Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and thought-provoking
Review: This series has the usual Piers Anthony Wit, but is a much more "serious" and thought-provoking read than the Xanth series (which I enjoyed in my teens, but found got too "child-like" to keep my attention when I got older).
This series has more the 'dark' feel of Tolkien's classic "Lord of the Rings" series - but actually comes from a much more original angle - each book comes from a very unique perspective of a "mortal man" that is suddenly thrust into taking on the role of an "immortal" (such as Death or Fate or War), and serve certain "duties" in order to maintain the proper "order" of the world. Piers Anthony does a great job of making each "immortal" role convincing as well as the actions and reactions of the mortals suddenly finding themselves in these roles. Makes a person think about the balance of forces in life.
Rating:
Summary: Operating on Two Levels, Without Contradiction
Review: I see "On a Pale Horse" as operating on two levels simultaneously. If you read the author's notes (which are a bit long-winded), you find out that Piers Anthony has a deal with his publisher that for every X number of high-volume sales books he writes, he gets to write one completely of his choosing, regardless of sales potential (see the truly stunning "Tatham Mound"). To this end, Anthony wrote "On a Pale Horse" as fun, easy-to-read, and somewhat simplistic. However, he could not resist tackling the philosophical meanings of death, which I believe he does well. The main character, Zane, is somewhat immature and naive; this puts him in a position where he can step back and look at death from an almost child-like starting point. The result is hidden depth in a book that was supposed to be "light fantasy". Both goals get accomplished: a rousing, fast, adventure fantasy tale; and, an objective, analytical look at the meaning of death. "On a Pale Horse" launches the "Incarnations of Immortality" series that spans the topics of death, time, fate, nature, war, good, and evil. The stories intertwine, giving the reader a chance to see events from several different perspectives. Light fantasy can be important writing. Here is proof, in the entire series.
Rating: 
Summary: The way he writes about women is infuriating
Review: Without revealing too much about the story or the characters for those of you that would actually like to read this series of books, I'd like to let the ladies in on something. Based on this series the author seems to be a misogynist (to put it simply - someone who strongly dislikes women). This is the only series by Piers Anthony that I have read and it is highly unlikely that I will ever read anything by this author ever again. The way he writes about women is infuriating. I didn't actually pick up on it at first. His low opinion of women just kind of sneaks in there all quiet like and slowly infects all the characters. Basically women simply exist to be sex slaves and pretty accessories to men. Women are also expected to always clean up, cook for and take care of the men as well. At one point War says that "women don't count"! Even the books written from the point of view of the female characters end up with this same view -- the women always second guessing themselves and thinking themselves unworthy of the tasks before them and the men in their lives. There were a couple of different characters (War and Evil) that had and were EXPECTED to have more than one woman or wife at a time! Fate is EXPECTED to do sexual favors for the other male incarnations simply because of the difficult lifestyle situation of the incarnations. At one point one of the women was magically turned into a man and tried to rape another woman. This brought her to the realization that it's understandable why men rape women because they have a very strong sexual drive. Thereby almost making it "okay" that rape happens since she understood it through this strange experience. Consenting sexual love is discussed thoroughly in one of the books. I agree with the basic gist of Mr. Anthony's reasoning that as long as two people are fully consenting and in love that it should be okay for them to have a physical relationship as long as they are both free of other relationships to do so. However, I think the author took it too far in that one of the characters was a young girl of 15 and the other was an older man in his mid 50's. I think that the so-called consenting people should definitely be over 18 at the very least if they are going to engage in a physical relationship. I found the whole storyline between these two characters disgusting and very difficult to read. Overall, the idea of the existence of incarnations was interesting and different. However, I was repeatedly disappointed with the ending of each of the books. Why on earth I bothered to finish the series I will never understand. I will not read another Piers Anthony book ever again.
Rating:
Summary: Another 3 pointer for Anthony!
Review: Piers Anthony is one of the most prolific authors of our time and he knows how to do it right every time. From the Xanth series (VERY punny), to the Apprentice Adept books to the Incarnations of Immortality series of which this is one, he continually comes up with fresh, original storylines and great characters. This book is (marginally) my favorite of all of his works, as I don't think I have ever seen the Grim Reaper portrayed more sympathetically or with more humor. What makes this book even more attractive is that it's a VERY easy read. The story just carries you along to the end and you just don't want to put it down. No big words, no extremely complex concepts to comprehend (wow! Alliteration!), just a good old-fashioned read. Most of the books that I read nowadays are very rich in prose and dialogue and plot and words that you have to look up in the dictionary. Piers doesn't inflict that on you, he just tells it like it is and with style. I like that. Makes a good break from my usual reading. I'm sure it will for you, too. Read it, it's good!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and imaginative...
Review: I stumbled across this book accidentally and was interested by the description of the story. I didn't know if I would like it or not and figured that I would read it for an hour and if I liked it I would continue to read it.\ If you can't tell from my rating, the reading went on for more than an hour. This ended up being very hard to put down and I really enjoyed the experiences of Zane as he learned the office and role of Death. Of interest was the story of Luna (Zane's love) and Death's hand in thwarting the plans of Satan over her. Also of interest was the author's view of how Death is only a part of life and not something to be feared of. It was nice to find this true message in this work of fiction. I found this to be very imaginative and original. I loved it and I look forward to the other books in this series!! I would recommend this to anybody who is looking for a book that is both different and philosophical.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting premise, but increadibly sexist
Review: I first read this series in the 5th grade, and highly enjoyed it. In fact, it was one of the first "adult" fantasy series I read, and started me on a life-long love affair with good genre fiction. I recently found the entire set at a garage sale, so I decided to buy it and re-read it, now that I'm an adult. I still love the premise, and find the idea of the book to be innovative. I was, however, unprepared for the intense misogyny displayed in this text. There seems to be a constant focus on women's beauty, women's bodies, women's use as sexual objects, but little on women as humans. They are portrayed as a man-hungry, appearance-obsessed, emotionally unstable species who are traded by men as if they were nothing but possessions. Any display of courage by the women in this text is sexualized and immediately undercut by a focus on their physical appearance. The "love" affair between Zane and Luna is hackneyed and cheapened by AWEFUL dialogue. To say the least, as an adult reader, I was quite disappointed. I will read the rest of the series again to see if the treatment of women improves, as the sexism in this book might just be part of Zane's character. However, I don't hold out much hope. On another note, the Author's Note at the end of the text has to be one of the most transparent exercises in literary masturbation I've ever read. Anthony's pretension and undue pride come out in full force. It's just ludicrous, which is a shame because I love reading about the author's life from their own perspective, and learning about how an author completes a text. I'd love for more authors to include in-depth author's notes, but hopefully without the condescension that emits from this one.
Rating:
Summary: I guess I expected too much...
Review: I must say, very few books at amazon.com receive a 4.8 overall rating. Specially one with over 50 reviews. So I bought 'On a Pale Horse' expecting something grand. I got an OK fantasy book that's not really as creative as it sounds and dangerously trite towards the middle. The book is extremely interesting in the beginning and at the end (specially the meeting with the Father of Lies himself) but Luna, one of the most two-dimensional characters I've ever read in a book (Even for FANTASY books) almost ruins it. Zane has a formulaic passion over this girl, and I found the interaction between them by far the worst part of the book. While some of the most exciting scenes really got me up and pumping, like the few battle scenes, the quality was quickly slumped by the love story, in which Piers Anthony persisted on making it show up every 20 pages or so. Piers seems to continuously belittle DEATH throughout the book. The main character is constantly manipulated by the other incarnations, it seems that nothing's new because they already know what's going to happen. If only Zane developed a more rebellious attitude at being so obviously controlled, the character would be even better than it is already (It only loses to the Lord of Evil himself, whose arguments would make a $2000-an-hour lawyer's arguments seem like a monkey gibberish) Does this book deserve only 3 stars? No, 3.5 would be more accurate. But it's closer to 3 than it is to 4. Great concept, but the two-dimensional romance was definately the focus here in the book, and it is definately (at least, in my opinion) the weakest part of the book. Even after it's flaws, this book is still a worthy addition to an avid reader's library.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, yes, and more yes
Review: I beleive that On a Pale Horse is good, even for young readers. It's easy to read, touching, and well written. Piers Anhtony has a way with words, and he shows them perfectly here. I like the way he describes his characters, so that you can get a real feel for them--just what I love.
Rating:
Summary: a sci-fi book for all to enjoy
Review: As a self professed bookworm, I have read lots of books, and while my tastes dable in many genres, I haven't read a lot of sci-fi. This book, however, remains my favorite book of all time, in any genre. The story of a man down on his luck, things change quickly when he purchases a ruby from a shop. Once this book picks up, it never lets go, and I'd even go as far as to say it changed my outlook on life. The rest of the "incarnations" books interweave nicely with each other, but this book will always stand out to me as the shining gem of the series. Whether you like sci-fi or not, pick this one up.
Rating:
Summary: work of art
Review: This book is a must for anyone who only likes certain books. This book never gets boring like some do, and as the story goes on it keeps getting better and better it doesnt wear out. For this price there's no reason you shouldn't buy it!
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