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71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the not-so-grim Reaper, December 13, 2000
This review is from: On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, Bk. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the first Piers Anthony book I ever read, and I read it for all the wrong reasons. I read it because the title intrigued me. I read it because it had a really cool cover. I was young and still judged many books on that basis. Fortunately, I hit the jackpot with this one. I give this book five stars because it earned each and every one of them. I can be stingy with my stars at times, but I wonder if five is enough for this one. On A Pale Horse is book 1 of the Incarnations of Immortality, but don't be intimidated by the prospect of buying all the others because this one's a heavyweight all by its lonesome (it's the only one I've personally read so far). The main character is Zane, who is forced to take over the position of Death when he accidentally shoots and kills the previous Death (who had the misfortune of barging in a bit prematurely during Zane's suicide attempt). This sounds a little wacky, and it is, but wonderfully so. From there, the book continues to tell the story of Zane as he learns the ropes of Reaping. The main plot involves Satan trying to lure Death into a scheme that involves him killing this girl he's come to love. The whole idea of Satan vs. Death is very cool, and is worth the price of the book alone. However, said plot, while awesome, was not my favorite part of the book because there's just so much dang cool stuf in here! For one thing, the book is hilarious, while several humorous moments in which Zane finds that Reaping isn't as easy as it looks. There's also a wonderful world Anthony has created that blends science and magic. And one thing that Anthony pulls off that few can is to, among a book filled with both laughs and adventure, weave in some deeply profound philosophical perspectives (on Death, of course). This book just had it all, and it had some very unique ideas about Death and salvation. One thing I must say, though(and I hate having to say it, but I have to because there are some really stupid people out there) is that this is a work of fiction. I am a Christian and realize that some of the ideas presented in this book are at odds with my own personal beliefs, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy and appreciate the originality and creativity of them. In other words, for all you "muggles" out there, Piers isn't trying to convert anybody to his way of thinking. He just wants to give us a good book and he does. As for those of you who may disagree with me, I say this: if you are really afraid that reading things like this will actually cause you to change your deepest beliefs, it's high time you took a look inside yourself and determine just how deep your belief is in the first place. Your beliefs should come from within yourself, not the most recent thing you've read.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Death is only the beginning [no spoilers], June 11, 2006
This review is from: On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, Bk. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
"On A Pale Horse" begins the "Incarnations of Immortality" series as an immature Zane seeks to improve his dismal life in a world filled with a curious blend of magic, religion, and science. Rudimentary character growth and environmental imagery laced among stereotypical behavior of mostly chauvinistic male and scatterbrained female figures cater to the young reader with the typical vocabulary in most fast-paced Piers Anthony storyline. Regrettably an ominous intensity and the dreadful powers of Death could have created a genuinely classic novel.
Zane must deal with the difficulties of a new job as he maintains a personal life. The novel introduces a gripping view of the Grim Reaper, since death can be a fearsome and at times welcome aspect in life. Death has the proverbial scythe and Deathsteed (which has a science influence as well), along with the duty of collecting souls to be possibly in part judged by him for final destination. A brief introduction to the other major Incarnations, featured in following tales of the series, include Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil, and Good.
Although the novel handles the Incarnation of Death, the eternal battle between Heaven and Hell exposes little concerning Hell and naught about Heaven to the reader. While long-winded logical conclusions govern most of the fast dialogue between characters, the author conducts the space/time continuum paradox in a masterly fashion.
I recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre. However those of a highly inflexible religious background or intolerant attitude towards religion might want to avoid the selection.
Thank you.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forget Xanth, this is Great!, November 27, 2000
This review is from: On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, Bk. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I read the first Xanth book (A Spell for Chameleon.) I picked up the second one (The Source of Magic) and got frustrated with it. The subject matter of the Xanth series only reaches so far as to cater to the 11-15 age range. Once you get beyond that, or at least for me, it becomes a little childish. This book, however, was wonderfully mind stimulating. It probably would classify as a sci-fi book, which accounts for the futuristic Earth setting, but Anthony draws on his fantasy expertise to add flavor and gusto to this novel. It really is in a league of its own. I haven't even heard of a book or series that portrays the Incarnations (Death, Fate, Time, etc.) in such a special way, let alone have them as characters. The main reason I picked this book up in the first place was because of its unusual cover portraying Death in a yellow car (which we later learn is his Death Steed named Mortis.) The story itself is riviting, drawing on many of the author's own feelings and thoughts to create an allegory (a work that can be read on two levels, in a literal way and then usually a deeper, more thought out way.) It has great action (sword fights, or actually scythe fights, damsels in destress, magicians, ect.) But what really got me was, the arch enemy of Death, the protagonist who is actually a human who assumed the post of Death after killing the previous Death, is Satan himself! What better foe could there be? On a Pale Horse is a truly uncommon and unique book. It is fast paced and extremely interesting. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
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