Man by a tree

by Dani J. Caile

Put a tree on your shelf :-)

"I have to say; what a superbly originally fantastic piece of writing. It's as though someone put a rocket up Terry Pratchett's derriere and then fired him into a drunken Adams. Captivating, humorous, easy-to-read and thought provoking... And there's clearly some very deep latent messages here about us mere mortals." J. Owen

Take a devilish romp through a world of death, where souls pay for experiences, monkeys are the hosts, and Reginald is the service provider.

Reginald has been in control for millenia. With His staff of hundreds, and millions of souls passing through to experience the delights of physicality, his reign has become complacent. His servants, Satan and Lucifer, jump at the chance to take what they see as rightfully theirs.
The Grim Reaper, or Graham Reader as he calls himself, has been doing his job of transporting souls ever since he can remember, to gain his wings. But he has become tainted by the actions of the monkeys living on the planet. Unbeknown to him, a plan is afoot to change the status quo of 'up above' and 'down below', where he is a linchpin to both interested parties.

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Quotes from http://www.authonomy.com/books/39322/...
"Sharp, dark and sardonic are rarely found wrapped in a single package on this site. Your book has managed the trinity." Greg Levin (Notes on an Orange Burial)
"Have very much enjoyed what I've read so far..." James Lark (More Tea, Jesus?)
"a damned good tale." "Reads very well!" Fred Nath (The Cyclist)

"...inventive and unpredictable. Nice work!" vmorr
"Great comic writing." Mark Kirkbridge
"I've fallen in love..."Bryn Hammond
"Great stuff!" Emsbabee
"...a fantastic read" Scott Toney
"Very funny!" Sue50
"Original, ironic, sardonic, witty and wacky; a great read. I enjoyed this very much." Colin Neville
"Very inventive and unique." PA Davies
"...it's good fun. It made me laugh" Candymace
"biting wit and irreverence... so many great images here" turnerpage
"...it's great stuff. Very droll in places... blissfully so." Sandie Zand
"...well-written story...great word choice... different textures... voice is great... pull the reader into the story..." Auna June
"Humourous writing, great inventive plot. All the elements of a classic (Graham Reader, indeed!). Fantastic stuff, Dani, keep it up!" Jack Hughes
"Clever, entertaining and well-written. A winner!" Richard Allen
"I think this could be a seller." Inspectorrick
"Well written and completely believable... I loved to read it." the dragon flies (Peter)
"solemn, descriptive and dark... liked the interspersed action between the dialogue" MIRO1K
"This is bloody good stuff. The writing is wonderful and the narrative flows. Utterly not my usual sort of thing but I was gripped. Weird, wonderful and thick with detail - loved it." Shielab
"This has enormous humourous potential" Warrick
"This is a wild story... Dramatic beginning... interesting....It's a funny, enjoyable read." Wanttobeawriter
"I think this could easily be picked up by a publisher or agent!" Noelle J. Alabaster

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2012

About the author

English teacher and proofreader turned amateur fantasy fiction writer. Worked on a 4 and a 1/2 book humourous fantasy series based on a sardonic Neoplantonic world through the ages, dealing with problems in the 21st century. All books have been written to great acclaim (though not many people have read them yet)...

Reviews

[Henrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man by a tree is a book that revolves around the character Graham Reader, a.k.a the Grim Reaper. Graham is collecting souls, transporting them to the afterlife, in order to get his wings. What he doesn't know yet, is that there is a plan to change the status quo between the 'up above' and the 'down below', which will put him in the right middle of things. There is also the story about a struggling musician, who is thinking if he will ever be able to make it (i.e becoming successful). These stories are cleverly woven together by Dani J. Caile.

I found it a really interesting read with a witty dialogue and funny situations all over the place. For readers who enjoy the likes of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Stephen Fry, this is definitely an interesting book. While I did have a hard time getting into the book for the first 30 pages, I did find it even more hard to put it down after passing those first 30 pages. Highly recommended.

[Tom Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book not in the shops, this is a bloody good read. I had to buy it online, but I'm glad I did. Thoroughly engrossing. Particularly liked the way the plotlines built up to a crescendo by the end. I felt I was watching a movie.
Loved it. Reading it over again.
This should be in the shops, some big distributor should get their hands on this. But I'm happy. I've got a copy now.
Rated 5/5

[Juliaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a few pages to get the hang of the multiple 'heads' but after that, I couldn't put it down until the end! Excellent, original, wacky, some great observations, some just plain dumb.
I recommend anyone to go and read this.

[Dani Caile · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface, this book is a good read, making a statement about how we live in the 21st century. Under the surface, it's saying a whole lot more. It's more than just a book about hobgoblins and angels and devils and God, it's commenting on the whole scheme of things, civilisation, people, life (and death).
And I can only repeat what others have said about this book...
“a crazy, mixed up, hysterically weird concept… wow well done” AuroraNemesis
“very imaginative, creative and funny” Fr. Ambrose
”clever subtle humour.” Daniel Manning
“Clever, quirky and interesting... quirky, offbeat humour. Original and talented. Should be in the shops” Fran Macilvey
“It is mysterious and that grabs a reader” burtont73 (Tina Burton)
“original…really fantastic” Dianna Lanser
“delightfully quirky…original… I haven’t read anything like this before…” ozhm (Helen Meikle)
“Your story is funny and ingenious, your writing clean and visual, and above all polished” Aesop
“I have to say; what a superbly originally fantastic piece of writing. It’s as though someone put a rocket up Terry Pratchett’s derriere and then fired him into a drunken Adams. Captivating, humorous, easy-to-read and thought provoking... And there’s clearly some very deep latent messages here about us mere mortals.” J. Owen
“I would walk to the shops tomorrow and buy this, if I could.” Dave Tarragon
“Have very much enjoyed what I've read so far…” James Lark (More Tea, Jesus?)
“…inventive and unpredictable. Nice work!” vmorr
“Sharp, dark and sardonic are rarely found wrapped in a single package on this site. Your book has managed the trinity.” Mclevin
"a damned good tale." "Reads very well!" Fred Nath (The Cyclist)
“Great comic writing.” Mark Kirkbridge
“I've fallen in love…”Bryn Hammond
“Great stuff!” Emsbabee
“…a fantastic read” Scott Toney
“Very funny!” Sue50

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Man by a Tree" by Dani J. Caile is an entertaining and clever short novel in the tradition of Douglas Adams, Monthy Python and Terry Pratchett.
It playfully concerns God, Death, Satan and some angels in their daily routine of doing their job. Trying to see those mythical creatures as human or employees with job descriptions and a sense of humour worked remarkably well for me. Unlike other works in the religious parody/ fantasy spectrum Caile never turns disrespectful or offensive, his story is mostly pleasant and light hearted.
Making Death and God mere employers however serves as a reflection on modern life, the changes for better and for worse since the bible was written and when the concept of God and Satan entered our human consciousness. Would I like to live forever, I wondered, when everything established and comfortably known is replaced by new things? I very much liked Graham Reader (as the Grim Reaper is known in the book)and his fellow immortals.
If you cannot see the deeper and philosophical side to this story you can still enjoy it for the playful and original writing and plot. Very readable.

[Daniel Kupres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death from above

I’ve read several of Dani’s science fiction books and have enjoyed them so I thought I’d dig deeper into his work. Man by the Tree was the first to pop up. It’s considered fantasy which is a new genre for me and based on religion which I’m not a huge fan. The only challenge I found was learning the different characters. Once I was able to identify each, I began to question why some where included but that was one motivation to continue on and see how they all come together.

The biggest challenge I had was wondering what type of stance Dani is taking on religion and if his ideology would shine through. I couldn’t pin point what his beliefs may be but sticking with the take that God is all powerful and all knowing, this does not disappoint. Whatever your view on Christianity, this is a fun story and well worth the read. Now I’m on to #2.