It was over ten years ago when I was first introduced to the author Piers Anthony. Piers Anthony is a science fiction and fantasy author who has written over a hundred books. The most popular series is set in a magical land called Xanth. To date there are forty books in the Xanth series. I have only read a handful of that series, but will always be grateful to the girl who recommend the books to me. Years later while talking to a coworker about fantasy books Piers Anthony was brought up. My coworker at the time told me about The Incarnations of Immortality series also by Piers Anthony. As luck would have it, the coworker owned the books and loaned each book to me so I could read them. I later purchased my own set. There are currently eight books in the series. When I read them there were only seven and I have only read the first seven. I will be reviewing the seven books from the series that I have read over the next seven weeks.
lity series is On a Pale Horse. Each book is a story about a different incarnation. The incarnations are death, time, fate, war, nature, evil, and good. This book focuses on the incarnation of death. The story is set in a world where science and magic both exist. Zane is broke and alone. After the death of his mother he has no money and no one. After trading a possible soul mate for a wealth stone that doesn’t work as he had expected, Zane decides to commit suicide. Not even that goes as planned. Instead of killing himself, he kills death and becomes death himself.- To become death, you must kill death I was really fascinated with the idea that to become death, you must kill death. I know this is not an original idea but, I liked that is gives the person who holds the office of death mortality.
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Death doesn’t have to be something we fear Zane runs the office with compassion. I think it sometime compassion can be controversial. This book is no exception with Zane showing mercy to people who live only because they aren’t being allowed to die. Zane also warns people to change their ways before it is too late and gives second chances when he can.
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Zane When we first meet Zane he seem to be a down on his luck guy. So much so that he feels his only escape is death. He is also rational and passionate about what he believes.
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Mortis Death rides a pale horse. I really liked how Piers Anthony modernized Mortis, the pale horse, to be able to change into whatever death needed him to be. He could be a horse, a limosine, a flying carpet. I thought that was very clever.
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Good vs Evil This book wasn’t religious as much as good vs evil. The evil is very obvious in the form of Satan but it really isn’t about religion. It is good trying to win against bad.