To Murder Death.
From the outset, On a Pale Horse refuses any tie to the conventional,
mundane or trite. For
one, the protagonist is Death Incarnate! The reader
encounters Nature, War, Time and Fate who comprise the five ‘Incarnations of
Immortality’ (incidentally this is also the name of the series). Although
fantasy, On a Pale Horse is set in a modern world, similar, if not slightly more
futuristic than our own, where magic and science co-exist and have the
potential to augment or negate the other. The story employs magic stones,
flying carpets, gems of power and even dragons –all the quintessential
enchantments; but these live alongside elevators, explosives, and helicopters
–all the modern accoutrements.
Piers Anthony’s fantasy novel explores the
philosophical and satirizes
contemporary society while simultaneously delighting the reader with his
creative imagination and enthralling plot. Through his engaging innovative
world and remarkable storytelling, Piers Anthony debates questions of human
existence and suffering and offers an alternative theory to the mechanics of
life.
Piers Anthony is one of the most prolific writers today and has written scores
upon scores of novels of various genres but achieved fame with his novels in
the fantasy sub-genre. Anthony’s books often feature less-than-heroic
characters caught up in epic events and On a Pale Horse is no different. The
Protagonist Zane is described as "a young man of no particular stature or
distinction of feature, with acne scars that neither medication nor spot-spell
had been able to eradicate entirely. His hair dishwater brown and somewhat
unkempt, his teeth were unfashionably irregular. He was obviously a
depressive type." Zane is so fed up with his life that, after being swindled out
of his last coin he trudges up to his apartment contemplating suicide. Just as
he is about to pull the trigger, Death walks in supervise the proceedings.
Instead of killing himself however, a momentary surge of disgust overcomes
him and Zane accidentally shoots Death. Zane then must then take up
Death’s ‘office’ and thus, a young man of no special quality who normally
leads an abnormally depressed life is unwittingly catapulted above the
concerns of mere mortals and becomes an Incarnation of Immortality.
Amidst Zane’s struggles to conduct his business as Death as ably as he can
and even tougher, to accept psychologically, the office he has inherited, is an
evil plot by Satan to condemn the soul of the girl he loves to Hell. The
enthralled reader then is pressed with numerous questions. Will Zane realize
his powers in time to save his beloved or will Satan thwart another pathetic
attempt at heroism? Zane suffers from an initial aversion to the grisly job he
must perform, collecting souls of questionable decency and sending them to
purgatory to be sorted.
Despite the various connections to the theological, Anthony manages to avoid
serious theological discussion, placing his arguments involving heaven and
Hell predominately in a philosophical arena. Satan appears in the book as
the Prince of Lies (his forte) and is portrayed as a slimy lawyer or
businessman. The forces of Hell attempt to lure people to eternal damnation
via scandalous billboard signs that appeal to their baser instincts and other
such naughty advertisements. The entity of Heaven is mysterious and absent,
seemingly removed from any direct noticeable or tangible influence.
Purgatory is a study of bureaucracy and all its red tape.
The conversations and arguments Death has with the various Incarnations
become revelatory, philosophical rhetoric but often comical. The reader is
taken in by these arguments but often makes a correct conclusion long
before the protagonist does. The novel ultimately endeavors to suggest that
if we had a better appreciation for the natural way death operates in life then
we could look past the grisly suffering present on its crudest layer.
On a Pale Horse can be enjoyed on many levels. Most of the humor is easy to
understand and the underlying social satire is not hard to enjoy. The novel
will appeal to pre-teens on up. Piers Anthony’s style of writing is
predominately comical but will become serious when aspects of the plot need
straightening. Peirs Anthony’s writing is consistently innovative and
consistently eludes the readers attempts at predicting the sequence of
events. His social satire is noteworthy and is made all the more enjoyable
from its connection with the fantastic.