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Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse is the first book in the Incarnations of
Immortality series, which personifies the forces of Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Good and Evil. As Anthony says in his Author's Note, On a Pale Horse is "on one level a fun-fantasy with a unique main character ...(b)ut on another level it is a satiric look at contemporary society, with some savagely pointed criticism. It is also a serious exploration of man's relation to death." The story begins on a very bad day for a photographer named Zane. Zane is contemplating suicide when a stranger enters his room without warning. Startled, Zane shoots the stranger in self-defense, then discovers to his surprise that he has killed Death himself and must now take on his office. I found On a Pale Horse to be an entertaining, yet thought-provoking work. Throughout the book, Anthony consistently portrays Death as a compassionate being who should be welcomed rather than feared, much as Death is portrayed in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. The premise of Death as one of several immortal beings who influence our lives is also similar to Gaiman's concept of the Endless. Throughout the work, Anthony makes some very cutting observations about artificial resuscitation, suicide, self-sacrifice, and the concept of sin that force the reader to ask himself some hard questions about what constitutes a "good" life. Whether or not one agrees with Anthony's beliefs, On a Pale Horse is an excellent book to read. Piers Anthony is best known for his Xanth series for children, but he has also written a number of works for adults, including the Blue Adept series, the Mode series, and the Incarnations of Immortality series. Anthony is also the author of Letters to Jenny, a collection of one year's worth of correspondence to a 12-year-old fan hit by a drunk driver.
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