On a Pale Horse
Piers Anthony’s book, On a Pale Horse, has garnered many purchases and overall good reviews by reviewers and buyers alike over its thirty-five years of existence. It is the first book of eight in the series, Incarnations of Immortality, and remains a memorable book to this day.
The book begins with Zane, the protagonist of the book, attempting suicide after losing his chance at love and money. When putting the gun to his head, Death bursts through the door and Zane needs to make a choice. He decides his life over his death and kills Death, becoming the new Death.
With his new responsibilities, Zane, or Death, goes around the world freeing souls that are in balance of going to Heaven or Hell. During one of his rounds, he runs into a Black Grandmaster Magician who wants to bargain his daughter to Zane in exchange for her protection from the Unmentionable. Zane doesn’t agree to these terms, but still gets them forced upon him.
After this, he takes a trip a to purgatory to asses the magician’s soul, as he can’t himself. Then he continues on his daily routine. Soon he takes Luna, the magician's daughter, on a date with help from a ghostly guide and his friend, Molly. This night gets him thinking of the future, and who - if he even decides to - he will spend eternity with.
He goes back to his job, but soon he must take Luna’s soul. Death goes on strike and the one and only Lord of Flies - Satan himself - appears on his Purgatory TV. Satan tries to bargain with Death, even going as far as to try to give him some of his personal servants, but Death denies all his attempts to persuade him. An exasperated Satan then sends his minions to kill Death, but soon Death realizes that since his soul is in balance he can’t be killed by someone already dead, and confronts Satan in Hell to free Luna. Since he has figured out that the Devil or Evil is an incarnation, Death wins over Evil, and Luna is granted a full life.
I would rate this book a 9/10; it isn’t perfect, and touches on some questionable subjects, but it is an overall good book and I highly recommend it to people who enjoy adventure stories.