too silly, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I tried a new Xanth book recently, Isis Orb, and it wasn’t any better. I blamed it in part on Anthony, like Heinlein and others before him, losing focus and getting too caught up in sex as he aged. Re-reading God of Tarot, though, I’m not so sure.
I’d forgotten just how much of the book was about sex. As a teenager, it was probably titillating. As a middle-aged adult, I found it juvenile and dull. It’s also about religion and some serious topics – but more shallowly treated than I recalled. The religious aspects purports to address all religions, but it’s very Judeo-Christian in focus.
The book is part of Anthony’s Cluster universe, and knowing those aspects adds another dimension, though the book functions without it. Anthony makes the point that this is only part one of a longer story, not entirely a standalone book, though it can work as one.
I wish I could say that I enjoyed God of Tarot as much on re-read as I did originally. I see that I’ve previously given it (though based on memory, long after I read it initially) a rating of 4/5. Now, I’m giving it far less – 2.5/5. It’s still well-intended, but to an adult, the flaws are much, much larger than they were to my younger mind. Even allowing for its time – the late 70s – it’s just not as good a book as I remembered. I don’t see going on to the other two books in the series any time soon.
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June 1, 2014Probably the worst book I've ever read. Anthony's sentence construction and language range from amateur to needlessly convoluted. His imagery is often poorly drawn and obscure unless you have knowledge of the particular Tarot deck and card he references, so there's a lot of "filling in the blanks." The initial idea is intriguing but, like A.E "Dead" Waite, quickly grows tiresome and pedantic. Tangents are many, and the story structure, such as it is, amounts to basically a series of meditations on Tarot cards twisted to fit a sci-fi world.
This is the first of a trilogy intended to be a complete work, but frankly the effort is not worth the payoff. Not recommended.
This is the first of a trilogy intended to be a complete work, but frankly the effort is not worth the payoff. Not recommended.
January 9, 2010
This is my first experience reading anything by Piers Anthony. I like the writing style, and was intrigued by the characters, particularly the main character Brother Paul. The discussion of Tarot in all its forms/incarnations/developments was very highly developed, and made the read somewhat informative. I found the ending to be abrupt and under-explaining.
I find I have no desire to pick up the subsequent novels in order to see where the story goes. The manner in which this book ended makes me feel that would be the result of coercion rather than innate desire to do so.
I find I have no desire to pick up the subsequent novels in order to see where the story goes. The manner in which this book ended makes me feel that would be the result of coercion rather than innate desire to do so.
June 17, 2017
Definitely not Xanth type book. Mostly an explanation and history of the Tarot cards and a "preachy" putdown of religions in a novel form.
December 19, 2024
What an excellent premise! ...that seems to go nowhere. The opening chapters were painfully dated (there's a rather long explanation of how calculators work, as if it's really sci-fi - as but one of many examples). When he gets to the planet, it turns into one boring explanation of a religion after another, with very little plot to hold it together. This then jumps straight into an Animation sequence that goes on for aaaaages with little coherence. It's very hard to get to grips with what he's trying to express, as well (how exactly does one become an actor in someone's Animation and get forced to speak certain lines??).
There is a lot of tarot card description that I felt was poorly executed - if I weren't so familiar with tarot, I likely wouldn't have been able to visualise what he was describing. Also, as someone who has studied tarot extensively for many years now, I can tell you he gets so much wrong. Even just his basic history of the tarot is wrong, before looking at some of his interpretations.
He also makes many, many mistakes about various religions. (Seeking the God of Buddhism stands out to me - Buddhists don't have a God....) It pulls everything he says into question. And remember: those inaccurate tirades are pretty much all this book is.
That's without getting into his shallow, objectification of women on just about every page, or the casual, awful racism that comes out of nowhere in the first overblown Animation sequence. He says in his introduction that the book was intended to offend and if you aren't offended, you've missed the point. Well, I was offended...and I still didn't see the point.
There is a lot of tarot card description that I felt was poorly executed - if I weren't so familiar with tarot, I likely wouldn't have been able to visualise what he was describing. Also, as someone who has studied tarot extensively for many years now, I can tell you he gets so much wrong. Even just his basic history of the tarot is wrong, before looking at some of his interpretations.
He also makes many, many mistakes about various religions. (Seeking the God of Buddhism stands out to me - Buddhists don't have a God....) It pulls everything he says into question. And remember: those inaccurate tirades are pretty much all this book is.
That's without getting into his shallow, objectification of women on just about every page, or the casual, awful racism that comes out of nowhere in the first overblown Animation sequence. He says in his introduction that the book was intended to offend and if you aren't offended, you've missed the point. Well, I was offended...and I still didn't see the point.
February 18, 2019
The most incomplete book I have ever read. It got lost in the Tarot deck then it got lost in the past of the main character then it just stopped. I am not really interested in the next book in the series. It was too much work to read this one. The only redeeming feature is the add on at the end about the Tarot. So I gave it one more star for that.
February 23, 2026
I returned to this novel because of Anthony's research which involved exposure with the Holy Order of MANS. Even though there are nuggets of insight here, possibly due to Anthony's observations and possible participation with the order, there isn't much here to continue the series.
This is perhaps another novel that was better read around the time of its publication - now it just seems old hat.
This is perhaps another novel that was better read around the time of its publication - now it just seems old hat.
December 28, 2020
The series is basically an episode of the original Star Trek series gone awry and made into something a little longer than the concept should hold.
But, it's a fun romp through realities all the same.
But, it's a fun romp through realities all the same.
March 16, 2018
2 1/2 stars
A re-read. I remembered enjoying it, but on my 2nd time through I found it dated, adolescent, crude, misogynistic and racist.
A re-read. I remembered enjoying it, but on my 2nd time through I found it dated, adolescent, crude, misogynistic and racist.
October 24, 2018
Real easy to go to sleep to.
Somewhat interesting reading what was probably progressive in 1979, but comes across real sexist and not nearly as enlightened today.
Somewhat interesting reading what was probably progressive in 1979, but comes across real sexist and not nearly as enlightened today.
August 21, 2019
The story started quite well, but all the stuff about Tarot and communicating with the animations I found incredibly boring.
Read
April 3, 2020DNF around of 75. Heavier on the sci-fi than I expected or wanted.
December 27, 2020
Verrückt, aber nicht schön verrückt. Streckenweise widerlich.
January 12, 2022
Not my cup of tea.
February 22, 2023
Reread
July 14, 2024
Weirdest book I've ever read
Read
October 23, 2025Now readers can return to the planet of holy lusts and deadly dreams. Paul is a monk, which is better than a warrior on the planet Tarot, where religions are wielded like swords.
August 21, 2024
Worst book I've read in a while. Each book in a trilogy is supposed to be able to stand on its own. This series does not. The book just ends at a random spot in the story
January 30, 2015
When I was young, I devoured Anthony's fantasy fiction voraciously, and as I got a bit older, I started exploring his forays into "hard" sf, occasionally being surprised at the depth he was capable of. This book stands sort of at the precipice between those two extremes. It posits a world called Tarot, which causes hallucinations in its visitors, based on their visual-emotional states, which is becoming the center of a religious movement. Paul, a young monk from Earth, is sent to examine this planet for his Order, and to attempt to determine if the God of Tarot is real.
Anthony structures the plot around the first nine trumps of the Tarot deck, with an odd interlude for a "Ghost" card which he introduces himself, but for the most part this book appears to follow the traditional deck in a structured and interesting manner (the next book would not). Anthony explores a number of themes, including spirituality and its relationship to carnality, drug addiction, faith, the occult, and the impact of matter-transmission technology on society, with intelligence and care. Although his understanding of the tarot itself seems fairly superficial, to judge by the appendices, he nevertheless manages to create an interesting story here that will not annoy those with greater knowledge. Unfortunately, the rest of the series did not retain this high standard.
A goodly number of these blurbs are cut and paste of other people's reviews that say what I want.
Anthony structures the plot around the first nine trumps of the Tarot deck, with an odd interlude for a "Ghost" card which he introduces himself, but for the most part this book appears to follow the traditional deck in a structured and interesting manner (the next book would not). Anthony explores a number of themes, including spirituality and its relationship to carnality, drug addiction, faith, the occult, and the impact of matter-transmission technology on society, with intelligence and care. Although his understanding of the tarot itself seems fairly superficial, to judge by the appendices, he nevertheless manages to create an interesting story here that will not annoy those with greater knowledge. Unfortunately, the rest of the series did not retain this high standard.
A goodly number of these blurbs are cut and paste of other people's reviews that say what I want.
April 21, 2010
Brother Paul of the Holy Order of Vision is a monk on a future Earth that has expanded to the stars. He's sent by his order to investigate reports that God has appeared on the planet Tarot . On this planet the various Tarot cards manifest in creative ways and "religions are wielded like swords." I discovered this book in my teens right around the time I became fascinated with the Tarot. I'm really the opposite of a New Ager, and don't buy any deck of cards have powers or that the tarot cards have a mystical past going back to Egypt, but I loved the art and symbols of it all, so I adored how Anthony played with it and religious and spiritual themes. This book is structured around the first 9 trumps of the Tarot. The first book of a trilogy and it's no standalone, but more like the first part of one long book.
January 6, 2016
Interesting book. The author has an uncanny knack to take science fiction & fantasy concepts and blur them in such a way as the reader is never sure is this sci-fi or fantasy. Whats more interesting about Anthony is that he also writes in a lot of spiritualism/psychic/divination/occult into his books (as far as I have read) and this book is no exception. There is a philosophy about religion that is present throughout this book. The only issue I have had with the philosophy is that it is Western and does not account for occult images that are also Eastern in nature.
Good book though it can be tough at times with action given way to explanation regarding Tarot cards and their origins.
Good book though it can be tough at times with action given way to explanation regarding Tarot cards and their origins.
January 11, 2016
This is my second Anthony book. My other book was the first Cluster book, which I didn't realize was in the same universe (so to speak) as God of Tarot. Had I known, I would have tried something else. This book is pretty much a poor, poor man's Hesse. Anthony is to literature what Bob Saget is to stand-up comedy. You want it to be satire, but he seems to be earnest. I will probably give him another chance, but it will have to be Xanth or something else silly, because I'm too embarrassed to read anything else by him that is supposed to be "serious."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews