On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, Bk. 1)
by Piers Anthony
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Book Summary Information
Author: Piers AnthonyEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1986-09-12
ISBN: 0345338588
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, Bk. 1)
Book Review: A fantastic story in a great book
Summary: 5 Stars
Zane quickly realizes that shooting Death wasn't such a great idea. In Piers Anthony's thought provoking book, On a Pale Horse, Zane finds Fate is a lot more than just a figure of speech. Anthony paints a wonderfully realistic fantasy world that blends the benefits of advanced technology and the mystical powers of magic. The book is nothing less than a masterpiece of literature.
Zane is an intellectual with very bad luck. He is described as "a young man of no particular stature or distinction of feature, with acne scars that neither medication nor spot-spell had been able to eradicate entirely. His hair dishwater brown and somewhat unkempt, his teeth were unfashionably irregular. He was obviously a depressive type."
After getting cheated out of true love by a sales manager, he decides that the world isn't worth living in anymore. As he raises a gun to his head, the Grim Reaper himself walks in the door. Zane, feeling a sudden impulse to live, shoots Death right in his skeletal ghastly face, inadvertently killing him. At that moment, Zane is reinstated as the new Death and is swept into a fast pace adventure that includes romance, divine corruption, evil monsters from Hell itself, and Death's personal transportation unit, a pale horse named Mortis who can change into a car, a speedboat, and a plane at will.
There are some of you who may not understand how Death may travel about the world collecting the souls of all who die. Piers Anthony creates a novel theory of how the Grim Reaper goes about collecting souls. When people die, their souls will usually get themselves to heaven and hell without assistance. Only a small percentage needs the personal assistance of Death to collect and weigh their souls. The souls that are "in the balance," or have an equal amount of sin and goodness, are the ones that require the presence of Death.
For those of you who like romance, Zane gets himself plenty of it. Luna, the daughter of a powerful magician is forced into an evil plan, which involves her death; this will eventually allow Hell to gain easy access to all the souls of the world. Her father pushed his own sin onto Luna in order to put his soul into the balance so that he may have a meeting with Zane when he dies. Because of the weight of both her own sins and her father's, her soul is polarized to hell. Zane is called upon by her father to protect her from the forces of hell. Luna's father knows that if he can keep Luna alive long enough, she will be able to save the world from the forces of hell. As Death, Zane will offer her far more protection than any regular man. As Zane, he will redeem her soul and send her heavenward. This is just one of the many storylines that are in On a Pale Horse.
On a Pale Horse is a great read for all you adventure, fantasy, and sci-fi fans, as it is a superb mixture of all three. I loved the clever splice of the three genres. Piers Anthony's fantasy world was a not-so-distant future where science and magic coincide. Ghosts and warlocks stroll causally down the street next to everyday normal people just trying to get by. It is a world full of surprises and exciting activity.
Piers Anthony's defining writing style makes this story a fun and intriguing adventure that introduces interesting and original characters like the other incarnations of immortality: Fate, Time, and Nature. Even God makes a cameo appearance in one of Death's soul collecting jobs. On a Pale Horse is the first in the series of books, called "The Incarnations of Immortality," where the other books explain more about each of these characters. However, this book is by far the best in the series.
One a Pale Horse is a wonderfully complex book with many subplots and interesting theories. I would recommend it for those interested in both fantasy and science fiction. However, those of you who like strong characters and a fascinating plotline will also enjoy this book. If I were to grade this book, I would definitely give it an "A".
Summary of On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, Bk. 1)
When Zane shot Death, he learned, too late, that he would have to assume his place, speeding over the world riding his pale horse, and ending the lives of others. Sooner than he would have thought possible, Zane found himself being drawn to Satan's plot. Already the Prince of Evil was forging a trap in which Zane must act to destroy Luna, the woman he loved...unless he could discover the only way out....The first novel of the INCARNATIONS OF IMMORATLITY series.
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