In this first novel of the Incarnations of Immortality, Piers Anthony combines a gripping story of romance and conflicting loyalties with a deeply moving examination of the meaning of life and death. This is a novel that will long linger in the reader’s mind. Shooting Death was a mistake, as Zane soon discovered. For the man who killed the Incarnation of Death was immediately forced to assume the … forced to assume the vacant position! Thereafter, he must speed over the world, riding his pale horse, and ending the lives of others.
Zane was forced to accept his unwelcome task, despite the rules that seemed woefully unfair. But then he found himself being drawn into an evil plot of Satan. Already the prince of Evil was forging a trap in which Zane must act to destroy Luna, the woman he loved.
He could see only one possible way to defeat the Father of Lies. It was unthinkable—but he had no other solution!
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I loved this book! I have re-read it several times in the last 20+ years, and have now given a copy to my daughter.
Irony, and dark humor, all tossed into the struggle between Good and Evil. Page turning from the start.
Fun and interesting book with a deep underlying message! This was a great read and I really enjoyed it. Great plot and deeper meaning without beating you over the head with the message.
I just joined bookbub and was looking for people with similar likes to follow so I read the reviews of one of my favorite series and author. This is one of them. If you like books that get you hooked in to another world that has twists of same world from different points of view this is a great one. Enjoy
The Incarnations of Immortality series is an excellent look at fantasy combined with various beliefs about religion and the powers that guide us.
One of my favorite books!
Another excellent series by Piers Anthony, although I would rate this book as the standout element in the series. An imaginative force of nature.
Piers take on the persona of Death is awesome
Love the whole Incantations of Immortality. Read the whole series and enjoyed them a lot.
DEFINITELY on a scale of 0-10 (0 don’t touch, 10 don’t put down)…. this book is turned up to 11!!!!!
This book is so good, one of my faves because I love Piers Anthony and Sci-Fi/Fantasy books. READ IT it is amazing!!!
I really enjoyed his take on the different immortal gods. Had to read the entire series!
The idea that immortals were just normal people who, through various circumstances, inherited their jobs is unique and fascinating. Very enjoyable!
Fascinating viewpoint of Death.
The attention to detail in the world where both magic and technology work is impressive, and the concept of a normal human taking the job of collecting souls in balance to determine their fate is fascinating. I’ve read the story many times and each time I find a new insight.
Not as good as I remember it being when i was younger, but I guess that is typical. It is still interested.
What happens when Death goes on strike? Worse, what happens when Death goes on strike over a point of honor? On A Pale Horse is the first of seven stories about those parts of the human mythos we all know, but don’t understand how they go together. This is the story of how Death learned his job. And what happened when he stopped doing his job.
Interesting series, this first one is wonderful.
This book opened the door to fantasy fiction for me. I remember buying it at the mall in Boca Raton, FL while on vacation with my parents sometime around 1988. I devoured it and reread it at least five times before continuing with the rest of the books in the series.
I’ve been a fan of Pier Anthony from way back. I own original paperbacks of nearly everything he wrote. Most of it I’ve liked, some not so much. Now, I’m replacing the old worn out paperbacks with e-books priced 2x or as much.
Incarnations of reality are good reads, a little heavy-handed on an artificial morality .
I read this book 30 years ago and saw it again just a few weeks ago. I forgot how much Piers Anthony takes you on this journey with these characters!