Faith of Tarot

This final volume of Piers Anthony's science-fantasy adventure Tarot overtly ties it in to his "Cluster" novels (which I haven't read). It supplies a fanciful historical origin for the tarot among the Waldensian heretics of the fourteenth century, as foreshadowed at the start of the first book. In this multi-chapter medieval passage, there is even a feint at the Sacred Magic of Abramelin, as the hero Brother Paul meets Abraham of Worms. But the augoeides doctrine does not appear in Anthony's work, despite the persistence of "Love Is the Law, Love under Will" (sic, with impertinent capitals).

The solution of the "God of Tarot" conundrum comes three chapters before the end, leaving a long unwinding denouement to address the fates of the show more various characters. By the time the revelation arrives, it's not much of a surprise, but I won't spoiler it here. The further explication of various psycho-sexual motives (particularly for the Crowley-derived character Therion) were not terribly convincing, and the final resolution was perhaps too tidy.

I'm satisfied to have finally read these books, and I can recommend them for light entertainment. But they seem to pretend to a profundity that I think they lack. Each chapter is headed by a long epigraph, and these often set a tone of sage contemplation. There are metatextual references to medieval dream-visions and the chapter sequence is keyed to the tarot trumps. Perhaps it would be an effective "gateway" work for readers with no prior education in occultism, but its take on esoteric materials is very idiosyncratic and supports its own fiction better than it would any factual efforts. As evidence, the "Animation Tarot" variant (with its hundred-card deck of thirty trumps and five small suits) appears never to have been executed or published in the decades since these books were written. show less

Paul, the wanderer-monk, journeys into the terrifying realm of Hell to stop the Animation turning fantasies into horrifying realities on the planet Tarot, facing dragons, demons, and profound tests of his beliefs amidst a world where imagination runs wild and dangerous. It's a dark fantasy adventure exploring the symbolism of the tarot as Paul confronts ultimate nightmares and the nature of faith itself.

This is the final book of the Tarot trilogy, and is no standalone. Like say, Lord of the Rings, the three books are really one novel, not three novels with the same world and characters, so you should really read God of Tarot and Vision of Tarot first. 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 the head of his order to investigate reports that God has appeared on the planet Tarot. The first book was framed by the 9 trump cards of the Tarot, this novel is framed by the 11 more trump cards, and this book takes us to 28. Tarot packs ordinarily have 21 trumps, Anthony has interpolations of his own. I discovered this trilogy in my teens right around the time I became show more fascinated with the Tarot. I'm really the opposite of a New Ager, and don't believe 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. show less

Definitely my favorite series from Piers Anthony