# Trying to ID this scifi/fantasy book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-id-this-scifi-fantasy-book/475768 "2008-12-04T23:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-id-this-scifi-fantasy-book/475768/1 "2008-12-04T23:06:48Z")
A question in GQ sparked a memory and I went looking for a book on my shelves that I cannot find. My memory has it entitled _The Man In The Tree_. But I can’t spot it on Amazon with Man/Tree search combinations. Originally I thought the author was Gene Wolfe, but now that I’ve thought about it I’m pretty sure that the protagonist was named Gene and I have no idea who the author was. The premise is that at each moment when two \*different \*things can happen, the universe splits off and \*both \*things happen, one in each universe - thereby creating an infinity of universes. The protagonist is a giant of a man (literally) who can reach into the other universes and make the things that happened there, happen here. Anyone know the book? ---
**Author:** ![spoike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@spoike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spoike)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-id-this-scifi-fantasy-book/475768/2 "2008-12-04T23:27:37Z")
It looks like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Man-Tree-Damon-Knight/dp/0575035951) might be it. Same title as you remembered, and if you scroll down to the reviews, there’s one that mentions the protagonist being called “Gene”. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-id-this-scifi-fantasy-book/475768/3 "2008-12-04T23:31:22Z")
Thank you. That is indeed it. I wonder why I couldn’t find it… I typed The man In the tree into their search engine more than once and it just would not come up. But that is it, thanks.