Crystal Singer
science fiction
Series · science fiction
Tarot
The Tarot series by Piers Anthony has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with God of Tarot (1979).
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 1979
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Science Fiction
Start here: God of Tarot (1979)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
God of Tarot
God of Tarot (1979) opens Piers Anthony's trilogy at 288 pages, sending Brother Paul to investigate reports of a self-proclaimed god on a planet where tarot cards are literal, physical realities. Alternative text for cover: Cover of God of Tarot - Book 2:
Vision of Tarot
The shortest of the three at 260 pages, Vision of Tarot followed in 1980, continuing Brother Paul's single ongoing quest through the literalized tarot card-scape as Piers Anthony keeps pressing his questions about belief and religious experience. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Vision of Tarot - Book 3:
Faith of Tarot
At 289 pages, Faith of Tarot (1980) closes out Brother Paul's continuous journey the same year as Vision of Tarot, resolving whether the godlike entity he's been investigating is fraud, delusion, or something genuinely transcendent. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Faith of Tarot
Key facts about the Tarot series
The Tarot series has 3 books on our list. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with God of Tarot, since it opens the publication order in 1979. Vision of Tarot is book 2, from 1980. Faith of Tarot is book 3, from 1980.
Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 1979 and 1980, while their length runs from 260 to 289 pages. That is a run of 1 year.
Piers Anthony has 143 books on our list. Additionally, they write Battle Circle, Of Man and Manta and Jason Striker, plus 11 more series. We shelve the books under science fiction.
About the Tarot series
On the planet Tarot, colonized by a breakaway religious sect, the eighty-odd cards of the tarot deck are literal, physical realities: each card corresponds to an actual place, animator, or archetypal force that colonists can enter and interact with directly, turning centuries of occult symbolism into a navigable landscape. Brother Paul, a young man sent to investigate reports of a self-proclaimed god on the planet, journeys through this literalized card-scape while grappling with genuine questions about the nature of religious experience, the psychology of belief, and whether the powerful, godlike entity he encounters is a fraud, a delusion, or something authentically transcendent.
Piers Anthony wrote the trilogy as a serious engagement with comparative religion and Jungian psychology as much as a science-fiction adventure, drawing on the tarot's traditional symbolism (the Fool, the Hanged Man, the Tower) as genuine philosophical and psychological material rather than set dressing. It's denser and more overtly intellectual than his more purely commercial series, structured as one continuous quest across the three volumes rather than three separate adventures.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Tarot trilogy?
Three novels - God of Tarot (1979), Vision of Tarot (1980), and Faith of Tarot (1980) - later gathered into a single collected edition titled Tarot, which is the same trilogy rather than a fourth book.
What order should I read the Tarot trilogy in?
Publication order, starting with God of Tarot. It's one continuous story of Brother Paul's investigation and spiritual journey across the three volumes.
What is the premise of the Tarot trilogy?
On a planet colonized by a religious sect, the cards of the tarot deck are literal physical realities that colonists can enter, and a young investigator journeys through this landscape while questioning the nature of a self-proclaimed god he encounters there.
Is the Tarot trilogy connected to Piers Anthony's other series?
No, it's self-contained, with no shared characters or setting with his other series.
Is the collected edition Tarot the same story as the trilogy?
Yes. The 1987 collected edition simply gathers God of Tarot, Vision of Tarot, and Faith of Tarot into one volume; it is not a new or additional book.
If you like the Tarot series
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