Book Review: On A Pale Horse

I just finished reading “On A Pale Horse” by Piers Anthony. April had recommended this and I was able to pickup the audio books on CD via a deal from eBay. This is the first novel of the INCARNATIONS OF IMMORTALITY series. I had read to his first six or so books on the Xanth series. I have to admit that I’m not that big of a fantasy guy as I am pure science fiction. This book was very original and I enjoyed it immensely. For some reason, I keep stumbling upon books or movies that deal with the personification of Death. I had recently rented Hogfather from Netflix. Both of these portrayed Death as “a regular joe just doing his job” that is thrust into some wild situations. Hogfather is great also, by the way, and I recommending adding it to your Netflix queue.

The primary character is named Zane and Death appeared to him as he was about to commit suicide. He changes his mind but cannot seem to be able to abort his intentions. At the last instant, he shoots Death in the face instead. This is from the inside cover of the book ...

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 guy that reads the book is fantastic. Perhaps as good as Jim Dale, the guy that reads the Harry Potter books. His range is excellent and he does the separate character voices with precision. The story gives you different aspects of the other personified immortals such as Father Time, Mother Nature, Fate, War and Satan. God is mentioned but doesn’t make an appearance in this book.

Basically, it is very good story but the character development is the real draw to the book. You can also expect a healthy dose of explanations on how magic works in this reality. This isn’t nothing new to you if you have enjoyed any of the Xanth series of books but this approach is more adult. You find yourself thinking, “Well sure, that type of magic would have those limitations ... wait ... what they heck am I saying?”. If you get the chance, by all means check this book out. I’m treading through the second book now, which centers on Father Time (although he hasn’t made an appearance in the book yet).